Tiger Woods hosts Hero World Challenge as the world’s 400th-ranked golfer

A show of hands from those who watched Tiger Woods flailing about with his short game a year ago at his Hero World Challenge, and predicted that the guy who owned the No. 1 spot for a record 683 weeks would plummet out of the top 400 in the world rankings by this time in 2015.

Sure, there was his first-ever 54-hole missed cut at Torrey Pines that he blamed on misfiring glutes to start this year, but he had just finished in a tie for second at his own tourney not two months earlier.

Then, of course, came the Honda Classic withdrawal, back surgery after Doral, a MC at the Quicken Loans National, another WD from Firestone and that sad performance at the PGA before he slammed the trunk on his 2014 season, after failing to make it to another weekend on tour.

Still, though, most Woods watchers (except, perhaps, Brandel Chamblee, who called “chipping yips” before just about anyone else had the chutzpah to suggest such a thing) likely believed Tiger would work his way way out of wedge hell.

And yet here we are, two days ahead of kickoff for the World Challenge Bahamas debut, in which top-ranked Jordan Spieth will try to defend his title against an elite limited field that includes four other top-10 players. And the injury-plagued tourney host is relegated to schmoozing and glad-handing duties.

“Woods is expected to attend and host the Hero World Challenge, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, but won’t be able to play,” read a sentence from his online statement announcing his third back operation since March 2014.

While there remains no timetable for Woods’ return to competition -- or certainty that he will come back -- at least one thing is for sure: by next Monday, the golfer, who sat atop the world for a record 281 consecutive weeks (from June 2005 through October 2010), will have plunged out of the top 400 in the world rankings.

Happy almost birthday, Tiger.

SB Nation video archives: Urban golfing with a U.S. Open champ (2012)