Tiger Woods' Wyndham Championship Decision Will Tell Us All We Need to Know

Everything we need to know about Tiger Woods’ game, level of confidence and desire will be answered Friday afternoon at Whistling Straights.

The Wanamaker Trophy will of course not be awarded to a worthy champion until next Sunday. But Friday is the deadline for Woods to commit to the Wyndham Championship, which is the final PGA Tour event of the season and Woods’ last chance to earn enough FedEx Cup points to advance to the playoffs.

The top 125 players in the FedEx Cup point standings after the Wyndham Championship secure a spot in the Barclays, which is the first of four playoff events for a $10 million prize.

As of right now, Woods sits 186th in the FedEx Cup standings and is 279 points behind S.J. Park, who currently occupies the 125th spot.

Winning the PGA Championship would obviously take care of everything for Woods, as the 600 points awarded to the winner would easily move Woods into the top 125 in the point standings.

Woods would be awarded 330 points if he were to finish second at the PGA Championship, which would move him into the top 125 but still leave the door slightly ajar for others to overtake him with a strong performance at the Wyndham Championship.

The 210 points Woods would earn for third place would still leave him just outside of the top 125 in the FedEx Cup point standings.

So essentially, the only way for Woods to truly secure a spot in the playoffs while keeping his 19-year no-show streak alive at the Wyndham Championship would be to win the PGA Championship this week at Whistling Straights.

While Woods would undoubtedly rank within the top five in any knowledgeable golf fan’s list of the greatest players of all time, it is highly unlikely Woods will be the man holding the Wanamaker Trophy Sunday evening when considering his best finish all year was a tie for 17th back in April at the Masters.

It is also doubtful Woods will manage to finish within the top three at the PGA Championship, based again on his performance so far this season as well as his track record at Whistling Straights.

Woods tied for 24th at the 2014 PGA Championship held at Whistling Straights and then tied for 28th in 2010 when the PGA Championship returned to Whistling Straights for a second time.

Needless to say, Woods’ game was significantly stronger back in 2004, and even in 2010, when compared to the state of his game entering the 2015 PGA Championship.

Woods decided to skip this week’s Barracuda Championship held opposite to the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which he failed to qualify for due to his world ranking position.

This decision was a predictable—and likely an intelligent—one for Woods.

Major championship wins are by far Woods’ key goal at this point in his career, and attending a second-tier tournament the week before the PGA Championship probably would not have provided Woods with the best form of preparation heading into the final major of the year.  

So for argument's sake, let's say Woods is not even sniffing the leaderboard after 36 holes at this week’s PGA Championship.

This would mean the only possible way for Woods to extend his season beyond the mere 10 events he would have attended through the PGA Championship would be for Woods to commit to the Wyndham Championship.

When asked about his intentions regarding the Wyndham Championship last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship media day, Woods responded with the following answer (as reported by ASAP Sports):

"

Just win. It's not real complicated. I'm not playing Reno this week or Bridgestone, which is kind of interesting because I've won Bridgestone, what, eight times and I'm not eligible. I didn't qualify. You get into those big events by winning golf tournaments. Fortunately enough I've won the PGA a few times and I'm going to be able to play in that event. By playing well in the PGA, that determines whether or not I'll play Wyndham, and obviously the rest of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.  

"

Woods has consistently contended his game is progressing and that he is very close to playing some great golf.

At the Deutsche Bank Championship media day, he stated he feels “very close. It's just a matter of getting those bad stretches and turning them around.”

Woods has also maintained that he needs more “reps” to get his game back to a level where he can compete against the best golfers in the world.

Desire is another aspect of golf that has recently been called into question with regard to Woods.

But when asked recently about whether he still loves the game of golf as much as he once did, Woods responded with the following answer (as reported by ASAP Sports):  

"

I love playing the game of golf. I love practicing, and more importantly, I love competing. It doesn't feel very good when I can't compete at the highest level because of some of the physical injuries that I've had over the years and the surgeries that I've had to endure and the rehab process I've had to do throughout my—now my 20 years out on TOUR. That part has not been fun. But getting out there and practicing and trying to improve and eventually getting out there and playing against the best players in the world, there's no better feeling as an athlete to compete against the best, and to me that's—it's fun. I'm telling you, it is a rush to go on that first tee and knowing that I've got 155 other guys I need to beat, and over the course of my career, I've been able to beat some of them, but I just love preparing and getting out there and testing my skill.

"

So publicly, Woods has been saying all the right things to keep at least some form of a positive light shining on what has been nothing short of a disastrous season for the former No. 1-ranked player in the world.

But what else would we possibly expect to hear from a 14-time major champion?  

“My game is terrible right now, my body is broken down and I can’t wait to pack it in for the season after the PGA Championship?”  

What athletes say while the cameras are rolling and what is actually going on inside their minds can often be worlds apart from one another.  

If Woods has indeed been truthful in his recent public statements, then there would really be no reason for him not to attend next week’s Wyndham Championship?

The Wyndham Championship would give him another chance for his game to click, would give him those reps that he is always proclaiming he needs more of and would also give him another chance to compete against some of the top players in the world, which, according to Woods, is something he still loves to do.

But if after 36 holes at the PGA Championship it is looking as if Woods has no shot to finish near the top of the leaderboard and he still declines to commit to the Wyndham Championship, it will clearly tell is two things:

1) Woods does not believe his game is good enough to even compete at the Wyndham Championship, thus a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina, would be a waste of his time.

2) He does not care about extending his season and getting in more competitive reps, and he is simply content to pack his game in for the winter.

For the past 19 years, Woods has made headlines around the world through his actions, both on and off the golf course.

But the biggest story surrounding Woods this week could very well be created by a form of inaction. Because inaction by Woods Friday afternoon with regard to the Wyndham Championship will speak far louder than any words Woods could possibly speak and will give us a true glimpse into his mindset, his level of confidence in his golf game and his desire to compete at this point in his career.