Tiger Woods has been the best player in all of professional golf for the last dozen years or so and when he stepped down from the game for a short period after the divorce from his wife and knee surgery, people didn't know what to expect. Tiger Woods came back last year and while he was still able to compete in the Major tournaments, he was not able to close it out and left people wondering if he still had it in him.
The first sign that people seen that Tiger Woods' golf game was faltering was during last years Australian Open when during the third round he was paired with Australian rookie, the 22 year old Kieran Pratt. Pratt shot a 70 during that round and Woods had a 71. Fast forward to 2011 and critics are starting to see the some lackluster play.
Woods played last week at Torrey Pines and in the Farmers Insurance Open and while he opened up with two 69's in the first two rounds, he faltered down the stretch and seen Anthony Kim take the title. Torrey Pines has been the site of some of Tiger Woods' majestical triumphs but in this go around on the California famed links he didn't finish it off, similar to what happened last year. Torrey Pines was the site of Woods' infamous 2008 U.S. Open win when he played on his injured leg. Has the layoff that he endured over the past couple of seasons had that much effect on his game? Is Tiger Woods' game still the best as it was?
Woods says that while he is 'flustered' with his performance, there is no need to panic. Woods said that he fought a neck injury that no one really knew about and that is why he withdrew from The Players Championship last year. Still, Tiger Woods was not a contender for much of last year and everyone seen that Tiger Woods was not the Tiger Woods that everyone has known. Again, it is very hard to judge him after just one tournament appearance this year.
Tiger Woods is looking at the upcoming Dubai Desert Classic in which he has not finished worse than fifth and the Word Golf Championships at Doral in which has won three times and not finish outside of the top 10 in the coming weeks. Tiger says he definitely wants to be at his best for the Masters which is two months away.
'I have been working on my swing and it is something that I work on every night. It is easy to do out on the range but I have to bring it consistently on to the course' said Woods. If his career is any indication, you cannot count out the one and only Tiger Woods in 2011.
