DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- As is often the case, Tiger Woods draws a crowd, whether it be on the golf course or the driving range, or in the parking lot.

Autograph seekers abound and, depending on the situation, Woods might be swarmed at the conclusion of a round or simply hit up for his signature from a marshal, a security guard, a caddie.

But from fellow players?

That makes Woods squirm a bit, the idea that those whom he might be competing against are just as much in awe of him as spectators who flock to see him for the first time.

So it was that Woods arrived at the Emirates Golf Club on Tuesday to get in his first practice swings of the week. Wearing shorts due to a European Tour rule that allows casual attire on non-tournament days, Woods took his place at the end of the range between two 20-somethings keenly aware of the golfer who had just arrived.

Tiger Woods is playing this week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic, his second straight tournament before taking a week off, then playing in back-to-back weeks after that. Warren Little/Getty Images

One was Thomas Detry, a former golfer at the University of Illinois who is from Belguim and in his first year on the European Tour. Like countryman Thomas Pieters -- who also played at Illinois -- Detry is a client of agent Mark Steinberg, who also represents Woods. So that was an obvious connection.

On the other side pounding balls was Marcus Armitage, 29, an Englishman who made it to the European Tour this year but is an alternate in the field. Woods could be excused if he had no idea of Armitage's identity, but the two chatted before Armitage sheepishly brought over a few items for Woods to sign -- a golf glove, his shirt -- and asked to pose for photographs. And then he got a few others around to do the same.

Woods, 41, took it all in stride, later shaking his head at the notion when asked about it.

"It just means you've been around a long time. That's all it means,'' Woods said. "This is my 21st year on tour so I've been out here awhile. I've been out here actually just a little over half my life. So you put it in terms like that, it's kind of easy to see why players who are on the younger side ... some of them were born after I won the [1997] Masters.''

Undoubtedly, it's more than longevity. Woods is an idol to many, the one who set the standard in the game. Those who compete at that game have a far greater appreciation of what he has done. They know he won't be around forever, and they know what it means to have him as part of a tournament.

Woods admitted he probably doesn't know one third of the players who are in the field at a PGA Tour event, let alone a European Tour event where the names might be even more obscure.

Some of that is due to circumstance; Woods missed more than a year of golf due to multiple back surgeries. Even so, at the last event he played in 2015 before his 17-month break, Woods took a share of the 36-hole lead with PGA Tour player Tom Hoge -- and was caught off guard when asked if he had ever heard of the player.

Between shots on the range in Dubai, Woods had visits from Robert Rock, a European Tour player who beat Woods down the stretch at the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Thomas Bjorn, a longtime Woods friend and the recently appointed European Ryder Cup captain, stopped by to say hello.

Danny Willett, who won this tournament a year ago and then captured the Masters, was looking forward to a meeting with Woods before learning they'd be in the same group for the first two rounds.

"I've not actually met him properly,'' Willett said. "Ryder Cup [where Woods was an assistant for the U.S.] was brief walking past but before that, you see him to say hello but nothing really.

"It's just great to have him back playing, first of all; but then to be able to get him on to the European Tour, I think is brilliant.''

Even last week at Torrey Pines, where Woods made his official return to competitive golf, there were those who went out of their way to say hello. Billy Horschel saw him from an adjoining fairway during the pro-am and walked over to give Woods a hug. Jim "Bones'' Mackay, caddie for Woods' longtime rival Phil Mickelson, also made a point to seek out Woods and welcome him back.

Woods is undoubtedly the headliner here, even with his 666th world ranking, his lack of competitive golf over recent years and his fleeting success as he has dealt with injuries since winning five times in 2013.

Nobody seems to mind that Woods is not the player who dominated the game for so long. As was the case at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December, he was welcomed back by a slew of younger stars who want to see him succeed again, even if it is at their expense.

Perhaps this is why Woods is uncomfortable with all of this. He knows he is inching closer to ceremonial golfer status, a place he is nowhere near ready to embrace.

"I try not to go down that path,'' Woods said. "Because I like to consider myself a player, a guy who is playing out here and competing.''

For now, that is exactly what Woods is doing. He talked about pointing toward the Masters and getting enough tournament rounds under his belt to be competitive there. He has made no concessions to his age or his injuries.

But he does know what he is up against.

"I'm not going to be hitting balls, like some of these guys, 340 [yards] out there,'' he said. "So you do it differently. If you look at the list of guys who shot below 60, you realize Jim Furyk's on there twice. He averages 270 off tee, shot two rounds under 60. So it can be done different ways.''

Whether Woods is in the midst of reinventing himself remains to be seen. He still hits the ball plenty far, and has enough skills around the greens to make you think success is possible.

But the game is more competitive than when he left it, with young players stepping up every week to meet and exceed expectations.

That won't make things any easier, but for now, Woods is in the baby-steps-stage of his comeback, with plenty of hard work ahead. The Dubai tournament offers another opportunity, with those who play around him not taking it for granted.