Tiger Woods Out of U.S. Open: Top 5 Priorities Between Now and the British Open

Tiger Woods' fans across the world let out a collective moan on Tuesday when Woods tweeted the following statement:  "Not playing in US Open. Very disappointed. Short-term frustration for long-term gain."

And his fans certainly weren't the only ones moaning. Sponsors, NBC, ESPN, The Golf Channel and the Congressional Country Club itself are all drowning in their respective sorrows after the bombshell announcement.

We're so selfish when it comes to Tiger Woods. We want him to play on one leg and win a major even if it means long term damage to said leg.  We want him to break Jack's record of 18 majors so badly that we hope he'll do whatever it takes to win, even if that means jeopardizing his own long term health for our own instant gratification in the process. Ultimately, we want to live our average Joe golfer lives vicariously through Tiger.

Let's take a look at Tiger's top five priorities between now and the British Open. 

5. "Short Term Frustration for Long Term Gain"

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 12: Tiger Woods watches his approach shot on the seventh hole during the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship held at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 12, 2011 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Stre

Tiger Woods wants to win more majors after this year's U.S. Open, that's why he's not taking any chances by playing next week and potentially risking further injury.

If Tiger is going to break Jack's record of 18 majors, he's going to need to be healthy long-term, and the only way for him to get healthy is to start listening to his doctors. His doctors are all telling him to do the same thing...rest.

Jack won his 15th major at the age of 38, meaning that Tiger only needs to win 1 out of the next 15 majors to keep pace.  Now he's down to 14 opportunities and you can bet he doesn't want that number to shrink any lower.

4. Putt, Putt, Putt

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 11: Tiger Woods reacts during a practice round prior to the start of THE PLAYERS Championship held at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2011 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Im

With all this time off, Tiger will have plenty of time to practice his putting, the facet of his game that has suffered the most over the past two years.

Putting used to be the difference between Tiger Woods and everyone else, he was the most clutch putter on tour by a long shot.  Yet over the last two years Tiger seems to have lost all confidence in his putter, especially on putts inside 5 feet, the putts he NEVER used to miss.

Keep an eye on Tiger's putter at the British Open this year, it will be the difference between him winning his 15th major and letting another opportunity to gain ground on Jack pass by.

3. Spend Every Day with Sean Foley

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 10: Tiger Woods (L) shares a laugh with his instructor Sean Foley (R) during a practice round prior to the start of THE PLAYERS Championship held at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 10, 2011 in Ponte Vedra Bea

Sean Foley began working with Tiger on his swing a little less than a year ago and the two haven't looked back since.  Foley has been known to take a scientific approach to the golf swing, here is what Justin Rose had to say about Foley's instruction:  

"

"Sean does not look at me as a golfer. He looks at me as an athlete and from a biomechanical point of view. He is not necessarily wrapped up in what makes a swing pretty. He wants what works for me from a scientific point of view. This is not necessarily the position that everyone strives for, but that is what I like about Sean."

"

-The Sunday Times, 'November 19, 2009

Woods will need to spend as much time as humanly possible with Foley to get his swing squared away before the British Open at Royal St George's Golf Club on July 14th.  

2. Get in Tune Mentally

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 10: Tiger Woods (R) and caddie Steve Williams look on during a practice round prior to the start of THE PLAYERS Championship held at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 10, 2011 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (P

Don't count me among the large contingent that thinks Tiger Woods still hasn't recovered mentally from everything that happened in his personal life in 2009.  But he does seem to be missing one major part of his game right now: his confidence. 

We don't need to get into the mental aspects of the game of golf, we all know how important a golfer's mindset is when he steps on to the course.  

What happened to the Tiger Woods that was mentally tougher than his opponents because he was supremely confident at all times?  It's unlikely that Tiger is ever going to scare his opponents like he used to, but the sooner he gets his confidence back, the sooner he will win his 15th major.

1. Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy Life

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AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 10: Tiger Woods looks on during the final round of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2011 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Sometimes I think more than anything, Tiger just needs to sit back and enjoy himself.  Forget about golf, forget about breaking Jack's record, forget about the media, and just appreciate his life and all of the opportunities the game of golf has afforded him.

This break will be good for Tiger Woods both physically and mentally, and when he comes back healthy, look out, because his career is far from being over.  

Tiger will eventually break Jack's record of 18 majors, it's simply a matter of time.