Tiger Woods: 10 Predictions for His Future in Golf

Tiger Woods is unquestionably the greatest player of his generation.  It seemed that he was a lock to become the greatest golfer ever.  Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 Major Championships appeared on the verge of falling  

Injuries and personal problems have derailed Woods over the last two seasons.  Some see this as a bad patch, while others believe his career has taken a permanent turn for the worse.  

Here are 10 predictions about the future of Tiger Woods.  

1: Limited Schedule

Tiger Woods has always played a fairly selective schedule.  Expect his appearances to be relatively few in the coming years.  This is probably the best strategy for given his injury problems.  

There are only so many competitive rounds of golf left in Woods' left knee.  Expect them to take place at high-profile events.

2: Another Swing Change

Tiger Woods has made major overhauls to his swing on three occasions in 12 years.  He has employed Butch Harmon, Hank Haney and currently works with Sean Foley.  

Don't expect him to stick with a particular method for too long.  After all, he changed his swing following the unprecedented "Tiger Slam."

He seeks to own his swing like Ben Hogan did.  That may be a ghost that he permanently chases.

3: Hires a Big-Name Caddy

Tiger Woods can get away with using Byron Bell as his caddie on many venues.  He tends to play courses that he knows well or likes.  

However, he still will hire a very reputable caddy.  He has never been one to go at it alone in his career.

He had the experienced Steve Williams on his bag for 13 majors, along with close relationships with swing coaches.  He wants someone who he believes can help in his corner.  

4: Remains the Biggest Name in Golf

Even if he plays poorly, Tiger Woods will remain the biggest name in golf for quite some time.  It will take a remarkable feat by a golfer in order to change this.  

Ben Hogan won his last major in 1953 and really was a part-time pro golfer after starting his club company.  Yet he remained the biggest name in the sport until the amazing 1960 season by Arnold Palmer.  

Tiger Woods has accomplished so much that it will take an numerous majors or a run at three or more in a row for another golfer to surpass him.  

Given that Woods is not old, it will take more than a Palmer-like season to displace him.  Rory McIlroy or another player will need to wait his turn.  

5: Remains the Biggest Economic Factor in Golf

Regardless of your opinion on Tiger Woods, it has to be conceded that he is a positive force for the economic side of golf.  Tournaments with him draw higher ratings, higher attendance figures and more revenue.  

No golfer will have the economic effect on a tournament that Woods does.  The argument over whether this is good for the game can be made until one is blue in the face.  From a financial perspective, he is great for the game.  It is silly to argue otherwise. 

6: Putting Will Hold Him Back

Even if his full swing recovers and he has a good mental state, Tiger Woods will not be the same.  

He has suffered a noticeable drop in his putting over the past two seasons.  In order to dominate golf, consistent solid putting is key.

It is not unheard of for golfers to lose the putting stroke in their 30s.  It happened to both Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.  It seems that once the putting stroke slips, it never really comes back.  

7: Won't Get Back to World No. 1

Tiger Woods will not recapture the top world ranking.  He had dropped all the way to 28th entering the Bridgestone Championship.  He has entered few events and has played inconsistent golf over the last two years.

Even with improvement, the No. 1 ranking will be hard to recapture.  Luke Donald rose to No. 1 with a few wins and numerous top 10s playing both the PGA and European Tours.  

This isn't to say Tiger Woods won't play well again.  He is likely at a disadvantage to busier golfers when it comes to the Official World Rankings.

8: Will Win Another Major

Tiger Woods will return to the winners circle and is not done winning Majors.  Augusta National is his friend when it comes to majors.  He has been a factor there despite playing poorly overall.  

As Jack Nicklaus showed in 1986, sometimes a glimpse what made you great can win the Green Jacket. 

He will win other tournaments, too.  It's almost inevitable for someone who's accomplished as much as him.

There is bound to be a week where he recaptures the old magic.  Even two rounds of it might be enough to get him over the hump a few times.

9: Won't Catch Nicklaus

Tiger Woods' dominance made many forget how difficult it is to win four majors.  Phil Mickelson has had a Hall of Fame career and only has four majors.  

Woods no longer stands out from the pack in terms of distance.  He does not putt anywhere close to the level he previously did.  

Finally, the new generation of players are not intimidated by him.  These three factors make a truly dominant run unlikely.

10: Third Best Ever

I do not believe Tiger Woods will get to 18 majors.  I see him finishing at 15 or 16.  If this the case, Jack Nicklaus will still be considered the greatest of all time.  Ben Hogan, not Tiger Woods, will be seen as the second greatest after some time.

Hogan only won nine majors.  However, World War II and a nearly fatal car accident cut off four years from his career.  Playing three majors was the standard back then; Hogan never played four in a season.  

He played the British Open once in his career and did not play the PGA Championship following the accident because of the 36-hole matches.

The other factor for Hogan is that he overcame the car accident to dominate golf.  In 1953, he won all three majors he entered.  He won six of nine majors that he entered from 1950-53 after missing all of 1949 recovering from injuries.  

Despite chronic circulation problems and swelling in his legs, he found a way to get back to, and even surpass, the level that he played at.

Tiger Woods has had a career that will likely not be matched for a very long time.  He could never pick up a golf club again, and his career would be a complete success.  However, the popular attitude, and his own, of 18 majors or bust is an unfair bar to set.

Ranking him third is not an insult to his career.  You could have a very strong argument to place him ahead of Hogan.  It can also be argued that he had a better peak than Nicklaus.  Being, at worst, the third best ever at a sport is a remarkable feat.