USA vs. Europe: Ryder Cup Win Won't Erase Tiger Woods' Tough Year

Tiger Woods hasn't necessarily had a bad year in 2012 after winning three tournaments, but one can certainly make the case that it's been disappointing since the golf legend failed to win a major.

Even if the United States can pull off a victory against Europe in the Ryder Cup, it won't change a single thing about the current state of Woods' career, and the negative outlook of his 2012 season will remain.

The Ryder Cup has been dominated by the Europeans over the past 15 years, and that has become a frustrating fact for the U.S. squad. Since 1995, Europe has won six of the last eight meetings between the two teams.

Going into Sunday, the Americans are in line to win this event, barring a major collapse. The U.S. has a 10-6 lead over Europe going into the final day, just 4.5 points from winning the Ryder Cup.

Woods hasn't done much to help his team this year.

On Friday, Tiger lost both of his opening matches for the fourth time in seven Ryder Cup appearances. Woods would go on to improve during the afternoon session on Friday's fourballs, but that still wasn't enough for a victory.

For Saturday's morning session, Woods was left off the squad for the first time in his Ryder Cup career. He did make it back in the afternoon, but along with fellow disappointment Steve Stricker, Woods lost to Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald.

According to BBC Sports, U.S. team captain Davis Love III said he left Woods out of Saturday morning's action because, "We just don't want guys to be worn out. We need Tiger and Steve in the afternoon, and on Sunday."

While Love III might be telling the truth, there's no denying that Woods being left out of Saturday's morning action coincides with his poor play. That connection is an embarrassing one for the 14-time major winner.

Woods had a golden opportunity to erase all of his issues this year with a strong showing in the Ryder Cup. However, thanks to lackluster play, Woods' problems continue to remain at the forefront.

The United States might be a shoo-in to complete the Ryder Cup win on Sunday, but Woods had nothing to do with it. As a result, the doubts will continue about Woods' abilities moving forward, and the pressure on him to win a major isn't going anywhere anytime soon.