Oh my goodness! If there was ever a doubt he’s back, this dispatch from the Match Play Championship at La Costa should confirm it to everyone’s satisfaction.

Motivated by remarks about his wild tee shots, Woods took Stephen Ames to the woodshed Wednesday with a ruthless performance that lasted only 10 holes, the shortest round mathematically possible in 18 holes of match play. He won the first nine holes, seven of them with a birdie.

And who, pray tell, was the source of those “remarks”? It was none other than – you guessed it – one Stephen Ames.

Ames was on the practice range Monday afternoon — he got into the 64-man field only when Thomas Bjorn withdrew because of a sore neck — and was asked if he would play as though he had nothing to lose against the No. 1 player.

Ames shook his head.

“Anything can happen,” he said, breaking into a wide smile. “Especially where he’s driving it.”

So, how did Tiger respond?

Woods read the remarks and responded by hitting six of eight fairways, opening with six birdies and acting as if he was in a playoff until they removed their caps and shook hands on the 10th hole. Asked if he felt the least bit sorry for Ames, Woods stared back at a reporter and said, “No.”

Moral of the story: if you’re on the docket to play Tiger Woods in a round, keep yer yap shut!

UPDATE 2/23/06 15:00: Rob at CrabAppleLane wishes Tiger would add his name to the field of the upcoming Zurich Classic. It would be a nice gesture of support on his part for the fine people in post-Katrina Louisiana if he could fit it into his schedule. At least this once.