The Greatest Fear of Tiger Woods

"My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf."

"...but I won’t be there unless my game is tournament-ready."

These seem like a simple and logical statements and there's no way to argue that it has been untrue for the last few events Woods has played in.

The obvious fallacy is that anyone's game can become tournament ready without actually playing in a tournament.

Beyond that I think lies Woods' greatest fear, the fear of not being the Tiger Woods of old. The odd thing is that the very same fear could also be a part of what keeps him from winning again on tour, let alone getting to 18+.

In the mid to late 1970s Jack Nicklaus seemingly didn't have a fear of not being the Jack Nicklaus of the 60s and early 70s. That lack of fear allowed him to stick around the tour as something like a mere mortal. 

In the end, though, being willing to be a mere mortal paid off with him winning his last four majors between 1978-1986. Nicklaus had no tour wins in 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1985. Still, he stuck it out with game that probably didn't at all remind him of his conception of the real jack Nicklaus.

Woods appears to lack the willingness to hang around as another kind of player, even if it would mean having the chance to bag a few more wins, major or otherwise.