Like golf fans, Jason Day is waiting and hoping that Tiger Woods can return to something close to his dominant form.

Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, has a close relationship with Woods and recently spoke to the rehabbing 14-time major winner, who is set to return for next week’s Hero World Challenge.

“I did talk to him and he did say it’s the best he’s ever felt in three years,” Day told AFP. “He doesn’t wake up with pain anymore, which is great. I said to him, ‘Look, it’s great to be one of the best players ever to live, but health is one thing that we all take for granted, and if you can’t live a happy, healthy life, then that’s difficult.’

“I totally understand where he’s coming from, because sometimes I wake up in the morning and it takes me 10 minutes to get out of bed, and for him to be in pain for three years is very frustrating.”

Woods, 41, has had multiple back surgeries that have pushed him far down from his pedestal on top of the sport. He has not played a competitive round since he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic in February.

But he’s been building optimism with a slew of social media posts in which he is hitting more strenuous shots. He recently said he is hitting the ball as far as he was in his prime, which Rickie Fowler backed up.

“From what I see on Instagram and what he’s been telling me, he says he’s ready and I’m hoping that he is, because from what I hear, he’s hitting it very long,” Day said. “And if he’s hitting it long and straight, then that’s going to be tough for us because it is Tiger Woods. He’s always been a clutch putter and in amongst the best, and it will be interesting to see.”