CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, (Reuters) – Another  side of Tiger Woods was unveiled to the golfing world yesterday. And just like the last time, it was shocking to see.

The private life of the world’s richest sportsman had  already been laid bare by the sordid revelations of his  extra-marital affairs. Now his golf game is facing examination.

It is too early to say what, if any, effect his personal  troubles will have on his game but Woods ensured those  questions would be asked after a rare inept performance at the  Quail Hollow championship yesterday.

Woods missed the cut for only the sixth time in his  professional career after rounds of 74 and 79. That alone  should be no real cause for concern but it was the manner of  his early exit that was most alarming.

By his own incredible standards, this was a train crash the golfing world never expected to see. Woods looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders but insisted the distractions in his private life were not to blame.

“Does it test you? Yes, of course it does,” he told  reporters.

“Is that any excuse? No, because I’m out there and I have the same opportunity as everybody else here in this field to  shoot a good number, and I didn’t do that.”

Golf is a game that revolves around numbers and Wood’s  numbers were not impressive. At times, he looked like any  weekend hacker.

It was just the sixth time in 241 professional appearances  that he missed the cut. His second round of 79 was the second  worst of his pro career, two behind the 81 he shot at the 2002  British Open.

Woods took 43 shots to complete the back nine yesterday.  This did match his worst-ever record. For the first time in  nearly three years he made double bogeys on successive holes.

“It does bother me, no doubt,” he said.

“But at least I get the weekend to watch and see how it’s  done, how real players play golf.”

Woods was appearing in only his second tournament since  coming out of his self-imposed five-month exile. No-one really expected him to start winning tournaments straight away, but  even less thought he would implode as he did yesterday after  finishing fourth at the US Masters.

There were ominous signs after he shot 74 on the first day  and he struggled to get through his first nine holes yesterday  level with the card, spoiling three birdies with three bogeys.

What unfolded on the back nine was like watching a man  bleed on the course. Woods bogeyed the 10th, 11th and 12th  holes to suddenly drop back to five-over-par. He stopped the  rot with a par at the 13th before making a double-bogey at the  14th when he pitched over the green and into the water.

Worse was to come at the next hole when he four-putted for  another double bogey. He closed with three pars to avoid  shooting an embarrassing 80 but that failed to save him from  having to pack his bags and head back home.

“It is what it is,” he said. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t good enough.”