Paul Lewis: Finally a major attraction

There came a moment on the 12th hole at the Doral Open this week which possibly heralded the arrival of the next great era of golf. Tiger Woods looked at his second shot and at the pin on the par-five hole. It was some 300 yards away.

He took a wood from his New Zealand caddie Steve Williams. Woods wound up and hit one of those leave-nothing-in-the-tank, smack-the-living-bejesus-out-of-the-ball shots that lifts him off his feet. Some 290-plus yards later, the ball settled on the green. Woods sank the long putt for an eagle and turned a one-stroke deficit into a one-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson.

It wasn't the end of the tournament. The two champions jousted to the 18th when an attempted Mickelson chip-in, to force a playoff, just lipped the cup. Behind them, Vijay Singh, deposed by Woods as the No 1 golfer in the world with this victory, was lighting up the course in a charge which ultimately fell short but which had its own colour and skill.

Add to that another champion, Ernie Els, winning the Dubai Classic on the same day with a dramatic eagle three on the 18th hole to snatch the title from Miguel Angel Jimenez. As we get closer to the four majors in 2005, so these four golfers - Woods, Mickelson, Singh and Els - are showing signs that they will finally form what world golf has been looking for: a genuine rivalry among top players.

Why is this important? Because the greatest eras of golf have been marked by great rivalries. In the old days it was Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson. In the 60s it was Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino. In the 70s, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. There has been little such rivalry since. Greg Norman and Nick Faldo came closest with Norman's flash and colour contrasting with Faldo's emotionless, occasionally surly, grinding play.

And there is an extra spice in the rivalry with Woods. He and Mickelson, for example, are hardly bosom buddies. They just plain old don't like each other. Up until now, Woods' emergence as the best golfer in the world had a psychologically crushing effect on his rivals.

Yet last year Woods endured what many called a slump. He didn't win a major or a US PGA tournament and his swing changes, done to make sure he didn't injure his suspect knee and back and prolong his career, resulted in scores higher than anyone ever expected to see associated with Tiger Woods.

But he's back. The Doral proved once and for all that his swing changes have taken root and his mental strength has also returned.

Woods' 'slump' in 2004 did afford his rivals some opportunities. Mickelson won the Masters to lose, finally, the tag of best golfer never to have won a major. Singh won an astonishing nine victories and US$10 million during the year to take Woods' No 1 ranking off him for the first time in seven years.

Els, while biting down on the frustration of too many second places in the majors, also served notice that his talent is just waiting to bloom completely. All took Woods on at various tournaments and beat him.

Mickelson is a prime example. Previously, if he was paired with Woods, there'd be only one winner. But Mickelson has developed his own mental strength. When you see him joking with the crowd, watch out. It's his new way of dealing with the pressure and it's working.

In 1971, at the playoff for the US Open, the high-spirited Trevino created a huge laugh at one of the tensest moments in sport when he threw a rubber snake at Nicklaus. The Golden Bear went along with the gag but Trevino won the playoff.

It's hard to see anyone lobbing a rubber snake at Woods but, if this rivalry of the 2000s flowers, don't bet against it.