Kaymer wary of Woods as 'terrific' Mickelson eyes Shanghai defence
Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods have dominated the headlines in previous days, with Westwood ending Woods' 281 week reign as the world No. 1. But at this week's WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai, those two are hardly the only threats.
Like Westwood and Woods, both Martin Kaymer and Phil Mickelson are capable of taking the world No. 1 slot with a decent performance at Sheshan International. Kaymer has already won four times this year on the European Tour, and assuming last week's disappointment in Spain was a blip, he can certainly be a factor in China. So who does the 25-year-old German see as the main threat this week?
"I think in everybody's head, Tiger is still the best player in the world," Kaymer said at a press conference earlier today.
"Of course, he's not playing so good at the moment but he has some reasons for that, obviously. But everybody hopes he will come back to the way he was before."
Not that Kaymer meant Westwood any disservice. "I think Lee has played fantastic for the last 12-18 months," this year's PGA Championship winner commented.
"He played fantastic golf and even though he didn't play the last couple of weeks, he still deserves to be number one in the world."
So where does Phil Mickelson stand on that point? The one-time, long-time No. 2, currently ranked No. 4 in the world, has long been expected to succeed Tiger Woods as the world No. 1. But in a year when the 40-year-old learned he was suffering from a form of arthritis, the man nick-named Lefty has had a tough year on and off the fairways, despite a memorable win at the Masters in April.
Mickelson nonetheless accepts that Westwood is a worthy No. 1 - or at least that he is an unworthy one, saying: "I haven't played well since the Masters, or as well as I expected maybe since the US Open. I don't feel like I've earned it. I've got to play well and win more tournaments and then I feel like those results will take care of itself."
At least Mickelson's medical condition is under control, however. As the 40-year-old puts it: "I've had good time off. I'm on a good medicine. Things feel pretty good. I've been taking one drug and I feel 100%. I cannot believe the difference."
And the four-time major winner insisted he was in fine fettle, telling reporters: "I feel terrific. I've been able to do all the normal activities in my life. I've been able to practice at whatever level, and I honestly don't feel any different than I did before."
Whether that means Mickelson is a realistic contender for this week's tournament is hardly a cast-iron certainty, but as defending champion Mick at least knows and likes this course; he saw off Woods here last year quite comfortably, and that was before the fallout from Woods' extramarital affairs began to affect his game.
While Woods' lows have generated the most newsprint in 2010, it's been a difficult season for Mickelson too. The left-hander would dearly love to notch up another victory before the end of the year, especially since this particular Chinese take-away would come with a nifty side dish - that is, the title of the world's greatest golfer.
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