Had anyone suggested the possibility 20 months ago, he would have been immediately placed in a straight-jacket, and the key thrown away. But for the first time in his life, the 35-year-old Tiger Woods is no longer revered, no longer on a pedestal, and no longer feared by his opponents the world over.
His serial infidelities have cost him his marriage, a massive divorce settlement, his image – and his game.
These days, if Woods isn’t spitting, and swearing, he’s missing fairways, missing greens, missing putts, and missing the fawning from fans.
He’s a lonely man, and can’t hack it.
Before the crash, Woods has never been a successful match-play competitor, even when he was the undisputed world number one.
Now a struggling world number three, Woods tees off early tomorrow morning (0400 AEDT on OneHD), in the WGC Accenture Match-Play Championship at Dove Mountain, in Arizona – out-of-sorts, out-of-form, and out-of-touch with society.
And match-play isn’t the type of tournament for a turnaround, if one is ever to eventuate.
Woods has an abysmal Ryder Cup record:
* Overall – nine wins, 13 losses, with two matches halved.
* Singles – three wins, a loss, and a half.
* Foursomes – three wins, six losses, and a half.
* And fourball – three wins, and six losses.
That translates to a 46 per cent return of possible points.
And his track record at the Accenture isn’t much better, with just three wins, from 10 starts:
* Beating David Toms 2 and 1, in 2003.
* Davis Love 111 by 3 and 2, in 2004.
* And crushing Stewart Cink 8 and 7, in 2008.
But Australians have his measure:
* Peter O’Malley inflicted Woods’ only first round defeat 2 and 1, in 2002.
* Nick O’Hern beat Woods 3 and 1 in the second round, in 2006.
* And again in 2007, at the 20th hole, in the third round.
If Woods manages to beat Thomas Bjorn in tomorrow’s opening round, and that’s a big ask the way he’s playing, Geoff Ogilvy could be his second round opponent, providing the Australian disposes of Padraig Harrington.
Ogilvy thrives in this tournament, with three finals in four years – the champion in 2006, downing Love 3 and 2, and 2009 beating Paul Casey 4 and 3 – and losing 2 and 1 to Henrik Stenson, in 2007.
Ogilvy is one of five Australians on duty.
* Robert Allenby meets American Heath Slocum in the opening round, and if successful faces US Open champion Graeme McDowell in the second.
* Jason Day has the talented 19-year-old Korean Kyung-tae Kim first up, and drawn against either Paul Casey, a two-time losing finalist, or another Aussie – leftie Richard Green – in the second.
* And the hard-to-fathom Adam Scott, a world-beater one day, a journeyman the next, who faces American Ben Crane first-up, with a possible second round meeting with another rising star in Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman is one of five reasons why Tiger Woods will never again be world number one.
Englishman Lee Westwood is the incumbent, but on borrowed time. Ready to pounce, Germany’s 26-year-old Martin Kaymer, currently number two, the USPGA champion, and winner of nine tournaments on the European tour in the last three years – five in the last 12 months.
Rory McIlroy (21). Number seven, has only one European tour, and one USPGA win to his credit, but a week-by-week contender.
American Rickie Fowler (22) is world 33, an exciting, fearless, stroke-maker – his first win sooner, than later.
Ryo Ishikawa (19), world 39, won the first of his nine titles in Japan at 15 years, and eight months – and the only golfer in the world to shoot a 58 on a major tour, with a flawless 12 birdies.
And Italian Matteo Manassero (17), ranked 59, the youngest to win the prestige British Amateur Championship at 16, the youngest at 16 years, 11 months, and 22 days to make the US Masters cut, two years faster than the previous holder Bobby Coles, and the youngest to win on the European tour at 17, when he took out the Castello Masters, in Valencia, last October.
Exciting times for world golf, with a changing of the guard.
There are six non-Americans in the world top 10 – 14 in the top 20.
And Team Europe has beaten Team USA in the Ryder Cup four times in the last five – six in the last eight.
Despite those irrefutable stats, there has been a misconception from USPGA Commissioner Tim Finchem, American sponsors, and US television commentators, golf will suffer dramatically if Woods doesn’t regain his dominance.
How wrong can they be?
The likes of Kaymer, McIlroy, Fowler, Ishikawa, and Manassero will excite golf-lovers for decades – not forgetting old-stagers like Phil Mickelson, Jim Fuyrk, Ernie Els, and Steve Stricker, and the experienced Ian Poulter, Casey, and Luke Donald, who will keep the kids honest.
It’s a whole new ball-game with Tiger Woods not pitching, nor pinch-hitting.
"It looked like it was gonna go for miles - and then it went nowhere!"
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