Much like his personal life, Tiger Woods' golf game is in transition, but while he's pleased to expand on the latter, the former remains a taboo topic.
Fronting the media at Victoria Golf Club on Wednesday ahead of the 2010 JBWere Masters, Woods was well prepped for the inevitable probing on the upheavals in his personal life over the past 12 months.
Asked whether there was a chance this week to apply a full stop to a chain of events that started in Melbourne12 months ago, Woods smiled and launched into a dissertation about the course and the strength of the field.
He turned a question about his emotional frailties into an opportunity to discuss how much he loves to practice.
Woods was patient and accommodating but far more direct with his responses to inquiries about his form, the state of his game and his prospects of defending the 2009 title he won at Kingston Heath.
"I've got a pretty good chance of winning events if I play the way I know I can play," he said.
"I put together a really good round at the Ryder Cup on Monday and a shared two good bookend rounds (in the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai) last week, so things are shaping up."
"I'm hitting the ball much further than I used to but I'm not as consistent as I need to be."
Woods said he's pleased with the swing changes he's making with coach Sean Foley that have taken him back to where he was as a 15 or 16-year-old.
There still plenty of fine-tuning required, he said, but it won't hinder his quest to recapture the No.1 ranking he recently conceded to Englishman Lee Westwood.
"Would I like to be No.1 in the world again? Yes, obviously," said Woods.
"But how did I get there? I won golf tournaments. And how did I remain there? I won golf tournaments."
"I haven't won anything this year so it's understandable that I'm not ranked No.1"
"I have to win golf tournaments in order to get there."
The key to winning this week, he said, is to stay on the fairway, keep the ball in play, and give yourself uphill putts.
He noted that the 6297-metre par-71 layout which he played for the first time on Wednesday was shorter and tighter than its sandbelt neighbour Kingston Heath.
But one look was enough for Woods to fall in love with Victoria's par threes.
"You don't need 240-metre par threes for it to be difficult and to be challenging," he said
"These are some of the greatest par threes that I've ever played."
"A couple of holes you're hitting nine irons or wedges, but you can't fire at the flag."
"That's pretty cool."
Woods said he felt an 'incredible' vibe from the gallery during Wednesday's pro-am and was looking forward to even better support when he sets off for his opening round from the 10th hole at 7.27am on Thursday.
"These are some of the greatest sporting fans and you guys love your sport down here," he said.
"Last year was buzzing, it was fun to play and I don't expect anything different ... this time."