Is it the end of the road for Tiger Woods?

Former world number one and 14-time major winner Tiger Woods needs to pause, take a deep breath, and examine where his career stands. Why? Because at the moment, it's heading nowhere. He is in dire need to re-strategise, whatever his strategy is, to get back among the scheme of things. He is approaching 40 - a dreaded age for any athlete in any sport, so time is of essence too.


The pendulum was shifting for a while, but now the slide looks unstoppable. Forget his best years. He is nowhere near it, courtesy a string of mediocre performances one after the other. Golf headlines, every other Thursday, reads - 'Woods continues to struggle' which eventually leads to Fridays' headings 'Woods misses the cut again'. Tournament after tournament, Woods is falling behind. Does this mean we've probably seen the final chapter of a storied career? Probably yes.

As weather pushed the second round of the British Open at St. Andrews to Day three, Woods was left high and dry. After two dreadful rounds in which he carded just three birdies, Woods bowed out a major tournament yet again, this time by a seven-stroke margin after carding 76-75 at the prestigious The Open Championships.

It was for the first time in his two decade-long career that he had to endure the ignominious walk off the field in two consecutive majors before the weekend rounds. Woods, in his own way, accepted the result quietly as he called his two-day efforts 'not very good'. The 39-year-old American, a three-time winner of the British Open - twice at the same St. Andrews course - had dished out a forgettable performance during the US Open as well, where he shot 80-76 in the first two rounds at Chambers Bay. Another dubious record added to his mainly spectacular CV.

Woods cut a disappointing figure following another poor performance at a major.

."I only made three birdies in two days, that's not very good," said the disappointed star following his early exit on Saturday. Woods has now missed out on three of his last four majors. Having not missed a single qualification in his first 37 majors as a pro and missing the cut just thrice in his next 28, he now has missed out qualifying in the top half six times in 68 majors. In all, it was the 15th time Woods has failed to progress from the lower half of the standings in more than 300 starts. The player who has been ranked world No. 1 longer than anyone is now projected to drop to No. 254.

The weather was erratic at St. Andrews, but the course was not that difficult to cope. Woods was quick to acknowledge that and admitted, in a rather subtle manner, that he was below par. "The golf course wasn't playing that hard, I just didn't get much out of any of the two rounds," Woods said.

He wasn't third time lucky at St. Andrews, the same course where he had previously won The Open twice. He is quickly losing ground. In fact, if one is to look at his current standings, the idea of him even participating in a major golf tournament puts forward a question. Ranked 241st in the world, it's a miracle he's still featuring in majors, let alone be a contender at the event. No golfer ranked as low as him has ever gotten a chance to play at an event as prestigious as The Open.

Many believe the fans and the media have had a role to play, however small it may be, in the rapid downfall of the legend. Why do fans still expect Woods, every time he participates in an event, to win the title knowing that there are 240 players ranked above him? It's time to leave Woods to himself away from the limelight for a while. Give him the opportunity to ponder over the flaws in his game, to be away from the public glare without unwanted expectations.

Experts, fans and golf enthusiasts are finding it difficult to come up with explanations as to why a force like Woods is struggling to find his bearings. Whatever the reason may be, one thing is certain: Woods has lost his mojo which once made him an unmatched figure in the golfing circuit.

Woods showed a revival in form back in March 2013, when he rose to the top of the world golf rankings after falling to No. 58 in November 2011 in the immediate aftermath of the infamous disclosure of his extramarital indiscretion and the following loss of form. Going forward, one can only hope for the same. One can only live by the hope that perhaps one fine day out of the blue, Woods surprises all by winning yet another major and rise to near his best before hanging up his boots.

It's always tough to write a send off for a player as big as him, with a past so glorious to be ignored. But somewhere down the line, one has to put the words for him. On current form, Woods' D-Day is around the corner. Let's just hope he shines one last time before calling it a day.