It’s a familiar tale from the golfing scene. A multiple major winner and former world No 1 who is trying to make a tentative comeback after a ravaging injury? Don’t worry, we’re not going to scribble down yet another Tiger Woods piece which has been recycled so many times in recent months, the golf writers have all been given honorary membership of Friends of the Earth.

Over in Thailand at the moment, there is a golfing return that may not have generated the same huffing and puffing as the Tiger’s ultimately futile re-emergence from the wilderness but is nevertheless sizeable in terms of the women’s game.

Given that Inbee Park hadn’t played a competitive round since she won gold at the Olympic golf event back in August, a steady level-par 72 in the first round of yesterday’s LPGA Honda Thailand Championship must have been something of an encouraging step for the seven-time major champion.

While Woods’ bothersome back has caused him no end of anguish over the last torturous couple of years, it was a sair finger that brought Park’s career shuddering to a halt. Ligament damage to her left thumb saw her struggle throughout 2016, she posted uncharacteristically high scores and was forced to withdraw from a variety of events. Sounds familiar eh?

“The most important thing is that I can't be scared of my injury,” she said as she prepared to ease herself back into the cut-and-thrust in the same way as you slide into the bath when you’re not quite sure how hot the water is. “With the injury, my swing has changed a little bit. I am trying to get that fear off me, and that has been working pretty well. I’m just trying to get the feel back. I took a lot of time off. I didn't touch a club after the Olympics for about maybe four months. I started practising in December. I slowly got my practice time a little longer and longer and now I'm back to pretty much regular routine.”

Rather like Woods did at the tail end of 2016, Park is making her return in a limited field, no-cut event. It’s a reasonably comfortable environment in which the 28-year-old can get back into the swing of things. “I’m happy to be back, happy to be healthy, happy to be back on the golf course, happy to be playing golf,” she said. “I haven't felt much pain at all for the last couple of months. I think that's a pretty safe sign.”

Park’s barnstorming assaults on the women’s front thrust her into the echelons of the greats. When she arrived in the home of golf at St Andrews for the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open, she had already won the first three majors of the year on the LPGA Tour and was going for the grand slam. Of course, when you’re chasing history, nothing is ever simple. In that same year, the Evian Championship was elevated to major status so, amid all the pressure heaped on her at St Andrews about potentially winning the grand slam at the cradle of the game, you had others saying “well, it wouldn’t be a grand slam because she now has to win five.” In the end, Park didn’t conquer at the Old Course but she would win the British title at Turnberry two years later to complete what is now recognised as the career grand slam. If she finally wins the Evan Championship she will, according to the LPGA, have won the super career grand slam. Are you still following?

She may have been sidelined for months, but majors are very much on Park’s mind. “I would like to really add another major championship,” said Park. “I’m just trying to play as many tournaments as I can, but I'm going to try to concentrate on majors a little bit more. It may be a little bit of a smaller schedule this year. The main thing is just being healthy for the whole season and having a normal routine and playing a normal schedule.”

Now, there’s a statement the aforementioned Woods would no doubt love to utter with confidence.