Tiger Woods made his return to golf this week at the Hero World Challenge, providing glimpses of his former dominant self.

Woods ended the week tied for ninth with Matt Kuchar at 8 under, while firing three out of four rounds in the 60s. He had six birdies and an eagle Sunday, proving he still has the firepower to go low.

Here are three takeaways from Woods' performance:

1. He looked healthy — This was the most obvious and important observation about Woods' week and the question everyone wanted answered positively. Having undergone four back surgeries since 2014, many wondered if Woods would be wincing his way down the fairways like he had in previous comebacks. He didn't, and not only was he free of pain, he recoiled on a few swings like he did in his 20s.

Last year at the Hero World Challenge, Woods looked stiff, often coming out of his tee shots early to protect his back from stress. He looked much more comfortable this week, twirling his club as his ball sailed 300-plus yards down the fairway. This was just Step 1 in his comeback, but it was a positive outcome.

2. He can still hit all the shots — Most of the pre-tournament chatter surrounding Woods' form focused on his ability to drive the ball as far, or further, than some of the game's biggest stars. While that proved to be the case, Woods' most impressive shots came away from the tee box.

Known for his devastating stingers and high-towering long irons, Woods repeatedly had success with some of the toughest shots he faced. His short game improved throughout the week — he still had some semblance of the yips — but overall he looked prepared to execute any shot he attempted.

3. Normal rust was good rust — Previously when making his comeback attempts, Woods had shown signs of demoralizing tendencies that pointed toward failure. This time, however, his inconsistences appeared to be normal rust from a long layoff. Though he chunked a few chips and displayed some poor speed control on greens at times, those were far better than some of the swing hitches he had in other comeback attempts.

Woods also didn't press. He played within himself and let birdies come naturally. He needs to continue doing that in full-field events.