Tiger Woods Must Pick Up Victory Soon in Order to Save Floundering Career

It has been two long years since former world No. 1 and golf icon Tiger Woods last won a tournament. Since then, he has dealt with a myriad of injuries and personal problems, and simply hasn't been the dominant player everyone had grown accustomed to seeing.

As we close in on the two-year anniversary of the car crash that sparked a whirlwind of controversy, including news of Woods' unfaithfulness to ex-wife Elin Nordegren, Woods insists he is finally back to where he wants to be as a player.

Not only has Woods taken a beating from a public relations standpoint over the past couple years, but injuries have truly mounted, including a recurring knee injury, which is something that can be extremely debilitating to a golfer's swing.

Woods says that he is now healthy and playing better than he has in quite some time, and while it may all be lip service or a means of making himself feel better about his struggles, I'm inclined to believe that he thinks he's back.

Say what you will about Woods as a person or about the way he has played recently, but he is arguably the greatest golfer of all time.

At 35-years-old, he should still have plenty of gas left in the tank. At this point, I think he has to clear mental obstacles more than anything.

Woods is set to play in the Australian Open next week, and he could certainly silence his critics with a win. A more realistic expectation, however, may be a top-10 finish so that he can prove to the public, and more importantly himself, that he can still get the job done.

Ultimately, he needs to pick up a win before he begins to get taken seriously again. He is still a draw because of his name, and he always will be. But in just two years time, Woods has gone from a player people expect to win every tournament to a player everyone expects to fall flat.

For that to change, Woods will have to show flashes of his former self, and that means he has to win a tournament. No matter how prestigious or insignificant the tournament is, he needs to win one.

Not only would a win get people excited about Woods and the sport of golf again as a whole, but you would have to think that Woods would symbolically be clearing a major hurdle. I believe Woods still has it in him, but to convince the public at large, he needs a win and he needs it soon.