'Nice.

' But he seemed most intrigued by what was happening next to him, where his good buddy Justin Thomas was grinding through whatever funk left him with a seven-over 77 on Thursday.

As Woods returned his clubs to his bag, Thomas' plight was audible from a distance.

'It's square here,' Thomas said, frustrated and a little amused as he pointed out towards the golf course.

'But out it goes a million miles right.

'If you've seen Tiger in a major championship before, you know he does not spare much time for pity on struggling competitors.

He has, you may have heard, a well-documented legacy of ignoring everything (and everyone) other than winning.

But for some strange reason, Thursday was different.

As Thomas blasted a few more balls into the ether, Woods took a few quiet strides behind him, closely watching his movement on the downswing.

He stopped Thomas after the third or fourth swing and a short conversation ensued.

The two worked together for a while and Woods offered a few tips, a mini-session that might not have been noteworthy at all were it not Thursday at the U.

S.

Open and were he not Tiger Woods.

He walked off after a few minutes of talking to Thomas, and he seemed pleased.

His stare was less fierce now, and his gait was beginning to slow.

A lengthy recovery was ahead, followed by many more hours of physical therapy before Friday's afternoon tee time would arrive.

If things broke well, he would suffer this routine three more times.