Masters chairman Billy Payne believes the "fire is building" in Tiger Woods and predicted the 14-time major winner could soon be back in action.
Woods has not played since August last year after undergoing a third back operation in the space of 19 months and is not competing at Augusta National this week for just the second time in his career.
However, the 40-year-old did attend Tuesday's Champions Dinner and made a good impression on Payne, who is targeting June for his own comeback after having what he described as "another very major back surgery" in November.
Asked in his annual pre-tournament press conference whether he or Woods would be back in action first, Payne joked: "Last night he looked good. He looked better than me. I was delighted.
"You know, he's encouraged. I could tell the fire is building back up in his belly and I suspect Tiger's going to be back fairly quickly, and I'm looking forward to it."
Woods, who has won the Masters four times, confirmed on Friday he would not play this year in a statement on his website.
"After assessing the present condition of my back, and consulting with my medical team, I've decided it's prudent to miss this year's Masters," Woods wrote.
"I've been hitting balls and training daily, but I'm not physically ready. I've said all along that this time I need to be cautious and do what's best for my long-term health and career.
"Unfortunately, playing Augusta next week wouldn't be the right decision. I'm absolutely making progress, and I'm really happy with how far I've come, but I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf."
