The fall from grace of Tiger Woods has been one of the most dramatic ever seen in the world of sports.

Once the most decorated athlete on the planet, Woods has gone from one disaster to the next, from scandals away from the golf course to a catalogue of injuries that has prevented him from doing what he does best. 

After another week where he has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons courtesy of a charge of driving under the influence, comes the news that he slipped to his lowest golf ranking of his career.

This week Golfdigest reported that the 41-year old had slipped to 899 in the world, which is one place worse than his ranking before the Hero World Challenge last year.

Despite finishing third last in that tournament he rose 250 places in the next golf rankings due to the fact that he actually finished the tournament.

Unfortunately for Woods, there will be no rapid rise this time as he has recently undergone his fourth operation on his back.

The sad decline of Woods has led to significant discussion whether we will see the 14-time major winner walk the fairways of golf course across the world for much longer.

Even if he manages to get his health back and life in order, It is almost certain we have seen the last of Woods as a consistent competitive force.

Woods won the last of his majors (US Open) in 2008 and in his last 28 major appearances he has been placed in the top five on only six occasions, with the last time being at The Open Championship in 2012.

Woods has little to prove in the game of golf other than a bit of self-pride.

Undoubtedly, the competitive juices in him are still flowing as that is a sign of a great athlete.

However, you sense his greatest achievement would be to get his health and in some ways his reputation back as an individual.

Currently, any mention of Woods does not relate to his exploits as a sportsman, but his mistakes that he has made away from the course and sadly he has become a bit of a laughing stock.

His playing days may be coming to a gradual end, but he still has plenty to offer the game of golf in a variety of ways.

Let's hope we see that trademark smile of Woods on a regular basis.