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Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf this week at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. It has been 10 months since Woods last played competitively at the Dubai Desert Classic and seven since he had his fourth back surgery, this one a fusion of his spine.

Woods noted over the weekend that he is truly pain-free, which is a phrase he never used in last year's introductory press conference at the Hero World Challenge as he attempted to come back from being off for 15 months.

We've been here before with Woods, though -- too many times. He has had more stops and starts than a Tennessee football coaching search over the last decade of his career. Let's take a look at the most prominent injuries, incidents and time off for Woods since the year he last won a major, 2008.

April 2008 (arthroscopic knee surgery)

This was the first of what would be a series of serious injuries for Big Cat. It would also be the most successful recovery he would ever have from a large chunk of time off as he did not play between the 2008 Masters (where he finished second) and 2008 U.S. Open (which he won). Time off: 2 months

Next start: Wins 2008 U.S. Open in playoff (72-68-70-73)

June 2008 (ACL surgery)

Woods would go on to miss a full eight months after ACL surgery following that famous 2008 U.S. Open. His 2009 was still tremendous. He won six times and had three other runner-up finishes after exiting in the second round of match play in his first tournament back. Time off: 8 months

Next start: Loses in second round of 2009 Match Play Championship

May 2011 (MCL strain and Achilles strain)

This was a mild injury compared to the rest. String them all together, and it starts to look ugly, though. Woods would not win again until the following March although he played pretty well in his first start back at Bridgestone. Time off: Three months

Next start: T37 at 2011 Bridgestone Invitational (68-71-72-70)

April 2014 (back surgery)

The first of four back surgeries for Woods. The question that lingers is whether this was the beginning of the end or just a speed bump on the way to 10 more years of competitive golf. Time off: 3 months

Next event: Missed cut at 2014 Quicken Loans National (74-75)

February 2015 (back injury, glute activation)

I was stunned at the way Woods played in the Masters after exiting the Farmers Insurance Open with back and glute problems. That T17 he posted at Augusta after struggling all spring with his health and short game was honestly one of the more impressive feats he has ever accomplished. Time off: 2 months

Next event: T17 at 2015 Masters (73-69-68-73)

September 2015 (back surgery)

Woods had his second and third back surgery before teeing it back up at the 2016 Hero World Challenge. That went as well as it could have, but then he missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour after one round with back spasms. Those spasms turned into another surgery. Time off: 15 months

Next event: 15th at 2016 Hero World Challenge (73-65-70-76)

April 2017 (back fusion surgery)

This was a huge one. Woods had his spine fused together in a last-ditch effort to allow him to play out the rest of his career. Nobody knows it if will work, but Woods is at least without pain for now. "It is hard to express how much better I feel," wrote Woods in May. "It was instant nerve relief. I haven't felt this good in years." 

In the meantime, however, he was arrested for a DUI because he was incorrectly applying several pain medications. Woods has been treated for that, as well. Time off: 10 months

Next event: 2017 Hero World Challenge

Nobody really knows how this is going to go, including Woods himself. But there is seemingly a light at the end of the tunnel. The surgery seems to have worked inasmuch as it has given Woods range of movement and a pain-free existence. Whether that translates to playing world-class golf again remains to be seen.