Just 36 holes into the new season in the Gulf, all the lights are on green for Tiger Woods.

The former dominant figure in the golfing world is facing a crucial first six months of 2012 as he strives to fashion a second coming in a career that last year hit the skids.

Woods did chalk up his first win in two years last month, but that came in the limited-field Chevron World Challenge in California, an invitational tournament that he himself organises to provide funds for his charity foundation.

In Abu Dhabi it is the real deal, with the top four players in the world and six out of the top 10 taking part in one of the strongest fields ever assembled outside of a major or WGC event.

After two rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship, the 36-year-old Woods is firmly in contention at five under par, just two shots off the pace and primed for an assault at the weekend.

If he succeeds, he will likely vault back into the world top 10 and lay down a telling marker as he builds up to his first big priority of the year — The Masters at Augusta National in early April.

There he hopes to win his 15th major, which would leave him just three shy of matching Jack Nicklaus, who set the record of 18 majors when he won The Masters in 1986.

Apart from some grumblings about “grainy greens” in the Gulf, Woods sounds quietly confident about the way things are developing.

Time is the essence, he says, warding off any talk about targets or tournament wins.

Asked to compare where he is now with where he was last year, he replied: “Certainly I have much more experience within the system and I’ve grown to understand what (coach) Sean (Foley) wants me to do and how my body is going to do those things and produce the numbers he wants me to produce. So that’s 12 months more experience.”

The weekend will shed further light on how well his remodelled swing can stand up to the unique pressures of championship golf.