Top-20 American players to watch out for in 2012: Part-8
He also claimed that he was manhandled and shoved around by the spectators who have thronged the course during the event. Watson went to the extent of saying that he will never play on the European Tour again, a comment which received wide criticism.
Tiger Woods
Official World Golf Rankings: 23
FedExCup Rankings: 132
PGA Tour wins in 2011: 0
One of the greatest ambassadors of the sport, Tiger Woods is finally eyeing a comeback after struggling for the past two years.
The 35-year-old former number one had not won a title for more than two years after his successful bid in 2009 Australian Open and recently surged to stardom yet again at the Chevron World Challenge on PGA.
Woods has been lurking in shadows after the infamous extramarital scandals that broke the headlines some two years ago. He lost several of his lucrative sponsorship deals as well as many of the well wishers and fans, and slid into severe form vows.
He completely lost his once-brilliant swing and later decided to hire swing Guru Sean Foley’s help in this regard.
Woods started off the current year with a hope to regain his lost form. He played well in the opening rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open but fell in for over-par rounds of 74-75 to finish down the leaderboard.
Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, formerly known as his favourite hunting ground, brought little change in his dilapidating form. His Dubai Desert Classic bid in Dubai pulled in yet another controversy for the already battered Woods.
He ended up with a 75 on Sunday and as if that was not enough he spurred a whole new controversy when he spat on the course. He was later fined by the European Tour for violating the European Tour Code of Conduct and the media played havoc with his misdemeanour.
By this time Woods had dropped to number five on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and was desperately hoping to end his winless streak.
He appeared in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona, where only the top-64 in the world can qualify for the knock-out format.
He played well in the opening rounds but lost his match in the fourth round to Thomas Bjorn. He next appeared in the WGC Cadillac Championship posting first strong finish after a whole year.
He pulled in a final round score of 66, his highest since the 2010 US Open, finishing for a joint tenth.
Next stop for the former number one was none other than the coveted Masters where he has won for a staggering four times. He played well posting rounds of 71–66–74–67 at the scenic Augusta National, finishing for a joint fourth, four shots behind the winner South African Charl Schwartzel.
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