Ryder Cup 2012: Tiger Woods' Poor Showing Shouldn't Diminish Successful Year

Tiger Woods had a rough four days at the 2012 Ryder Cup. He failed to win one round in foursomes, four-ball and singles, and is being picked by many as the goat for the United States' epic collapse Sunday at the Medinah Country Club.

Woods deserves a substantial amount of blame for his team losing out on the Ryder Cup, but one ugly performance shouldn't take away from what was largely a successful year from a golfer who is still one of the best on the PGA Tour.

Yes, he and Steve Stricker were two of the worse golfers on the course for either side, but two men can't be blamed for a team failure.

We should have seen this coming from Woods, though. He hasn't been the picture of consistency at the Ryder Cup in his career. Many people questioned how much Woods would be able to contribute in a team atmosphere when he has become so accustomed (like the rest of golfers) to playing on his own.

Davis Love III made the decision to bench Woods (via Fox Sports) after he and Stricker lost the first two matches that they played. Love III had this to say about the benching, "We just felt like we didn't want anybody to play five matches on this golf course," but Tiger's performance couldn't have made his decision any harder.

Other than letting his entire country down, Woods has nothing to hang his head about when it comes to his 2012 performance. For any other golfer, finishing in the top 20 12 times would be looked at as a great year, but Tiger has conditioned fans to expect the best.

Woods was unable to add another Major championship to his mantle—a failure that he probably feels worse about than anybody else—but he finished the season strong despite the Ryder Cup debacle.

There were times this season when Woods was still trying to figure out his swing, but he played much better during the back end of the year. If numbers don't lie, Woods' 2013 campaign should be even better than this year's.