It was less than a week ago when we saw Tiger Woods fall to his knees on the golf course as he grimaced and held his back in pain. Just a few days later, the golf star was back on the course and seemed to be pain-free.

Woods played a round of golf Thursday for the first time since Sunday at the Barclays, when he finished in second place despite the back issue. Yesterday he said he felt no discomfort after taking care of his back during the week.

"Ice, [stimulation], ultrasound, soft tissue . . . and plenty of rest, something I'm not real good at, but I was forced to do it," Woods told The Boston Globe. "I'm going to have to do it. I don't want to have to do it. Hopefully, my back will stay where it's at right now and, if not, improve so I can start doing the other little exercises, start strengthening it and getting back to where it needs to be."

We should expect Woods to get the green light for the upcoming Deutsche Bank Championship, which would be a big opportunity for him as he is listed as the favorite. He hopes to build from the momentum gained during his second-place finish last week, which was a bounce-back performance from his poor outing at the U.S. Championship.

Despite the up and down season Woods has had, his competitors have nothing but positive things to say about the 36-year-old. Rory McIlroy spoke with reporters earlier this week and said Woods should win the Player of the Year award.

"I don't think there's any other choice than Tiger Woods," he said. "Five wins and obviously being very dominant this year. And he's got a four- or five-point lead in the World Rankings, won more money than anyone else."

Woods has had a long journey back to relevance following his 2009 scandal that rocked the sports world. After a shaky start to his comeback, he has started to find balance again and trust within his fan base.

He has since started dating Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who has been rather open and public with details about the couple's relationship. This week, Vonn surprised everyone with her comments to People Magazine about how "there's really nothing about him that bothers me" and that "he doesn't even leave the seat up!"

Woods and Vonn made their relationship public in March after they said they met at a charity event in 2012.