American Tiger Woods plays from the bunker on the 3rd hole during the Pro-Am at the Emirates Golf Club a day ahead of Dubai Desert Classic Golf Tournament Wednesday. (AP) DUBAI: The battle for world golf supremacy will be contested at the Dubai Desert Classic this week with the top three in the rankings – Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Tiger Woods – in the same group for the first two rounds. It is a rare sight to see the planet's leading trio playing together competitively and it will make for compelling viewing Thursday and Friday. Top draw Woods cannot regain his world No. 1 spot from Lee Westwood, who ended his 281-week long reign on Oct. 31, although a win could put him back above Kaymer into second spot. The young German prodigy, who won his first Major at the USPGA last August, harbors hopes of emulating Bernhard Langer as a German world No. 1 if he wins and Westwood finishes lower than second. Similarly if Kaymer is second alone and Westwood is outside the top 10, the German will take top spot. Early season form favors Kaymer, who moved ahead of Woods with his runaway win in Abu Dhabi last month. Westwood missed the cut, a rare flop for him, in Qatar last week while Woods opened his year modestly with a disappointing tie for 44th place at Torrey Pines in California. The American's last win came at the Australian Masters in November, 2009 shortly after which his life was thrown into turmoil by a sex scandal that wrecked his marriage and shattered his image. But both Westwood and Kaymer said they expected the old Woods to resurface at any moment. “He's the best player in the game,” said the German, who will play alongside Woods for the first time in Dubai. Westwood, who has yet to get back to full fitness after a calf muscle strain that dogged him last year, fully agreed. There will be plenty of opposition for the top trio to contemplate in Dubai which has attracted a world class field for the climax of the European PGA Tour's four-week detour to the Gulf. Last year's Desert Classic winner, Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez, who beat Westwood in a playoff on that occasion, and the player he succeeded, young Ulsterman Rory McIlroy, will be among the favorites. And close attention will be paid to Thomas Bjornh. The Dane enjoyed the best win of his career here in 2001 when he played all four rounds in the company of Woods, then at the top of his game, and came out on top. The Asian challenge will be spearheaded by Asian Tour number one Noh Seung-Yul of South Korea with Thai veteran Thongchai Jaidee and India's Jeev Milkha Singh good outside bets. – Agence France
