Tiger Woods: Dubai Desert Classic Could Have a Major Impact on His Confidence

The European Tour has taken a page out of the PGA Tour’s new 2011 pairing book this week at the Dubai Desert Classic where the world’s top three players – Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Tiger Woods – will be paired together during the first two rounds.

The PGA Tour, in the hopes of garnering some more interest during the first two rounds of tournaments, has thrown together some exciting pairings this season.

Rocco Mediate and Woods were paired together during the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the site of their epic Monday playoff at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Last week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, and Bill Has were paired together.  These were three of the players in contention just a few days earlier at Torrey Pines.

And then there was the all South American pairing of Camilo Villegas, Jhonattan Vegas and Angel Cabrera during the first two rounds of last week’s Phoenix Open.

The European Tour seems to have jumped on this bandwagon, and it could be either a blessing or a disaster for the world’s former number one player.  

Over the past year, Woods has been demolished in the tabloid media, gone through an expensive divorce, lost his golf swing, lost his billion dollar putting stroke and has dropped to number three in the World Golf Rankings, which is his lowest position since April of 1997.

Thursday and Friday’s pairing at the Dubai Desert Classic could give Woods the boost he needs to jump-start a huge comeback season, or it could send him deeper into a downward spiral that began more than a year ago and has yet to slow down.    

This Dubai Desert Classic may not even remotely resemble a major championship, but when it comes to Woods’ confidence, it’s close.

With all the talk about the rise of European golf and Woods’ career decline, you’d be fooling yourself if you didn’t believe that these two days of playing alongside Westwood and Kaymer are a VERY big deal for Woods.

If Woods were to go out and show Westwood and Kaymer that the big cat is still alive and well, it could spark-off a return to his pre-fire hydrant dominant form.

If Woods goes out and looks like an amateur playing alongside two world class golfers, it could put yet another chip into a suit of armor that is already hanging on by a thread.

No, the Dubai Desert Classic is not major championship.  The only reason why Woods is even there to begin with is because the oil rich nation has no problem shelling out $3 million for Woods’ appearance fee.

But, in terms of his confidence level, how Woods performs alongside Westwood and Kaymer this week could have a major impact and how quickly he emerges from this rut he’s been in for more than a year.

For more PGA Tour News, Insight and Analysis, check out The Tour Report.