Tiger Woods has done everything but win in his two career trips to Pinehurst No. 2. Woods finished third in the 1999 U.S. Open, two behind Payne Stewart, and runner-up to Michael Campbell in the 2005 U.S. Open.

What will Woods' third trip to the sand hills of North Carolina yield?

The 15-time major winner still believes winning another major is realistic, it’s “just a matter of doing it.” That quest begins Thursday morning. Woods tees off the 10th hole at 7:29 a.m. ET alongside Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick. It’s Woods’ 23rd appearance at the U.S. Open.

Woods is making just his fourth start of the PGA TOUR season. He withdrew during the second round of The Genesis Invitational in February, made the cut and finished 60th at the Masters in April and shot 72-77 to miss the cut at the PGA Championship last month.

The talk around Woods is not about his swing or fading talent. The game’s top players insist the 15-time major winner still has the skill to contend in majors. The questions revolve around Woods’ body sustaining through four days of a major championship and whether he can knock off the competitive rust quickly enough to stay in contention for 72 holes.

“I feel like I have the strength to be able to do it,” Woods said Tuesday. “This golf course is going to test every single aspect of your game, especially mentally, and just the mental discipline that it takes to play this particular golf course, it's going to take a lot. We've been working on that and making sure that I understand the game plan.”