Westwood's ascent to No. 1 signals excitment to come

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Lee Westwood (left) played with Tiger Woods in the second round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

It just didn't feel quite right. There was no sprint, no run of world-rattling shots, no amazing win streak. As a matter of fact, there were no wins period.

Nothing against Lee Westwood, mind you. He deserves the No. 1 ranking in the world. The computer said so. But that doesn't mean it doesn't feel a little flat.

We don't want to hear he was sitting at home when the official word came down. We wanted to see him standing on an 18th green taking a bow. And not just at the Ryder Cup.

Yes, we wanted a Tiger Woods flourish to this change at the top. Fist fives. Triple-pump swooshes. Someone stepping up to take what we once thought would belong to Woods in perpetuity.

The new No. 1

Name Rank Last week Lee Westwood 1 2 Tiger Woods 2 1 Martin Kaymer 3 3 Phil Mickelson 4 4 Steve Stricker 5 5

Complete rankings, click here.

But for how long?

With a strong showing this week in the HSBC Champions, Tiger Woods' can easily regain the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Backspin

Instead, we had ascension by attrition. Westwood was sidelined by injuries and didn't play. Phil Mickelson, struggling with Amy's breast cancer battle and his own psoriatic arthritis, simply didn't play well enough -- despite 12 chances to unseat Woods.

Martin Kaymer gave us the wins and the flourish, but had too far to come. Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk had spurts, not consistency. And Tiger, by his own admission, triggered the staggering shift with his own foibles.

And now? Welcome to a real race. One that just might give us a few fireworks.

This week, the Big Four -- Westwood, Woods, Kaymer and Mickelson -- tee it up in Shanghai at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and any one of them could end the week at No. 1. They're tightly packed at the top -- a half point separating No. 1 from No. 4 -- and commemorated the moment atop a skyscraper with a group Tai Chi lesson, complete with Chinese swords.

And that's just a start. Stricker and Furyk -- Nos. 5 and 6, respectively -- passed on this trip, but our eyes are on those who didn't.

Graeme McDowell, fresh off his third win of the year, has moved to No. 10 in the world and one of the year's biggest surprises shows no sign of slowing down. Rory McIlroy is everyone's choice to get to the top of the list -- some think sooner rather than later. Paul Casey and Luke Donald have a Westwood feel to them -- tournament top-10s equal longevity in that rankings top-10 inner circle, too.

And just outside the top 10? Former No. 1 Ernie Els is sneaking back up the list.

Suddenly many of the elite playing these next few weeks -- everywhere from Australia to Singapore to Dubai and California -- have a shot to get to the top eventually. It's been a while -- a long while -- since that many players felt they were actually in the mix to fight their way to No. 1 rather than just No. 2.

Fun for us. A challenge for them. Especially for Tiger, whose game has been showing signs of . . . well, you know. So do they. Now that the divorce is final, they're expecting him to come back as strong as ever.

So what does all this mean? Interesting times.

FedExCup champ Furyk is the leader in the clubhouse for PGA TOUR Player of the Year honors. Kaymer has the inside track in the Race to Dubai. Westwood is the world No. 1. Tiger is still the guy on everyone's mind.

Westwood thinks it could mean exciting times for the game. A real on-any-given week kind of thing. Of course that could mean moving up -- or down -- in the rankings.

We think it could bring out the best. In the best.

Now that there is no huge gap at the top, the race has the feel of the final round of a major. You know. Anyone within seven shots has a chance. But that also means closing the deal.

Top-10s are always good, but Tiger built that huge buffer by winning. The same way Vijay Singh got to No. 1 three times -- nine wins in 2004; 17 wins total from 2003-2005.

Following Westwood's line of thinking, all this could mean more wins by a select few. Or simply more major wins by that deep pool of talent out there. McDowell and Kaymer were barely on our radar at the start of the year, because we were focused on McIlroy and Rickie Fowler. More starts could have an impact, too. You know players like Kaymer and Westwood will play more than Woods and Mickelson.

Still others see it as a changing of the guard with Woods and Mickelson stepping to the rear and the kids -- don't forget Dustin Johnson, Anthony Kim and the Molinari brothers here, too -- stepping up.

Give it time. See what happens in the next few weeks. Westwood is coming off an injury, Tiger is coming back, McDowell and Kaymer aren't slowing down. Mickelson, Fowler and McIlroy, to name a few, have things to prove.

We could see several changes at the top between now and the first of the year, let alone the first major of 2011. Augusta National is where the real fun will begin, too. Mickelson defending. Tiger looking for his fifth Green Jacket and 15th major; Kaymer and McDowell looking for their second. Westwood, Casey, Donald and McIlroy -- again to name a few -- looking for their first.

By then, Tiger could be back at No. 1. It wouldn't be a surprise.

"He's proved that time and time again when he's gone away and comes back," Westwood said.

Tiger's taking all this in stride. He's dealt with a lot more this year than what Jack Nicklaus sees as just a number.

"As far as the emotions go, it is what it is," Woods said. "To become No. 1 you have to win and win a lot to maintain it. That's the way it goes."

He'll be in the mix this week. Count on it. Count on the other three too.

There might be a new No. 1 on Sunday night or there might not. We just know we'd love to see the next player to grab the spot -- or the one who stays there -- do it with a flourish and a win.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM and can be reached at melaniehauser@gmail.com. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.