Tiger Woods sinks to new career-low in world golf rankings
Tiger Woods' future has been a talking point in the golf world ever since his horrific car crash in 2021. Woods has been rehabbing his right leg since the accident. As a result, the ace golfer has featured in only three events over the past year and that has taken a toll on his world rankings.
Woods reached a new low in the Official World Golf Rankings. The former PGA Tour champion has dropped several places yet again and is at No. 1,206. The 46-year-old’s previous lowest ranking was in 2017 when he dropped to No. 1199 due to back surgery. However, he is currently in freefall and is most likely to drop more places in the coming weeks.
Tiger Woods has been away from the greens for a long time due to his injuries and it shows. The American last appeared at the Masters in April. He was ranked No. 973 in the world at the time. After making the cut, the 82-time PGA winner rose to No. 745 on the list. He then went on to play in the PGA Championship, further boosting his ranking.
However, Woods was forced to withdraw from the championship on Day 3. He suffered major discomfort on the field and was seen in pain. Following this, the former champion returned to the 150th Open at St. Andrews. He failed to make the cut and his ranking fell all the way to No. 1009. It has once again dropped around 200 spots to land him at No. 1,206.
Will Tiger Woods return soon?
It is pertinent to note that Tiger Woods holds the record for most weeks at the top of the rankings. The golfing legend was No. 1 in the world for a record 683 weeks. He eventually began dropping places due to injuries. His major downfall came shortly after winning the 2019 Masters. He was No. 5 in the world at the time.
Later, the 15-time Major champion was No. 33 when the 2020 Masters came around. He suffered the single-car crash after this and has been falling in the ranks ever since.
Interestingly, Tiger Woods bounced back from his previous lowest ranking of No. 1199 in 2017 with a strong performance at that year's Hero World Challenge. He made a comeback by finishing T-9 following his back surgery and his world ranking improved to No. 668.
This means that Woods could have a deja vu this year if he decides to make a comeback at the Hero World Challenge. The golfer is yet to confirm if he will be playing at the unofficial Tour event hosted by him.
The event rewards world ranking points and would be a perfect way for Woods to return to competitive events. Moreover, Woods' friend and former college teammate, Notah Begay III recently stated that the golfer could return to the greens sooner. Speaking on SiriusXM's PGA Tour Radio, Begay said that he was "fairly certain" of Woods playing in the PNC Championship in December.
Begay also shed light on the three available spots at the Hero World Challenge and said that Tiger Woods could easily attend the event if he wanted to.