I don’t know if there ever was a sadder fall from grace in sports than Tiger Woods.

The former great is scheduled to play a tournament in the New York area this weekend and he would once have been the automatic hot favorite.

Not anymore.

One of the tabloids had a headline that said ‘Tiger’s now a pussycat, “ meaning his rivals no longer fear him.

The other headlines of course, were his wife’s interview with People magazine, due out Friday which will outline in pretty damning detail how her life was shattered because of his string of infidelities.

It is hard to feel too much sympathy .

A $100 million settlement for a few years of marriage for a former nanny will wipe away a lot of tears.

But nonetheless it is just the latest barrage of bad press that Woods has received since his now infamous car crash last Thanksgiving in Florida.

Elin is now apparently saying she would have stuck with Tiger if he had stayed and worked on their marriage together rather than rushing his comeback to play in the Masters tournament in April.

Of course the former mistresses are all saying they are available for Tiger now that his wife is off the radar.

Having paid one of them at least $8 million and probably a similar amount to one or two others Tiger is hardly likely to bite however.

These days he seems a very lonely figure, going from tournament to tournament, seeing his form slip even further behind.

There is talk he will not even be picked for the Ryder Cup squad this year because his form has been so poor.

Imagine anyone suggesting that even a year ago and they would have been shot down in no uncertain terms.

It is a long road back for the most famous athlete in the world, now 34, and one wonders if he will ever match the total of 18 majors that Jack Nicklaus amassed.

That seemed a foregone conclusion that he would just a few years ago but Nicklaus only won five major after age 35 while Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer won none.

Tiger already has a young contingent, led by Ireland’s Rory McIlroy snapping at his heels.

It will not get any easier and he certainly is not the golfer he was a few years back when his very name instilled fear into his rivals.

The game of golf is suffering too with with TV ratings crumbling since he has entered his slump period.

Yet he remains a strangely compelling story and in a country that relishes second chances there are millions still rooting for him.

Simply put at his best Tiger was the king of all sports. He may yet roar again.