The 14-time major winner subsequently underwent spinal fusion surgery in April, his fourth back operation in the space of three years, but for the second year in succession has returned to action in the Bahamas.

Woods is currently ranked 1,199th in the world and began the week a 40/1 outsider in the 18-man field, odds which looked somewhat generous after an opening 69 at Albany to lie three shots off the lead held by European number one Tommy Fleetwood.

And those odds looked faintly ridiculous after Woods birdied three of his first four holes in the second round and eagled the ninth in spectacular fashion to claim the outright lead.

Woods holed from five feet on the first, two-putted the par-five third and converted from four feet on the fourth, but saved the best till last on the front nine on the par-five ninth.

The 41-year-old had bogeyed the same hole on Thursday after a duffed chip but this time hit a towering three-wood to 15 feet and coolly rolled in the eagle putt.

That took Woods to eight under par and a shot ahead of Fleetwood and Charley Hoffman, who had also reached eight under before dropping shots on the fourth and eighth respectively.