Masters champion Angel Cabrera said he would love to see Tiger Woods at Augusta National in April, even as the embattled world number one reportedly surfaced back home in Florida.
"When he does come back, I hope it's in the Masters and he comes back in a great form," Cabrera said in a conference call this week.
Charles Howell a fellow US PGA Tour pro and neighbour of Woods, told CBSSports.com he saw Woods on Sunday and Monday, hitting balls on the Isleworth Country Club driving range.
That's near Wood's Isleworth home and the scene of his mysterious November 27 car crash that unleashed tawdry tales of marital infidelity.
The scandal sent Woods into self-imposed seclusion, with the 14-time major champion saying via his website on December 11 that he would take an "indefinite break" from golf.
On February 19 Woods broke his silence with a globally televised statement in which he apologized for his "selfish" behaviour and said he didn't know when he would return to competition.
"I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be," said Woods, who said he had spent 45 days in in-patient therapy and was heading back for further treatment.
"I don't rule out that it will be this year."
Two Florida tournaments had been tipped as possible Masters tune-ups for Woods, but it seems unlikely he'll return next week at the World Golf Championships CA Championship at Doral in Miami - an event he has won three times.
He is the defending champion and a six-time winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, which is March 25-28.
Woods has played The Masters, the first major championship of the year, every year since 1995. Augusta National hosts the event on April 8-11 this season.
Record pursuit
Argentina's Cabrera, for one, would love to see Woods resume his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major championships there.
"Obviously I want Tiger to be there," the two-time major winner said.
"He's the best and when he's there, he makes tournaments different, it's a special tournament."
While Woods's Tour colleagues have said they look forward to his return, the fallout from the scandal that engulfed the global superstar continues.
Last week, Gatorade joined the list of sponsors to drop Woods, following in the footsteps of consulting firm Accenture and US telecoms giant AT&T.
Sporting goods manufacturer Nike has reiterated its support for Woods.