Tiger Woods drops outside world’s top 50 as Rory McIlroy streaks ahead

Tiger Woods has tumbled out of the world's top 50 for the first time in four years.

Golf's former number one player continued his miserable form by shooting his worst round as a professional, a second-round 82, as he missed the cut and finished dead last at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix last week. Now Woods' participation in the opening World Golf Championship event at Doral next month is in jeopardy after he fell to 56th in the world. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy's win at the Dubai Desert Classic cemented his hold on the top spot. The Irishman now holds a full four-point lead over Swede Henrik Stenson (11.66 to 7.61), and while we could go into the minutiae of what exactly that means, let's just say it's a lot. Brooks Koepka's victory in Phoenix lifted him to 19th, one spot above Graeme McDowell, while Shane Lowry remains comfortably inside the top 50 at 44th.