Line to the No. 1 Ranking Still Forms Behind Woods

Tiger Woods has seen it all before, many times. He’s the doctor with the sign-in sheet at the receptionist’s window. He’s the guy behind the counter at the delicatessen who watches people walk in and take a number for their turn.

Here is some free advice. Be patient, Tiger will get to you soon.

Since Woods replaced David Duval at the top of the world rankings in 1999, the carpet in the royal chamber has worn thin with all the pacing in front of him.

One by one, players approach Woods, throw their resumes down and see how they stack up against the No. 1-ranked player in the world. They take a number and wait.

Eventually, each player finds his number is up.

But maybe not this time. If you think about it, the Buick Invitational represents a new stage in the development of finding a rival for Tiger, of identifying the player who can tame him, should such a person exist.

Woods has been playing Torrey Pines since he was a kid, so he’s on comfortable turf matching wits, games, drivers, putts and nerve with Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson ... and anyone else who pops up and presents his papers.

Rivals Of Tiger. Simply, ROT.

It’s not always a fun club to be in. Maybe that’s what Singh was talking about at Pebble Beach on Sunday when he hadn’t quite finished feeling great about himself and the questions about playing against Tiger started coming.

It was sort of like, “Does every single moment have to have a Tiger catch to it?”

Actually, yes. Singh insisted he wouldn’t be drawn into question-and-answer sessions that matched him against Tiger. After all, it might distract from his intense focus, hurt his game or even warp his long-handled putter.

The truth is that’s exactly the way this game is played. Woods knows it better than anyone -- because he invented it. Once you show yourself as a rival of Woods, the rules are different. You are no longer safe where you stand because the spotlight will follow you.

It’s a cycle. The better you play, the more you win, the closer you get to Woods ... all inviting more scrutiny and greater public inspection of your goods.

Not everyone can take the heat.

Duly anointed as Woods’ chief rival, Duval’s body broke down under pressure to keep pace and he hasn’t been the same in nearly two years.

As for Ernie Els, he was hotter than a summer sidewalk until he faced off against Woods last March at Bay Hill and got dusted.

Mickelson ended 2002 as the second-ranked player in the world and followed it up with what was arguably the worst year of his career. Only now is he recovering.

That’s why Torrey Pines could turn out to be something edgy this week. Besides Singh and Mickelson, there are plenty of others who probably wouldn’t mind stepping up in class to the rivals-in-waiting division.

Sergio Garcia, Charles Howell III, Chad Campbell, Luke Donald, Aaron Baddeley, Thomas Bjorn, Shaun Micheel and K.J. Choi, and even oldies-but-goodies such as Jesper Parnevik, Jose Maria Olazabal, Brad Faxon and John Daly could be in the mix with a good week, provided it’s followed by about eight or nine more in a row.

In the last few months, or since Woods failed to win a major in 2003, there has been a growing feeling among players that he is more vulnerable. It’s almost as if Woods’ intimidation quotient took a nosedive.

Some of that is probably true, but the real question is, if Tiger is playing his best and you’re playing your best, who would win?

At least it’s a debate and that’s nothing but good. Even Singh might come to appreciate the exercise. And, in the end, we’ve acquired an even deeper appreciation for a number of great players, simply because they’re measured against Woods, who is still busy taking names and numbers.