Tiger Woods in Contention with Strong 2017 Hero World Challenge Round 2 Showing

Tiger Woods' latest comeback effort continues to yield promising results as he fired a four-under 68 in Friday's second round of the 2017 Hero World Challenge at the Albany Resort in New Providence, Bahamas. He walked off the course in a tie for fourth place at seven under overall.

Expectations were tempered as the 14-time major champion made his return from a 10-month layoff due to lingering back problems. The outlook is improving with each passing round, however, as he's appeared healthy and confident through 36 holes after completing his recovery from fusion surgery.

Woods finished Round 2 with an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys to put himself firmly in contention heading into the weekend in an event that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Here's a look at the updated leaderboard:

Although Woods' play is drawing mostly positive reviews so far, the more important factor is the lack of physical stress he's shown through two days of tournament golf. He hasn't grimaced in pain after any shots despite taking some hard swings, especially with the driver.

Hank Haney, Woods' former coach, commented on the superstar's improved motion:

In addition, Woods is starting rounds in far better form. He struggled early during his previous returns to competitive action as he attempted to get his body loose and play his way into the round. It's been a more fluid approach from the opening tee each of the first two days.

The PGA Tour highlighted his birdie on the first hole Friday:

That jump-started what turned into a nearly flawless front nine. He added birdies on No. 3 and No. 4 and then, after four straight pars, closed with an eagle on the ninth to grab the solo lead for the first time at -8, as the PGA Tour spotlighted:

Even in the rare instances where he got himself in a little trouble, he came up with smooth shots around the greens to prevent damage. That was a change from Thursday's round, which saw him chunk a couple of chip shots from close range.

ESPN Stats & Info noted the oddsmakers took notice of his strong play:

After another birdie on No. 11, Woods dropped his first shot of the day at the 12th. A middling tee shot on the par three left him with a mid-range putt for birdie, but he blew it way past the hole and couldn't make the comebacker, leading to a three-putt bogey.

A mostly encouraging day finished on a low note. A wayward drive on the 18th hole forced him to hack his second shot into the fairway from the sand rather than go for the green. He missed the eventual par putt to play the final seven holes at two over par.

Golf Channel's Tiger Tracker passed along some final numbers from Day 2:

Looking ahead, making it through four rounds without any major health setbacks is still the most vital aspect of the tournament for the 1,199th-ranked player in the world. That said, the fact he's played his way into contention should make the next two days far more entertaining.

Woods' issues, whether a couple of bad chips in Round 1 or some poor reads on the greens in Round 2, are of the minor variety. He must be considered a legitimate threat to win the tournament, an unexpected turn of events based on his 33-1 odds (via OddsShark) when the Hero World Challenge started.