Tiger Woods: Is Woods Really No Longer One of World's Top 10 Golfers?

Tiger Woods Slips From World Golf Rankings Top 10, But Is He Really Not a Top 10 Golfer Anymore? 

Tiger Woods has had a rough couple of weeks. First, he bombed through nine holes of The Players Championship, shooting six-over, and withdrew with nagging knee and ankle injuries. Then, after this weekend's tournament, Woods saw his place in the World Golf Rankings slip to 12th, the lowest it's been since before he won the 1997 Masters. 

But, is Woods really no longer a top 10 golfer? Are there really 11 players in the world who are better than he is? 

If you believe that, you're kidding yourself. 

Look, I realize Tiger's in a rut right now, and that with his light tournament schedule, it was just a matter of time before he crashed out of the top 10. But to insinuate that, when he's healthy, he's not one of the top 10 golfers in the world is both ridiculous and flat-out wrong. 

For proof, one need look no further than the Masters back in April. With a swing that looked better than ever, and a fully healthy body (at least until Sunday), Woods roared back from a significant deficit on Sunday and showed everyone why he remains one of the best golfers in the world. 

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Tiger still has more teeth than people are giving him credit for. He's capable of making shots and doing things few others can do, and showed us at Augusta that he's still the golfer we all remember. 

We all know the rankings aren't always the most accurate measure of a golfer's place in the world's best, and in Woods' case right now, that is certainly the case. Tiger has his roar back (even if he's still fighting his left knee and ankle), and once he's fully healthy, you can expect him to remind us why he was the most dominant golfer of our generation. 

In terms of talent, it's hard to argue any of the 11 golfers above Woods are his superior. All of them have holes in their games, and none inspire much confidence. While Tiger hasn't exactly done much to slow his slide, once he's healthy, he's fully capable of climbing back into the top 10. 

The rankings are based off of recent results, though, and Tiger's haven't been good. He deserved to fall, but you can expect him back among golf's elite once he's healthy again, and playing the way he showed us he could at Augusta in April. 

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