Tiger Woods: Road to the U.S. Open

Tiger Woods is back.

Well, Woods was back.

Now's he's out again.

After suffering minor ligament and tendon injuries at the Masters, the seventh-ranked golf pro said he would compete in the Players Championship, but we learned that Woods wasn't physically fit to play.

Last week, Woods played nine practice holes at TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, near Jacksonville, and said he felt good enough to play. Woods was seen limping, and it turns out he's not good to go, as we was six over par after the opening nine holes.

This really is only a minor setback as Woods gets to focus on the next tournament, improve his modified swing, and let his body heal.

Even if he was good enough to play at TPC at Sawgrass, was he good enough to win the tournament?

Critics continue to point out that Woods hasn't won a tournament since the Australian Masters in November 2009. Woods has always had high standards for personal success, so winning a tournament is high on his to-do list, especially considering his current drought.

He's also desperate to bounce back from his personal life imploding, an issue that still surrounds him.

Tying for fourth at the Masters in April was a good enough showing to strengthen the perception that Woods can still regain his past form.

There was a decent chance that Woods would have done well at the Players Championship.

The tournament takes place in his home state, he had plenty of time off with the injury, his Masters performance was impressive, and top-ranked Lee Westwood and rising star Rory McIlroy decided not to show up.

The two questions that would Woods would have had to answer when this tournament was over, was how dealt with the rust from having a layoff of more than a month, and whether the injury still bothered him.

But this wasn't the major test for Woods, even though the tournament was important.

The U.S. Open is nearly a month a way, and Woods still wants to prove he's in the hunt to catch Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors. Woods is currently at 14, and many doubt he can win four more.

Paul Azinger recently called out Woods for not being the same player he once was. Questions continue to swirl about his swing, as well.

For many critics, when he wins another major, then Woods can really say he's back.