Tiger Woods: Why A Win in The WGC-HSBC Champions in China Won't Save Him

Tiger Woods is currently participating in his first event since 2005 without the world No. 1 ranking on his shoulders.  He is currently participating in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China at the par-72 Sheshan International Golf Course.

Through one round, Woods is sitting at four under par, carding a 68 in the first round of the event.  His performance sits him tied for fifth in the tournament, six strokes off the leader.

Meanwhile the world's No. 1 player, Lee Westwood, is sitting in second place with a solid six-under performance so far throughout the tournament.

Tiger is on the prowl, and he isn't looking for women (this time), he is looking for his first tournament win since the Australian Masters a year ago this month. 

A win here would definitely do good for Tiger's confidence, and could potentially propel him back to No. 1, but would it really restore his image to America as the premier golfer in the world?

NO.

This event is being played in China, and the coverage is starting on the Golf Channel at midnight Eastern standard time. Let's face it, even the people staying up for the coverage are going to fall asleep, it's golf.

Why does this matter?

This matters because America won't even see this victory if he wins it.  Even if he performs well, the most he can possibly get is a few minutes on SportsCenter.

If Tiger can somehow figure out a way to earn a world championship in this event, it will be great for his morale and be great for his ranking, but to Americans, the win would not mean much in the terms of seeing him back as a golf elite.

Even though the field is full of the world's best golfers, it will do next to nothing as if he would have won an event in the United States.

Expect Tiger to hang around the top of the leader-board and maybe even win this tournament, in typical Tiger fashion it would be a low-key win, just like he likes it, remember?

James Evens is a Purdue student and Basketball/Football Featured Columnist for the Boilermakers, along with being a Writing Intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, or like him on Facebook.