US Open Golf Results 2012: Will Tiger Ever Win Another Major?

Tiger Woods will end his career with 14 major championships.

For those of you counting at home, that means you won't see him win another one.

This isn't to say Woods won't be a force in golf for many more years. Because he will. It's freaking Tiger Woods we are talking about. But while the percentage of someone like Woods winning another major is likely high (he'll have plenty more chances and anyone can win a tournament on any given weekend), there are too many factors working against him. 

If I was a betting man—and I am—I would bet on Tiger failing to win another major. Let's take a look why. 

If Not Now, Then When? 

Coming into the 2012 US Open, Tiger was clear the favorite, and it was easy to see why.

It was the classic Tiger. After his amazing comeback win at Memorial, it was the fist-pumping-chip-in-to-win-the-tournament Tiger. He was coming off a vintage performance that hinted he was "back," so naturally, we were expecting another vintage performance.

Myself included. 

And after the first two rounds, it seemed we were all right. Woods shot a 69 on Thursday and 70 on Friday en route to securing a tie for first place. 

Woods in prime position heading into the weekend, playing his best golf since the "unstoppable" days? Forget about it. 

Or not. Eldrick shot a five-over 75 on Saturday and a three-over 73 on Sunday to finish in 21st place. 

Woods will never see a better opportunity to a win a major than he did this weekend, and he couldn't take advantage. That's not a good sign.

He came in with tons of momentum and led after two days. But no matter how much he continues to improve, Woods will never win a major if he doesn't get back that Saturday-Sunday "fire" he had in the early 2000s. 

Young Talent

Most notably, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler. McIlroy, the No. 2 in the world, is arguably just as good as Tiger already, and Fowler, who has secured four top-10 finishes in his last six tournaments, is well on his way.

These guys are both just 23 and will only continue to get better. McIlroy has already won one major, and Fowler has a top-five finish. 

In the next four or five years, when it will be the best opportunity for Tiger to win a major, it wouldn't be surprising to see these two win five or six, making the likelihood of Woods winning one much smaller. 

Throw in Matteo Manassero, Ryo Ishikawa, and Patrick Cantlay, among others, and golf has a slew of young talent that will continue to get better and continue to drive Tiger down the ranks. 

Age

Tiger is 36 years old. If this were any other sport, he'd likely be on the cusp of retirement, but this is golf, and he can continue to play at a high level for a long time.

The question is simple, though. Will he?

For every Ben Hogan or Phil Mickelson who have upped their game after the age of 35 and won a heap of majors, there is an Arnold Palmer or Tom Watson who failed to win one after that same age (via golf.com). Which group will Tiger fall into?

I'm inclined to say the latter. 

What worries me most about Tiger is that he most relies on his ridiculous strength, driving prowess and ability to hit it 220 yards from the rough to the green.

He's an absolute warrior in the gym, and that leads me to believe he'll have that strength for a few more years, but don't plan on him being that powerful beyond 40. Sooner or later, he'll have to rely on the short game.

And at the tough Olympic Club course this weekend, we got a preview of what that would look like. Because anything outside of the fairway is so dangerous at Olympic, Tiger played fairly conservatively, often choosing to safely hit the ball straight instead of out-driving everyone in sight and risking the deep rough. 

He can certainly make that work, as he proved on Thursday and Friday, but he'll never be able to slaughter the competition or get huge leads. 

If he is forced to play safe, things will always be close, but without the killer instinct, Woods won't be able to win a major that way. 

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