Despite playing no competitive golf for eight weeks following knee surgery, world number one Tiger Woods has declared himself ready for the start of the U.S. Open on Thursday.

"I'm good to go," Woods, coming back from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, told reporters at Torrey Pines on Tuesday. "Come game time on Thursday, I'll be ready."

The 13-times major winner will be strolling on familiar ground full of positive memories.

Woods, who won a world juniors championship on the Pacific Coast course when he was 15, has won six Buick Invitational PGA events at Torrey Pines including the last four, winning in January by eight strokes.

Woods practised at the U.S. Open venue last Wednesday and again over the last three days. He struck the ball well during nine holes of practice on Tuesday but does not know how he will respond when the bell rings for the second major of the year.

He said his knee was not 100 percent but added that finding his rhythm and getting into the flow were his biggest concerns.

"It's just how you feel competitively," he explained.

"It's how far the ball is flying, how your body is feeling, the shape of shots, what you feel you can and can't hit, what you feel comfortable shaping, your distance control.

"Hopefully I can get into that rhythm and understand what's going on very quickly."

Two years ago, Woods entered the U.S. Open after a nine-week hiatus from competition as he dealt with the death of his father, Earl. He struggled at Winged Foot, missing the cut for the first time as a professional.

"A couple of years ago when Dad passed, coming back and playing was a lot more difficult than I thought," he said.

"If I take time off and I come back, I always work on my fundamentals. Well, who taught me my fundamentals? It was Dad.

"Usually people go to work to get away from it. But to me it brought more feelings out when I came to work. So it was a little more difficult practising and preparing."

Woods paid tribute to his family for helping him deal with the break from competition.

"There's no way I could have gotten through this without Sam being there," he said in a reference to his daughter who was born the day after last year's U.S. Open.

"Spending that much time off and away from training and trying to get better, Sam was absolutely incredible, and I had so much fun doing that.

"It took my mind away from the fact that I had a surgery done and just watching her grow, walking, running now. It's been just the greatest thing in the world."

Woods has bounced back from injury before. The 32-year-old American came back from surgery on the same knee at the end of 2002 to win at Torrey Pines in his first event back. This year he ended another five-week tour break with victory here.

"I feel very good about coming in and playing," he said. "I feel good about my practices, my preparation, coming back to a golf course I've had some success at."

Woods, who had his surgery two days after the Masters, has carefully planned his return and pursuit of a third U.S. Open title. "I work out. I lift, like I always do," he said. "Ice, yes. Stretch, yep.

"Is it fully recovered? Probably not," he said. "It's a little sore, but not anything I haven't deal with before."

The test begins on Thursday.

"Getting out there and getting into the flow and dealing with the adrenalin, dealing with the juices flying, all these different things," he said. "I'm excited about it."