Tiger Woods to drop out of golf's top 10 for first time in 14 years
The last time Tiger Woods was not in the top 10 of the world golf rankings was April 6, 1997. The next time he'll be out of the top 10 will be next week.
Woods has not won a tournament in 18 months, meaning more points will be coming off his two-year ledger this week. As a result, the highest he can be ranked next week is No. 11.
That's a streak of 14-plus years coming to an end. Woods ascended into the top 10 the week after winning the Masters in 1997, the first of his 14 major championships.
His five-year reign atop the rankings ended late last year. He started this season at No. 2 and has been dropping ever since.
Last week, Woods withdrew from the Players Championship, after shooting a six-over-par 42 on the front nine of his opening round, because of a lingering knee injury. It was his first attempt to play after his fourth-place tie at the Masters.
His status for next month's U.S. Open remains unknown.
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-- Chuck Schilken
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Photo: Tiger Woods. Credit: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images
