Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Tiger Woods reaches lowest-ever world ranking in his storied golf career

Originally posted on HITC | By Lee Connor | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Few things are tougher to watch in sport than a legend fighting against the inevitable, and that is exactly what we are seeing with Tiger Woods right now.

The 49-year-old has not played since picking up an achilles injury early this year, just as he was starting to get back into the TGL.

Now, after another round of back surgery, even more questions hang over whether we will see him return to the game.

It is obvious that everyone wants to see him return, but it has to be on his terms, when he is fully ready. Recently, though, every time he has returned, it has been clear he is a shadow of his former self.

The world rankings paint a stark picture, too. Once at the very top, Woods is now facing his lowest point yet.

Where Tiger Woods stands in the world rankings

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

It was always expected that Woods would fall down the Official World Golf Ranking over time.

He has not played regularly for years, so the lack of events was inevitably going to hurt his standing.

But now, in what feels like a significant moment in his career, Woods has slipped out of the top 2,000 golfers for the first time ever.

He is now ranked 2,084th in the world. Even though everyone understands why it has happened, seeing that number next to his name is still a shock.

Woods spent an incredible 683 weeks as world number one during his career. Dropping this far down can feel like a tough pill to swallow for fans who remember him at his peak.

Despite this, many still hope for his return, believing he could achieve another victory in the future.

Falling out of the World Rankings is not exclusive to Tiger Woods

With LIV Golf not offering any OWGR points, a number of their players have started to slide down the rankings as well.

Phil Mickelson is one example, now sitting at 1,073rd despite being a six-time major winner. Dustin Johnson has dropped to 645th, showing how quickly things can change outside the traditional tour structure.

Tiger, meanwhile, is still nowhere near returning. For now, there is no clear sign of when he might be back on course.

Fans will hope this is rock bottom for him and that surgery gives him a chance to rebuild over the next year. He has come back before – maybe he can do it again.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: