Tiger Woods: Drop From Golf's Top 50 Confirms Tiger's Fall From Grace

The latest edition of the Official World Golf Ranking was released on Monday and, for the first time in nearly 15 years, Tiger Woods is not listed among the Top 50 golfers in the world.

In the immediate term, the 35-year-old Woods can blame Louis Oosthuizen, who strongly finished tied for fifth at the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland this past weekend, for his ouster.

In reality, though, this milestone of morbidity is just the most recent in a long line of "lowlights" that have come to mark and muck up what was and still may be the most remarkable career in the history of golf.

A career marred by vanity and hubris at seemingly every step. Injuries and infidelity have rendered Woods merely a shadow of his former self, both on and off the golf course, something that the rankings are just now beginning to reflect.

He hasn't won a tournament since the Australian Masters in November of 2009. He hasn't won a Major Championship since the 2008 US Open, when he defeated Rocco Mediate in an 18-hole playoff while hobbling around on one good leg. Furthermore, he hasn't held the top stop in the rankings since October of 2010.

If it weren't for his name and all the gravitas that comes with it, Woods would have (and probably should have) been off the list much sooner. He finished the 2011 PGA Tour season at 53rd in scoring average (116th in "actual" scoring average), 58th in driving distance, 184th in driving accuracy, 185th in total driving and, most importantly, 118th in earnings.

But forget about the numbers for a moment and, instead, take a look at the tape. Do that and you'll understand why Tiger's no longer considered one of the top 50 golfers in the world.

Look at his swing if you want. Check out his putting, perhaps; even the frequency with which he now ends up in difficult situations and the struggles he has getting himself out of them.

Heck, you could ignore footage of him actually engaging in the game of golf and still have a clear picture of Woods as an athlete unworthy of distinction in his own sport. 

If you really want to know what's ailing Tiger, tune in to the Frys.com Open this week and pay close attention to his body language, his facial expressions, how he reacts to every stroke of his club.

And what you'll see is a man devoid of confidence of any sort and self-assurance on the golf course. What you'll see is a golfer who looks anything like a man with 97 professional wins, 14 Major Championships and well over $90 million in career earnings to his name.

What you'll see is a middle-aged, once-divorced father formerly known formally as Eldrick, who'd be lucky to crack to the Top 500, much less the Top 50, if it weren't for the fiercest of nicknames and, more importantly, a resume of rousing victories that now reads like a near-ancient relic of golf's recent past.

You don't need the Official World Golf Ranking to tell you that.

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