Can Els challenge Tiger supremacy?
By Don Riddell, CNN World Sport
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Ernie Els is set to challenge Tiger Woods in 2004
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LONDON, England -- All sports need great champions. But what they need even more are great rivalries.
It's all very well having a team or individual dominating year after year, but eventually ticket sales will be affected, and in the long run, historians may be less generous if it looks like you had it all your own way.
That's why men's tennis is so excited about the emergence of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Juan Carlos Ferrero; three talented youngsters who look like battling it out for the foreseeable future.
And it's also why no one's too sure where Lennox Lewis fits into the pantheon of boxing greats.
There's no doubt he dominated his era, but perhaps he was the best of a poor crop. I was present at his retirement the other day, and commentators were still purring at the memory of the glory days of Ali, Liston, and Foreman.
Golf is desperate to recreate the halcyon days of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer 40 years ago.
Tiger Woods might have had a quiet year by his own high standards, but he's still the world number one, and he needs a serious rival.
The perennial contender for this mantle is Ernie Els. Once again he's made his customary sizzling start to the season.
'The Big Easy' never made it look so easy in the first two rounds of the Heineken Classic where he set the European Tour record over 36 holes. At the time of writing, he's got two trophies under his belt
And Vijay Singh has been on a serious roll since the end of last season. 2003's leading money winner has finished in the top time in his last 12 attempts.
But Els v Woods is the rivalry every golf fan wants to see. The problem is that they meet so rarely.
The rival tours in Europe and the US ensure they're hardly ever on the same course at the same time. Els' wins in 2004 are good for him, but they were cheapened by Woods' absence.
As it is, they've only met once this season – at the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii. The fourth placed Woods finished 11 strokes ahead of Els who was 21st.
I believe that Els is maturing mentally year on year, and that he's the only player capable of going toe-to-toe with Woods. But the only man who really knows whether a heavyweight rivalry can be sustained is Els himself.
2003 was a bit of an aberration. Neither Woods nor Els triumphed at the majors, and those that did have already been forgotten by many.
I can't believe Woods will go another season without a major, and if Els doesn't step up to the plate then it will be a serious waste of talent.
I'm tipping Els for victory at The Masters, and that should provide the spark for a gripping season of golf.
Don Riddell presents World Sport on CNN International at 0930 GMT, 1230 GMT, 1430 GMT, and 2130 GMT daily (also 0030 GMT at weekends and daily in Asia.)
