Can we trust Tiger's rivals?

I'M slightly worried about this year. Like every other season in golf, there are plenty of things to look forward to. The Majors and the Ryder Cup stand out of course and already we've had a couple of outstanding tournaments on the European Tour.

But I'm not sure we can trust Tiger's rivals to be just that: challengers to hi throne, men who make him win tournaments rather than the world No 1 simply waiting for them to lose them.

It seems to me this is going to be a transitional year at golf's top table. The so-called Big Five (Tiger plus Phil, Ernie, Vijay and Jim Furyk) never really came to the party at the same time - Troon 2004 was possibly the best roll call (and none of them won!) - and 2008 should see them disband.

Ernie Els is trying manfully to challenge Tiger but he cannot close out a tournament no matter how hard he tries. And that's probably the problem - he's trying too hard. 

I remember suggesting after his four near misses in the Majors in 2004 that he might just be too desperate to win another one.

Injury has played its part but I feel my prediction has come true to a certain extent, much as I wish he'd have a Green Jacket on his shoulders one day.

Things are worse for his countryman Retief Goosen, whose last top 10 came at Augusta 11 months ago. Pinehurst 2005 seems to have done for him.

Vijay Singh got to the top in terrific style in a showdown with Tiger and since then it's been a gradually increasingly slippery slope. Difficult to see that changing this year.

Finally, there's Phil Mickelson. He seems to be ahnging in there better than the rest but if he and Tiger go head to head down the stretch at, say, Birkdale, can you really see him triumphing?

Where does that leave us? Hoping underchievers such as Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia come good, that Padraig Harrington or Geoff Ogilvy have another Major in them or that the youthful likes of Richard Sterne or Martin Kaymer do a Rich Beem (remember him?) and take on Tiger like they're playing with a group of friends for a fiver.

Now you can probably see why I'm worried. Can we trust these men to give Tiger a game?

By Chris Bertram