No, he’s not playing his best right now, although he isn’t playing quite as poorly as some pundits would have you believe.
Facts are facts: Tiger Woods hasn’t won a tournament of any kind since November of 2009 and hasn’t won a major since the U.S. Open in 2008.
This is Augusta National, and Tiger always plays well here. His first Masters as a professional came in 1997. He has won the tournament four times.
But just for fun, let’s not count those wins.
Not including his four championships, Woods has an average finish of just better than ninth at Augusta.
In 2010, the Masters was the first tournament Woods played in since his Thanksgiving 2009 car accident. In a matter of hours, Woods went from the world’s best golfer and maybe the world’s most identifiable athlete (certainly America’s) to a popular punchline.
Although Tiger hadn’t played competitively in more than four months, he managed to finish tied for fourth. He has played more in the last year—his game is sharper now.
No, he is not performing up to his high standards, but we’ve seen this before.
Gary Player won the Masters in 1978 at 42 years old. He hadn’t won a major or anything else on tour since 1974. Jack Nicklaus was 46 in 1986 when he won the Masters. He hadn’t won a major since 1980 and had only won two tournaments in the subsequent years.
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