THERE was a time when Ernie Els seemed so intimidated by Tiger Woods that he did not know what he could do to beat him, let alone depose him as the world No 1. And who could blame him? With eight major championships to his name by the age of 28, the American was playing a game with which nobody was familiar.

But when Vijay Singh knocked him off the top spot last September, Woods’s air of invincibility was finally burst. He had been at No 1 for a record 334 consecutive weeks, yet after remodelling his swing went through the whole of 2004 without victory in a strokeplay event on the US Tour.

Now, though, he is back where he feels he belongs. With two victories already in 2005, Woods has rediscovered his touch and his confidence and, two weeks ago, moved back to world No 1, with Singh in second place and Els third. The gap, however, is so minuscule that any one of the three could find themselves at the top of the rankings with victory at this week’s Bay Hill Classic, which starts in Orlando today.

Woods, who won the event four years in succession from 2000, will take some stopping. The course suits his game and he is seemingly timing to perfection his run towards next week’s Players Championship at Sawgrass and the Masters in three weeks’ time.

Els has also found a rich vein of form. He won the Dubai Desert Classic with an eagle at the last hole and followed up with victory in the Qatar Masters on Sunday. Not wishing to waste a heaven-sent opportunity, the organisers here have put Els and Woods alongside each other for the first two rounds. Retief Goosen, the world No 5, is also in the field. It will be interesting to see who blinks first.

From the European perspective, there should be strong challenges from Sergio García, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.