Justin Rose says he is "making good progress" as he prepares to launch the defence of his UBS Hong Kong Open title this week.
The 36-year-old returns to European Tour action having missed the conclusion of the 2016 Race to Dubai as he took time off to fully recover from a back problem.
Rose made his first appearance since the Ryder Cup at last week's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas but was forced to withdraw after the first round due to suffering further back trouble.
But the Olympic gold medallist, who won this event by a single shot after a thrilling final-round battle with Lucas Bjerregaard in 2015, is looking forward to teeing it up in Fanling this week.
He told www.europeantour.com: "I've done everything I can the last few days to do everything I can to defend here.
"I'm making good progress. The journey over here seemed to go well and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
"I've been working hard, to be honest with you, for seven weeks. I've been really excited about what I've seen in my game in practice.
"Last week was a mishap for sure but I feel good about things in general. I feel optimistic about next year. Certainly I feel motivated and I feel hungry.
"In terms of this week, it's not ideal to come in here slightly undercooked preparation-wise but I'm hoping that the fact that I've been diligent and careful the last few days is going to allow me to be competitive for all four days.
"You never really forget how to compete. So once Thursday starts, hopefully the system gets up and running.
"This is a golf course I've played enough now to be able to see it blind this week, so to speak. I know my game plan and I know my strategy. I have good memories on which to draw."
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