Tiger Woods’ 2015 campaign has gotten off to a bad start.
After failing to make the cut Friday at the Phoenix Open, the 14-time major winner will drop out of the top 50 world golf rankings on Sunday, the Associated Press reported. It’s Woods’ first absence from the top 50 in more than three years and it puts him in danger of being ineligible for the World Golf Championship.
Woods shot his worst round ever as a professional at the Phoenix Open on Friday, finishing with an 82. Woods entered the tournament ranked No. 47.
Woods played in only seven tournaments in 2014 because of ongoing problems with his back. He underwent surgery in March 2014 to repair a pinched nerve in his back that forced him to miss the Masters. He made his return at the Quicken Loans National in June, but struggled the rest of the season.
He withdrew during the Bridgestone Invitational in August and did not make the cut at the PGA Championship.
The last time Woods was out of the top 50 was on Nov. 27, 2011.
Woods, 39, is scheduled to play at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla next week before competing in the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Feb. 26. He must be ranked in the top 50 after the Honda Classic to play in the World Golf Championship in Miami on March 5.
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