In defense of Tiger, 2009

Undeniably, 2009 will have been a year that falls short of Tiger Woods' own expectations, given that major championships are his measure of success, and in that regard he was 0 for 4.

That said, how does Woods' season measure up otherwise? Consider this: In 14 starts, Woods has finished in the top 10 in 12 of them, an .857 average, the highest of his career, excluding 2008, when he played only six events. This coming off major reconstructive knee surgery, too.

Even in 2000, the gold standard of his career, a year in which he won nine of 20 tournaments, including three major championships, Woods' top-10 average was .850 (17 of 20).

-- John Strege