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Singapore - Tiger Woods has lost the aura of invincibility that helped him dominate his rivals, emboldening an emerging crop of young players to shine, former world number one Nick Faldo said on Thursday.
Woods is still capable of winning tournaments but faces an uphill battle to regain his once unassailable dominance of the greens, Faldo told reporters in Singapore.
"These youngsters have now gotten very comfortable that Tiger is not around... they now concentrate totally on their own game," he said on the sidelines of the Asian Amateur Championship (AAC).
"In the past, Tiger had such an aura, had such a presence that (rivals) used some energy consciously or sub-consciously thinking about him or seeing his name on the leader board," Faldo said.
"Now, they're doing their own thing... Tiger has not got the aura that he had before."
Woods, a 14-time major champion, has failed to win an event since the now infamous sex scandal erupted around him in November 2009, and Faldo rated his chances of recovering his best form at no better than "50 percent".
"To win and win a major and comeback and dominate again -- you can't say it's impossible, but it's an uphill battle," he said.
"He's fighting a lot of things," the six-time major winner said, citing Woods' knee injury, his golf swing as well as punctured confidence.
"His concentration is broken."
Woods has fallen to 50th in the rankings and 115th on the PGA Tour money list with $629 863 from eight events ahead of next week's Frys.com Open.
Woods, who has hired Joe LaCava as his new bagman, is hoping to show some form during the PGA Fall Finish as he returns from a two-month layoff.
"I'm looking forward to playing next week at the Frys," Woods told reporters in Las Vegas on Tuesday. "Things are definitely shaping up quickly."
