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THIS WAS SUPPOSED to be the year Tiger Woods broke his drought in majors.

The reason is simple: Tiger has a documented history of success at all four courses that are hosting 2014 majors.

Here are the courses, with Tiger’s best finishes in majors there:

• Augusta National (Masters): won in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005
• Pinehurst (U.S. Open): finished second in 2005
• Royal Liverpool (Open Championship): won in 2006
• Valhalla (PGA Championship): won in 2000

Six of Tiger’s 14 majors came at courses that are hosting major championships in 2014.

If you believe in “horses for courses” in golf, then this selection of venues should have given Tiger a golden opportunity to win his 15th major in 2014.

In a statement announcing that he’d miss the Masters due to back surgery, Tiger vowed to return to competitive golf this summer. Most people in the golf world think that’s unrealistic.

Graham DeLaet, another golfer, said it took him a full year to recover from the same surgery Tiger had.

Back injuries are serious business. Tiger couldn’t even attend the Masters champions dinner because he’s still immobilized from the surgery. For him to even participate in a major this year, he’d have to recover in less than half the time it took DeLaet.

At age 38, Tiger is running out of plausible opportunities to win enough majors to pass Jack Nicklaus. He might not get another group of courses as ripe for the picking as he got 2014.

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