A star’s decline: has Tiger Woods fallen off?

To many, Tiger Woods is considered the greatest golfer of all time. With 15 major championship wins and over 80 wins on the PGA tour, Woods is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished athletes of all time. 

Although Woods has the accolades, he has not placed well in any recent major championships and, surprisingly, the week-by-week PGA tournaments. He is 199th on the Fed-Ex PGA tour rankings, the lowest in his career, and has not placed in the top 10 in a tournament in almost 4 and a half years. 

A little over two years ago, Woods was in a horrific car crash that almost took his life. Nobody thought that Woods would be able to walk again after his car flipped over 20 times in Rollings Hills Estates, Los Angeles, CA. 

Woods sustained multiple serious injuries to his lower body as a result of the accident. However, he persevered and made an appearance at the 88th Masters tournament almost two months after the accident. Woods tried to win his 6th Masters title but had his second-worst placement with a score of +6. 

Even though it has been a little over two years since the accident, Woods still constantly feels pain and stiffness in his legs during long tournament weekends.

“I hurt every day; I ache every day. I prefer warm, humid, and hot,” said Woods via Sporting News.

Woods placed last in the 2024 Masters tournament in Augusta, GA, with a score of +16. This is the first time in Woods’ career that he placed last in the Masters.

 No one would have ever thought that Tiger Woods would place last in a tournament that he has won a record-setting five times, but his age and pains may have caught up to him.

Even though Woods has been on a decline the past few years, he is still a 15-time major championship winner and has over 80 PGA tour titles. 

Woods changed the landscape of golf and altered who could dominate the sport no matter the color of their skin or economic background. Without Tiger Woods, golf would not be as diverse, and fewer children would have been inspired to pick up the clubs and start practicing at a young age.