Tiger Woods: Why Struggling Star Will Win a Major Title Within the Next Year

Contrary to popular belief, Tiger Woods is far from being done.

The public has come to expect near perfection from Woods after dominating the sport of golf for over a decade. While he might never return to that level, he has still proven he is one of the best in the game.

This is mostly Tiger's fault. After winning 14 major championships from 1997 to 2008, it made it seem like winning was easy. Therefore, the only way for the golfer to be "back" is to continue winning these titles.

Unfortunately, winning a golf tournament is difficult. Winning the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship or the Open Championship is even tougher.

In the last 16 major championships, 16 different golfers have won. The top-ranked golfer in the world, Luke Donald, has never won a major. The same goes for No. 3 Lee Westwood.

Still, the fact that Woods has not been able to finish first in one of these high-profile tournaments seems to be enough to doubt his results.

The good news is that he is close. Prior to the U.S. Open, Woods finished in sixth-place or better in six of the 11 majors he entered. He also won two tournaments this year, something he had not done since 2009.

It seems the physical problems that have limited him over the past few years are finally behind him. Now it comes down to his mental state.

For two days this week at Olympic Club, Tiger was one of the best there was. Despite an extremely difficult course, he finished the second round tied for the lead at one stroke under par. Every part of his game was working, from his drive accuracy to his approach shots and his putting.

However, Saturday made him look anything like one of the greatest golfers of all time. Woods had opportunities for birdies, but continually misread the greens and fell out of contention. He could not stop the bleeding and his decline carried into Sunday.

Tiger has been successful his entire career based on his confidence. He had at least part of the lead going into Sunday in each of his 14 major championships. If he can keep his composure for the first three rounds of a major tournament, there is no doubt he can will himself to victory during the final day.

The skill that made him the best in the world is there, but now he just needs to put the rest of the pieces together as he returns to the top of the sport.