Woods' barren spell continues

Tiger Woods has made a career out of setting records, but the two new ones he flew home from Dubai with last night are a real sign of the times.

For the first time in his professional career Woods has now gone 17 tournaments without a win – and his closing 75 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic was his worst-ever round in a regular European Tour event.

Only one shot off the lead when he teed off, the former world number one’s 15-month barren spell continued as he he slumped to joint 20th place.

Only once since he left the amateur ranks in 1996 has Woods finished lower than that on the European circuit outside majors and world championships.

He finished with a double-bogey seven after pitching into a lake, but it was dropping shots at the second and third holes which really hit his title hopes hard.

“It was a very frustrating day,” he told reporters afterwards. “I got off to such a poor start and just couldn’t make it up from there.

“When the wind blows, I have to shape shots and hit shots differently and that’s the thing about making changes. It will come around – I just need more work and more practice.”

Expected to play next at the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona starting on Wednesday week, he also left the Middle East with television commentator Ewen Murray disgusted by one of his habits – spitting.

After missing a par putt on the 12th the American spat just a few feet from the hole and Murray said: “You look at his work ethics and he is a credit to the game and an inspiration to all of those who are trying to become professional golfers.

“But there are some parts of him that are just arrogant and petulant. Somebody now has to come behind him and maybe putt over his spit. It does not get much lower than that.”

Murray, who expects Woods to be fined by the European Tour for what he did, had also called his spitting on a tee during the second round “one of the ugliest things you will ever see on a golf course”.