Jesper Parnevik says Tiger Woods is 'flushing everything' in practice

Tiger Woods intends to enter next week’s PGA Tour season-opening Safeway Open, and he has until late on Friday afternoon to officially commit to the Napa, Calif. event.

Expectations vary wildly for Woods, but the bar has generally been set low as Woods hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since the Wyndham Championship in August 2015. It’s unclear how well Woods’ back, operated on three times since March 2014, will hold up inside the ropes. No one has seen Woods hit a golf ball in public since hitting three 100-yard shots in a water hazard at Congressional Country Club during Quicken Loans National media day in May.

However, Woods’ friend Jesper Parnevik, believes the 14-time major champion is poised for a brilliant return to golf — at least based on the work he’s seen Woods put in at their club, Medalist, in Florida.

“I see Tiger at the Medalist,” Parnevik said to Golf Digest. “We talk and have played nine holes together. By the way, he’s been hitting a lot of balls, and he’s hitting it great. He’s pounding it a mile and flushing everything. On the range, at least, his trajectory and ball flight are like the Tiger we knew 15 years ago. Comebacks are never a sure thing, but something tells me his might be spectacular.”

The pollyanna view of a potential Woods comeback, of course, assumes Woods is healthy enough to make this first start. With Woods not swinging a club, or even really making mention of his return to competition, at the Ryder Cup, Parnevik’s insight is perhaps the best hint we have about how Woods might do next week at the Safeway Open.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.