Golf:Tiger Woods plummeted depths he has not reached in 14 years when he dropped four spots to 12th in the latest world rankings.
The former world number one has not triumphed anywhere since the 2009 Australian Masters and has been steadily losing ranking points because of his recent struggles on and off the course.
Woods is sandwiched by fellow Americans Bubba Watson (11th) and Dustin Johnson (13th), the first time he has been out of the top 10 since he was 13th on April 6th, 1997.
Ever since his private life unravelled in sensational fashion at the end of 2009 and he tried to repair his crumbling marriage, Woods has been a shadow of the player he once was.
It has been almost three years since he clinched the last of his 14 major titles and the prospect of adding any more in the near future receded after he withdrew from this month's Players Championship because of a knee injury.
The 35-year-old has already had four surgeries on his troublesome left knee and his latest injury setback comes at an inconvenient time with the second major of the year, the US Open at Congressional, fast approaching.
Woods is a three-time winner of his national open and had initially planned to compete in the Quail Hollow Championship, the Players and then the June 2-5 Memorial tournament to complete his US Open build-up where Graeme McDowell will defend his title.
However, he was forced to pull out of Quail Hollow because of mild strains to his left knee and left Achilles' tendon and those same injuries led to his withdrawal from the Players the following week.
Woods is rapidly running out of time in his preparations for the June 16th-19th Major at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.
He has repeatedly said he would quit the game whenever he felt he was unable to compete at the highest level.
"For me it is very simple, it (the time to quit) is when my best isn't good enough any more," said Woods before he won his most recent major at the 2008 US Open in Torrey Pines.
"I could not live with myself going out and practising and preparing as hard as I do and knowing that if I go out and play my best someone is just going to beat me."
Meanwhile England’s Ian Poulter has moved from 22nd to 14th in the latest world rankings after his Volvo World Match Play Championship when he defeated compatriot Luke Donald in yesterday’s final in Spain.
McDowell and Rory McIlroy remain the highest-ranked Irish players in the standings at fifth and sixth respectively. Pádraig Harrington continues to slide down the rankings and is dangerously close to slipping out of the top 50 and is currently 48th.
Michael Hoey claimed his second European Tour title with a two shot victory at the Madeira Islands Open.
The 32 year old, whose previous win also came on Portuguese soil two years ago, fired a closing 71 to finish ten under par for the week at the Seve Ballesteros-designed Porto Santo Golfe.
The Northern Irishman started the day level with Jamie Elson, but used his experience to par the first seven holes before a first birdie of the day at the eighth.
Hoey finally dropped a shot at the 13th, but with Chris Gane closing in he kept his cool and a birdie at the next re-established his advantage.
“It was just very, very tough,” said Hoey who is 367th in the world. “I had to dig really deep, especially after I hit one in the rocks on 13, and I thought ‘that's it now, I've thrown this thing away completely’.
“It's a crazy game. But I somehow managed to make a good swing on the third shot, and holed the putt for bogey, which was huge, it kept me in it. Then I birdied the next, and just parred in after that. The main thing was my putting, I made virtually all the six to seven footers on the way in.
Latest World Rankings:1 Lee Westwood 8.08pts, 2 Luke Donald 8.02, 3 Martin Kaymer, 7.49, 4 Phil Mickelson 6.30, 5 Graeme McDowell 5.71, 6 Rory McIlroy 5.46, 7 Charl Schwartzel 5.16, 8 Steve Stricker 5.15, 9 Paul Casey 5.13, 10 Matt Kuchar 5.09 11 Bubba Watson 5.04, 12 Tiger Woods 5.03, 13 Dustin Johnson 4.98, 14 Ian Poulter 4.87, 15 Nick Watney 4.79, 16 KJ Choi 4.56, 17 Jim Furyk 4.39, 18 Hunter Mahan 4.18, 19 Francesco Molinari 4.14, 20 Ernie Els 4.08
Other leading Europeans:22 Robert Karlsson, 24 Martin Laird, 25 Alvaro Quiros, 26 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 29 Justin Rose, 31 Edoardo Molinari, 36 Matteo Manassero, 41 Anders Hansen, 48 Pádraig Harrington, 50 Peter Hanson, 52 Ross Fisher, 70 Thomas Bjorn, 73 Sergio Garcia, 76 Stephen Gallacher, 81 Nicolas Colsaerts, 84 David Horsey, 86 Darren Clarke, 88 Simon Dyson, 91 Gregory Bourdy, 93 Raphael Jacquelin, 95 Brian Davis, 97 Rhys Davies
