Bob Harig and Michael Collins break down Tiger Woods' second round at the Hero World Challenge and how his play is improving. (1:43)

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Playing in 2 hours, 54 minutes was nice. So, too, were the seven birdies and no bogeys in a round of 65. The less standing around the better, and fewer shots is the name of the game.

But Tiger Woods' day was hardly done, even though it was just after 2 p.m. ET when he completed his second round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club -- the third-best score on Friday.

A visit with a physical therapist was on the schedule for the afternoon as part of a "cool-down,'' all part of the process for playing golf after three back surgeries and the 15-month layoff that ensued.

Tiger Woods hit four more greens (15 of 18) and three more fairways (9 of 13) in his second-round 65 compared to his opening round of 73 at the Hero World Challenge. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

"I don't know if you guys have ever been in cold tubs,'' Woods said. "They're not fun, but got to do it.''

Woods has also apparently learned to stay off the heavy weights. He said his weight is less than 180 after a recent illness, though he looks leaner through his upper body as well.

Perhaps that has allowed him to swing more freely. Woods has mostly seemed under control here, without the violent swings that sometimes would creep into his game in recent years. No matter his weight, Woods has always been able to hit the ball plenty far, and that might be among the most encouraging things he's showed this week. His power is back.

"I can't do what I used to do -- weights, running,'' he said. "My first probably five, six years on tour, I ran 30 miles a week. I would run five, six miles almost every day, at least four. Before a round, after a round, it didn't matter. There's no way in hell I'm doing that now. That's just aging. That's just having four knee surgeries, three backs. My body's been through it.''

Woods, 40, who is tied for ninth in the 17-player field (after the withdrawal of Justin Rose) and is 6 shots back of tournament leaders Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama, has never been one to go into much detail about any of his training or rehab.

And he wasn't going to give a step-by-step rundown of it Friday as sweat poured from his face on another muggy, warm day in the Bahamas.

But clearly there is some injury maintenance that has to take place for golf -- and for life. Woods wasn't able to hit a ball for more than four months after his last procedure in October 2015, which probably says all you need to know about the precarious situation he is in now.

The fact that more than a year went by before he played a competitive round is yet another sign of the delicate nature of a bad back.

"If I'm activated and I can prepare for something, then I'm fine,'' he said. "It's the unexpected. When you have back issues like most of us do out here, it happens.''

Woods might be just as likely to tweak his back with a sudden move, picking up one of his kids or reaching awkwardly. Before he plays golf, he goes through a lengthy warm-up procedure that is far more than just hitting golf balls.

That will be the new normal for Woods and why it is so important to keep in mind that this is not just about the scores he shoots on the course. In order to be competitive, he must balance being careful with the need to practice.

"He's moving good, no apparent issues,'' said Hank Haney, Woods' former coach who worked with the golfer when he won 31 PGA Tour events between 2005 and 2009, including six major championships. "But to play the tour, you have to play in three-week stretches and practice for five days before that.

"Maybe take a couple of Mondays off, but 24 of 28 days of golf and then a couple weeks off and do it again and again and again.''

Haney has long suggested that lack of practice has been as much of a problem as anything for Woods. And while he correctly points out that the Albany course is not overly taxing -- "The course doesn't tell a lot. It is barely a par-68 golf course'' -- he is nonetheless encouraged by what he has witnessed.

"His swing is smooth, but he's coming too much from the inside with the club behind him and he can't hit a cut but keeps trying,'' Haney said. "I definitely think he wins again and wins another major, maybe more if he doesn't start yipping chips again.

"It's all short game and health-dependent now. I just don't think these top guys are so good that he can't play with them.''

Woods admitted there are differences in his swing now compared to when he last played competitive golf at the 2015 Wyndham Championship, where he tied for 10th.

Chris Como, Woods' swing consultant, has met with him on several occasions over the past few months to work on his game, though Como is not in the Bahamas this week.

"I've made subtle changes here and there," Woods said. "I've tried to go back and look at ... some stuff that I used to do as a junior that I did naturally. Think about it, I looked like the size of a 1-iron and I could hit it and I could really move the ball. And there are reasons for it and I tried to go back to a lot of those things, a lot of those feels and try to get into similar positions.

"Obviously I can't right now. I probably will never be as loose and Gumby-like when I was that young. But there are other things I can learn from that.''

And his body will go through plenty more challenges if he is to play a full schedule in 2017. It is a good sign that Woods, so far, has endured a hectic week that saw him playing and practicing here starting on Saturday. He does not seem to be babying his return.

But what goes on behind the scenes before and after rounds is likely just as important as what occurs during them -- because one will be directly related to the other.