Nearly 16 months removed from his last win on the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods again failed to overcome the pressure and was knocked out in the first round of the Match Play Championship by Thomas Bjorn. A 3-time winner of the event Woods drained a clutch birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Bjorn only to send his following drive into the Arizona desert out of bounds all but assuring Bjorn of victory.
Ever since returning to the PGA at the Masters last April Tiger has struggled to regain his once dominant form. Tiger has dropped the number 1 ranking he had a strangle-hold on for the past decade last year and is making a habit of falling short during his comeback campaign. Woods has shown more and more flashes of his former self in 2011, turning in a number of good rounds. However while he has put himself in position for a win he has continued to crack under the pressure and has wasted more of his good rounds with tight, anxious ones that have cost him dearly.
It is clear to me that Tiger's struggles are all cerebral as his play has oscillated between great and putrid during the last 10 months and it remains to be seen when or even if he can recover his old form. I think we will get a much better idea of where Tiger's career in going from his performance in Major championships this year. He always plays his best in Majors and if he can pull out a win in one this year he may be able to restore himself to his familiar position at the top of the PGA food-chain.
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