Tiger Woods: Will he ever win another Major?

It’s a question which seems to be in every golf fan’s mind. Interestingly enough, for as much panic as there is surrounding Tiger’s failings; he actually had a pretty good year. Tiger Woods is presently the World number 1. Take away everything he’s accomplished previously and look only at 2013, and Tiger is easily the best player in the game at the moment. Woods has five victories; nobody else has more than two. What was missing from his great year is a Masters.

There was a point in time when it wasn’t even a question if Tiger would break Jack Nicklaus’ 18 Majors win record. It was simply a matter of when he would do it. To win 14 majors in only 13 years was phenomenal. And look at where we are now: five years removed from his last major victory at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, discussing whether or not he will ever win one more major, let alone the five that he needs to stand alone with the all-time record.

Though Woods still has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, he has come close several times. While questions are being raised regarding Woods’ strategy over the weekend and what might be the missing ingredient required to win a Masters again, writing him off will be a foolish thing to do.

Tiger Woods is 37 years old. He plays a sport where longevity is not matter of concern. He is easily one of the most athletically superior golfers to ever play the sport. What this gives Tiger is longevity. Barring a major injury, he will play into his 40s and maybe his 50s, remaining competitive throughout. Assuming that he at least plays until he is 50, Tiger will have ample chances to win a major. Jack Nicklaus was regularly winning Majors until the age of 40 and won his last at 46. But there is a note of concern. It’s not unheard of, though, for golfers who are still great players to stop winning majors seemingly prematurely. When Arnold Palmer won the 1964 Masters, it was his seventh major and he was 34 years old. He didn’t win another. When Tom Watson won the 1983 British Open, it was his eighth win in majors and he was 33 years old. He didn’t win another.

After his cheating scandal broke in 2009, Woods has never been the same. Though it seems that he has overcome that dark phase of his life but he still suffers from two things: inconsistent play, and pressure to perform under huge expectations.

There was a time when Woods would be frighteningly flawless. But he does not have the same swagger that he had when he was dominating the field back in the past. Also, Woods has had to battle injuries to his body which are taking longer to recover from as he continues to get older as a player. Add to these reasons, he is facing a better field of opponents that are getting better and better with each round of golf.

Even if Tiger eventually becomes more consistent, he will still be cursed by expectations. Whenever he finishes lower than expected, the world goes into panic mode. Whenever he wins, everyone declares he is back and expects him to win each tournament by 30 strokes. It’s crazy to think that Tiger Woods of all people would be cracking under the pressure, but the circumstances have changed immensely for him. When he was last regularly winning majors, Tiger was in his early thirties and had not yet dealt with any major injuries or scandals. It seemed like he had all the time in the world to win five more majors. Nobody thought that it would take him more than another six or seven years to seal the deal at the rate that he was winning (two in 2005, two in 2006, one in 2007, one in 2008).The pressure was off for Tiger. There was no doubt in his mind or anybody else’s that the record was anything but inevitability. But this has changed now.

However, he will eventually win a major. And when he does, the questions will be gone, the doubters, and most importantly, the growing pressure that builds with the coming and going of each major that he doesn’t win will stop.

And 2014 can be his year. Whatever people might think, Tiger Woods should be quietly confident of moving closer to Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record of 18 Majors next year given the Masters, the British Open at Royal Liverpool and PGA Championship at Valhalla will be staged in 2014 on venues where he has won in the past. Woods has won four times at Augusta National while he won the 2006 British Open when last staged at Royal Liverpool and he defeated fellow American Bob May in a play-off to capture the PGA Championship at Valhalla when last staged on the Kentucky course in 2000. The US Open will be held at Pinehurst where Woods was runner-up in 2005.

True, Tiger Woods will never be the golfer he once was. The man who once struck fear into those who walked the course with him is gone. It’s sad to say it, but the cold-blooded, superhuman Tiger Woods of old isn’t coming back. But that does not mean that he is not good enough to win another Masters.