You may have read about Golf Digest ending its 13-year relationship with golf superstar Tiger Woods earlier this week. Woods had spent years as the "exclusive playing editor" for the company, who decided that it was time to move in a different direction. The relationship began in 1997, when Woods was just a newcomer to the PGA Tour. This month will be the last column Woods will contribute, which offers golf tips to its 1.65 million readers.

Just add Gillette, Gatorade, AT&T and Accenture to the list of companies that have run from Tiger like the plague since his car crash and sex scandal that began in November 2009.

Another area of Woods' life that has been infected by his personal problems is his golf game. The PGA Season is starting this week with the Maui event known as the Tournament of Champions. Woods almost never plays in this event, where he hasn't appeared since 2005. The interesting thing about this year is that Tiger wouldn't be allowed to play even if he wanted to, since the tournament is only open to those who won an event the previous year.

Tiger's opponents have smelled the juicy blood in the water as it pertains to Woods' downfall. He is no longer the number one player in the world, and other players are starting to rack up wins of their own. The New York Times quoted another golfer, Dustin Johnson, as politely stating that Woods is "one of the best players in the world." The author at the Times was correct to note that Johnson used the words "one of the best" rather than 'the best," which people have been using to describe Tiger since the start of his career.

There was a time when it seemed inevitable that Tiger would rise back to the top of his game and conquer the world once again. Now, it seems that the young, idealistic superstar has become an old guy with serious problems and a life that is more important than golf. Woods' transition to the complexities of adulthood can be considered by some to be healthier than a one-dimensional focus on winning at all costs. However, there is the disturbing fact that Tiger may have racked up a few distracting vices on his way to stardom. Once the innocence of youth is gone, it's hard to get back, so I don't ever expect to see the old Tiger Woods on the golf course again.

Tiger may find his way to a few more wins and perhaps more major championships. He may still have a great shot at breaking the "untouchable" record of 18 majors, set by Jack Nicklaus. I actually expect that Woods is going to break Nicklaus' record, but he could have broken it by now had he waited to get married and kept his personal life under control. But then again, Tiger may have simply gotten tired of doing what it takes to be the best golfer in the history of the world, which requires an unimaginable amount of hard work. Another possibility is that we've seen the best of Tiger Woods and this scandal represents the end of one of the greatest eras in sport. I enjoyed the ride immensely, but it ended far too soon for comfort. Perhaps Tiger will regain some of his swag this year.



Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.