A tamer Woods threatens to return fiercer than ever

Now, when reporters brief Woods on what passes for trash talk out on the tour, he is a little more expansive.

"I look at it this way: If I'm playing well, I'll take my chances against anybody. That's the way I've always felt," he said. "When I'm playing well, I'm tough to beat."

It must have killed Woods to have to say even that much.