By all accounts Tiger Woods had a very good year. He won three events: the Arnold Palmer, the Memorial and the AT&T National.
He won them all on very good golf courses against strong fields. His disappointments came in the majors.
Tiger informed everyone of his career goal a long time ago. He declared that he intends to break Jack Nicklaus’ major victory record of 14 major titles before he retires.
When he was winning two or three majors per year back in the early 2000’s it appeared that Woods was a lock to win 20 or more majors. Twelve years later it doesn’t look so easy.
Life has a way of getting in the way. Personal problems, swing changes and injuries have derailed his plans and he has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
Woods was never a factor in the 2012 Masters finishing T-40 and throwing a temper tantrum on the 16th tee on Friday. His frustration was clear for all to see.
He led after 36 holes in the U.S. Open at Olympic Club in June, but played poorly on the weekend and finished a distant T-21.
Tiger played solid for 71 holes at the Open Championship at Royal Lytham in July. A triple-bogey seven on the par-4 No. 16 in the last round ended his chances of capturing the Claret Jug.
At Kiawah Island in the PGA Championship he again was in position but failed to break par on the weekend and finished T-11.
Woods was very un-Tigerlike in 2012, failing to break par on the weekend in a major.
Tiger will turn 37 in a couple of days and the clock is ticking. His game showed signs of returning to its former stature last year.
The problem is a new foe that has emerged from the pack of young players to challenge Tiger. Rory McIlroy has won two majors in the last two years and seems to be just reaching his potential.
Players like Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, and Justin Rose are starving for a major win and are tough competitors.
Tiger also has a problem with a bad leg. It has been surgically repaired several times and some have said that he has the knee of a 65-year-old man. Golf courses are hard to walk and the golf swing puts a tremendous strain on a player’s legs.
Tiger needs four more majors to tie Nicklaus and five to surpass him.
Not winning a major in 2012 was a major disappointment for Woods.