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WINDERMERE. — Tiger Woods didn’t even have a golf club in his hand when he passed an important test on Wednesday at Isleworth. After hitting a fairway metal off the 10th tee, Woods gingerly stepped through a flower bed and then hopped down a 4-foot wall and trotted to the clubhouse to use the bathroom. It was that kind of leap — from a bunker at Firestone — that jarred back muscles and ultimately forced yet another injury-induced layoff. His golf on Wednesday wasn’t too bad, either.

“It felt good to be out there,’’ Woods said. “I took that much time off right after the PGA and built up my body and made a few adjustments on my swing and hit some good shots today.’’

The real test was yesterday in the first round of an unofficial event with 18 elite players from the top 50 in the world, and one big buzz because of the tournament host. Woods has slipped to No. 24 in the world. He never lost his ranking as golf’s biggest draw. This is the fifth time in five years Woods has returned from an injury, and the second time this year. He came back too early from back surgery in June and missed two cuts in the three events he played. — AP.