Advertisement

Woods drops out of world's top 100

Jan 30, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Tiger Woods hits his drive on the 17th hole during the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic via USA TODAY Sports -

(Reuters) - Tiger Woods has dropped outside the top 100 in the world golf rankings for the first time since 1996. The 39-year-old former world number one and 14-times major champion, who has not played since pulling out of the Farmer's Open in early February due to back problems, has slipped to 104th in the rankings. The American first topped the list in 1997 and has spent 683 weeks as world number one, more than twice as long as any other player. Woods's last major title was the 2008 U.S. Open but he won five PGA Tour events in 2013 and topped the rankings in May 2014 before suffering injury problems and a loss of form. He shot a round of 82 at the Phoenix Open in January, the worst of his professional career. Woods hopes to return to play in next week's U.S. Masters, the first major of the year. (Reporting by Ed Osmond, editing by Ken Ferris)