Tiger Woods not one of golf's top 50 players for first time in 15 years

Tiger Woods is no longer officially considered one of golf's top 50 players, ending a streak that extended back 15 years.

According to the official World Golf Ranking, the 35-year-old Woods entered the weekend as the sport's 50th best player. But he lost that standing when Louis Oosthuizen finished tied for fifth at this weekend's Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, earning him a place in the standings and ousting Woods.

The rankings are endorsed by Professional Golf Association tours in the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia and elsewhere, according to the World Golf Ranking website. An updated ranking comes out every Monday.

The last time Woods was not among the top 50 was on October 13, 1996. Since then, he won 14 major championships -- a distinction used for the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA championship -- and, for much of the next 778 weeks, ranked as the game's best player.

In recent years, Woods has been plagued by the fallout surrounding his infidelity and divorce from his wife as well as numerous injuries. His last tournament win was the Australian Masters in November 2009.

His next competition will be this week at the Frys.com Open in Corde Valley, California. Despite his recent slump, American team captain Fred Couples chose Woods as one of his wild card picks for next month's Presidents Cup in Australia.

Source http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/02/sport/golf/tiger-woods-ranking/