Tiger Woods: Breaking Down His 2013-2014 Season Lowlights

Tiger Woods' list of 2013-2014 season highlights is a short one:

• Having successful microdiscectomy surgery
• Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
• Taking the Ice Bucket Challenge with Rory McIlroy
• Not taking part in the embarrassment that was the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles

His list of lowlights, unfortunately, ran much longer in a season defined by injury, surgery and further injury. 

What were the lowlights of Tiger's 2013-2014 season?

Click through for the total breakdown of the tale of woe. 

Farmers Insurance Open

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Doug Ferguson of The Associated Press catalogued some of the mess of awful that was Tiger Woods' third-round 79 at the Farmers Insurance Open. The disastrous Saturday showing led to Woods missing the secondary cut.

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Woods was in fairway, 254 yards from the flag on the par-5 18th in the middle of his round. A birdie would have put him within five shots of the leaders, who had just started the third round on the front.

His shot came up short and into the water, and his fourth shot flew the green into a plugged lie in the bunker. Woods blasted out and took two putts for bogey. On the first hole, he missed the green and chipped to 30 feet and three-putted for another double bogey, missing his bogey putt from just over 2 feet. It was the first time since the second round of the 2011 PGA Championship that he made consecutive double bogeys.

And then it was just one blunder after another - a three-putt on the par-3 third, a tee shot into the bunker on the fourth. From a front bunker on the par-5 sixth, he flew the green, chipped weakly to 6 feet and missed that par putt.

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For Woods, the poor showing at a course he's dominated like no other was a bad omen and an indication of wretched things to come. 

The Honda Classic

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Tiger Woods fired a 40 on the opening nine during his final round at the Honda Classic. Shortly thereafter, he withdrew.

After the round, he said, "It's my lower back with spasms. It started this morning warming up," per Kyle Porter of CBS Sports. 

Whether he knew it or not at the time, the issue was much more serious than mere back spasms. Back issues would ultimately land him on the disabled list for 2014. 

WGC-Cadillac Championship Final Round

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Wincing and clearly in pain during his final round at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, Tiger Woods carded a final-round 78 at Doral. The poor round came on the heels of a quality 66 in the third round.

It was at this point that Woods' early-season struggles began to seem like the product of an ailing back, not merely rust. 

While Woods' tie for 25th was his best showing of a forgettable season, it was really the beginning of the end. 

Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com wrote of the shot that caused Woods' back to act up: 

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There was the awkward lie on No. 6, when Woods had his left foot in a fairway bunker and his right foot on the grass. After the failed 8-iron shot -- short and to the left -- he clutched his back for a moment. "That's what set it off and then it was done after that," he [Woods] said.

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Quicken Loans National

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Tiger Woods returned ahead of schedule to tee it up in the Quicken Loans National, which benefits his foundation. 

After nearly three full months on the shelf, Woods returned to competition with rounds of 74 and 75 at difficult Congressional Country Club. As a result, he missed the cut. 

While the return to competitive golf without incident was a victory, the rush to tee it up again and hastily upping his practice regimen cost him later in the season. 

The Open Championship

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After an unimpressive tune-up at the Quicken Loans National, Tiger Woods headed to Hoylake for the Open Championship (or British Open, depending on your persuasion). 

Woods opened with 69, and it appeared he might be on his way to a strong showing. Instead, he carded a second-round 77 and stumbled through the weekend with rounds of 73 and 75. 

The disappointment of Woods' 69th-place finish is enhanced by holding his 2014 showing up alongside his clinical victory at the course in 2006. 

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

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At the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger Woods withdrew during the third round after injuring his back after hitting from an awkward lie in a fairway bunker. At the time, it looked like he may have reinjured his surgically repaired back in some way. 

As it turned out, the Nike pitchman had dislodged his sacrum. The injury, he said, was the result of weak back muscles he hadn't been able to rehabilitate successfully following his microdiscectomy at the end of March.  

For Woods, the tournament marked a significant setback and effectively ensured 2014 would be a lost year for the golfer. 

PGA Championship

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Amidst the great drama surrounding whether Tiger Woods would be able to tee it up at Valhalla at the beginning of August, another question was buried: Should he tee it up?

The answer, in hindsight, was a firm "no."

Woods suffered a dislodged sacrum at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational week prior to the PGA Championship. After a few days of intensive rehabilitation (and not swinging a golf club), Woods arrived in Kentucky. 

Not surprisingly, a rusty Woods opened with 74. In the second round, his back again acted up. He staggered around Valhalla, taking 74 strokes again in his second round. 

The unceremonious exit made it clear that the former world No. 1 should have stayed home. 

And "staying home" was exactly what Woods did for the remainder of the season.