There was a time, just five months ago, when it seemed as though Tiger Woods may never be ready to return to action on the PGA Tour. It was late November, just before the Hero World Challenge, which Woods was hosting but not playing, when the 14-time major champion all but conceded his chase for Jack Nicklaus‘ record, and admitted that he couldn’t even see “the light at the end of the tunnel.”

While we still don’t have any real information on when Woods will get back to competition, there’s at least a glimmer of that light starting to shine through, with a return within the next several weeks not entirely out of the question. Is that too soon, though?

The wheels started turning late last week, when Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte reported that Woods could be targeting the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow for his comeback event. While it may seem ridiculous to think that Tiger could be ready to play at the level of his own expectations in just nine days, there’s at least some reason to believe it could happen.

Woods was forced to miss this year’s Masters Tournament, the second time he’s been unable to tee it up at Augusta National in the last three years, and that had to sting. It’s the one place where, even when he’s been something less than perfect, he’s had a real shot at winning. If Woods is being honest with himself, he knows that his window to chase 18 majors is all but closed, but there’s always something about the major championships that gets his competitive juices flowing.

Speaking of those competitive juices, Woods played his first public holes in months on Monday, when he participated in the official opening of Bluejack National. He played five holes with Mark O’Meara as a sizable crowd looked on, but at least for the short term, there was no indication of any of the pain that had broken the 40-year-old down last summer.

RG: The tee shot on the long 18th hole. pic.twitter.com/KdI9dQHi1V

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 25, 2016

Sure, in the big picture, five holes aren’t going to reveal any earth-shattering truths about the state of Woods’s game, but Tiger doesn’t do anything without a purpose. He may honestly not know when he’s going to return to Tour action, but the plan appears to be building to something in the very near future.

This leads us back to Quail Hollow. Woods has already registered for the U.S. Open at Oakmont, six weeks after the Wells Fargo. Through all the surgeries and the swing rebuilding, Tiger has maintained that he needs to get as many reps as possible in competition.

With a win there in 2007, as well as a handful of other high-level finishes throughout his career, that could make for a comfortable landing spot, with plenty of time left to prepare for the demanding conditions of a U.S. Open. If things go well, he could even head to TPC Sawgrass the following week for The Players Championship, with a final tune-up tournament at The Memorial to round out the possible schedule.

Again, it would be insane to expect Tiger Woods to just step back on the golf course in a week, somehow put his horrendous play from last year behind him and look like he’s ready to win again, especially against the competition that awaits. But even as his legendary career appears to be entering its final chapter, Woods’ presence alone adds a new level of intrigue to each event.

The road back for Woods is still going to be a long one, but only he knows when he’ll be ready to go. Rushed or not, we could have our answers to that question very soon.