Tiger Woods Continues Woeful Major Performance in 2009

Last summer, Tiger Woods gave golf fans one of the most memorable Major Championship victories in the sports' history.

A year later, we must ask at what cost did Woods' 14^th Major come. Despite three tournament victories this season, he's yet to finish in the top five in any of the three majors. Woods has played his worst golf since 2003 and 2004, a two-year period he spent fixing his swing. It's a stark contrast to a year ago, when Woods was playing perhaps the best golf of his career before blowing out his knee.

In a season already chalked full of disappointments, the 2009 Open Championship was (hopefully) rock bottom. Woods failed to make the cut at a Major for only the second time as a professional, finishing five-over in two rounds.

It would be easy to attribute Woods' struggles this season to his recovery from major knee surgery. But Woods has looked impressive for most of the year, already winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament and AT&T National.

Usually Woods' stomping grounds, the Majors have become Woods' stumbling block in 2009.

He isn't simply failing to win. He's failing to consistently compete. He's failing to get out of his own way. Instead of striking fear into the heart of his opponents, he's scaring the hell out of the fans rooting for his assault on Jack Nicklaus' Major record. I'm not sure the term slump does Woods' outings in the first three Majors of 2009 justice. I'm afraid his problems might be deeper than that.

At the age of 33, Woods is at a crossroads in his career. He's won 14 Majors and needs five more to pass Jack Nicklaus on the all-time list. For almost a decade, it's been a foregone conclusion Woods would eventually reach the mark of 19 Major championships. Now mired in a drought that's stretched more than a year, and with the uncertainty of when he'll be 100 percent healthy again, the chances will dwindle with each passing year.

There have been 10 golfers not named Tiger to win at least seven Majors. But only three - including Nicklaus and Ben Hogen - have won five or more after the age of 33. The list excludes Walter Hagen, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson. It seems silly to predict Woods can't win five more Majors during his career. But didn't it seem silly to assume that Tom Watson's 1983 Open Championship victory would be his last Major?

There's a definite expiration date on any golfer's prime. It varies from individual to individual, but the numbers show how difficult it is to keep winning multiple Majors past your late 30s. The longer Woods battles with the rust after his months of knee rehabilitation, the lower his chances of ever reaching Major 19.

Another troubling sign? Woods' mental state right now.

We've never heard Woods drop more frustrated F-bombs or seen him slam more club heads against the golf course than this year. It's a sign of a man who for the first time may be battling self-confidence. That struggle is evident in the way he's losing Majors.

It would be one thing if Tiger simply weren't good enough. But even as he regains his rhythm, it's hard to find an excuse for his poor play. Woods competition is as weak as ever. (You have to wonder, if it weren't for the tragedy happening in Phil Mickleson's life right now, would Woods even be No. 1 in the world?) He's repeatedly shot himself in the foot. For the first time ever, he's consistently beaten himself.

It's a trend that points to a mid-career crisis.

Woods is deservedly considered the best closer in golf history. But focusing only on Woods' incredible ability to close the door on his competition during a Sunday afternoon is ignoring half of his ability. You can't become the best closer without being the best starter. Woods has held the lead entering the final round of a Major 14 times. That's because his opening rounds have put him in a place to do so.

That hasn't been the case this year. Woods failed to enter the weekend under par in the Masters or U.S. Open. His scores in the opening two rounds have progressively gotten worse.

You may think I'm overreacting with Woods' Scottish dud. After all, it's not the first time he's missed a cut at a Major as a professional.

But even when Woods failed to make the cut at the 2006 U.S. Open, it had a different feel this time around. First of all, there was no injury to blame. Second, Tiger had won two Majors in 2005, and he followed up the '06 U.S. Open with wins in that year's British Open and PGA Championship. The missed cut at the '09 Open Championship followed two other woeful Major performances.

The question of when will Woods pass the Golden Bear on the all-time Major championship list will continue to dominate the sport. But a year from now, we may be replacing "when" with "if."