Tiger Woods will return when fully healthy

Tiger Woods, sporting a beard and exercising what he considers new discretion, said Tuesday that he does not know when he will play golf again. He is sure only that it will not be a minute before he feels 100 percent healthy.

He also complimented Rory McIlroy, who has been described as his potential next challenger following his runaway win at the U.S. Open. "That was some seriously good playing," Woods said during his news conference as host of the AT&T National in Newtown Square, Pa., outside Philadelphia. "His swing is definitely better than mine was at the same age."

Golf followers will look forward to a matchup between Woods, 35, who has won 14 major championships, and McIlroy, 22, who has just won his first. But when that will happen is anyone's guess. Woods said he is "progressing" from his left knee and Achilles injuries and he no longer wears a protective boot or uses crutches. Still, he has not hit any golf balls other than putts since he withdrew from the Players last month.

"It's time to actually have a different approach. It's time," he said. "There's been a number of years where I've been hurt more than people could possibly understand, and I've played and I've won. I just felt it was good enough to give it a go, and I did. And I hurt myself."

When he was asked specifically about the British Open, which begins two weeks from Thursday, he said, "I don't know.

"Unfortunately, I broke my leg and still played. That's not exactly smart. I'm going to do it differently this time," he said, alluding to his most recent major win, the 2008 U.S. Open. He added that he is doing rehab every day, sometimes as often as three times a day. "There's been no discussion of surgery at all."

There has been plenty of discussion of McIlroy since the Open at Congressional, where the AT&T is customarily held and where Woods has won. "It was cool to see that he had softer conditions and was able to go low but also was able to continue pushing it," Woods said.

McIlroy pushed it so much that people compared him, sometimes favorably, to Woods. "It's not disrespectful at all," Woods said. "I think it's complimentary that I've had a pretty good career so far."

The "so far" emphasized his belief that he still is in good position to beat Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. "I'm 35, I'm not 65," Woods said. "Golf is unlike any other sport. I mean [Tom] Watson was what, 59 years old when he almost won ? I feel like my best years are still ahead of me."