Golf:Lee Westwood insists Tiger Woods should not be written off after deposing the American as world number one. The English golfer was confirmed as Europe's first number one since Nick Faldo in 1994, while Graeme McDowell moved inside the top 10 for the first time.
Westwood took top spot without actually swinging a club as he recovers from a recurring calf injury. Germany’s Martin Kaymer had the chance to end Woods' 281-week reign had he finished second at the Andalucia Masters in Valderrama but had an off week and could only tie for 21st.
McDowell moved up three places to 10th and inside the top 10 for the first time in his career with yesterday’s hard-fought win in Valderrama. The 31-year-old is now just one place behind Rory McIlroy while Pádraig Harrington is 19th in the latest standings. Six Europeans and four Americans make up the latest top 10.
Westwood will have his work cut out to hold onto the top spot as a stellar field gathers in Shanghai for this week’s WGC-Champions event. Woods, Kaymer and Phil Mickelson could all make Westwood's time at the top a matter of days rather than weeks and all are in action in China this week. McDowell, McIlroy and Harrington are also competing in China this week.
Westwood also knows it would be foolish to write off 14-time major champion Woods, who has struggled badly ever since the sex scandal which erupted in November last year and forced him to take a long break from the game.
"I would not write Tiger off as quickly as that," said Westwood. "He has gone away and come back before. He will be there or thereabouts. If anyone can put a run together it's so close they could take the number one spot.
"But it's taken me a long time to reach world number one, I'm not going to worry about who I am going to lose it to. This week is going to be very exciting for golf, with four people having a chance to get to number one, but I like those kind of rivalries."
Westwood's achievement is all the more remarkable given the calf injury which has hampered his season – he hasn’t competed since the Ryder Cup - but the 37-year-old was in confident mood as he headed to Shanghai.
"It feels as good as it has for three or four months," Westwood added. "It's not quite right, but it's nearly there. I have not played a lot so I'm going to be very rusty but I'm not using that as an excuse.
"I've been hitting balls and hitting it well and I'm looking forward to getting out to China. Being world number one will give me that extra urge, if I needed it. It's a great honour and a big responsibility. It certainly sounds and feels good right now. When you are growing up and people say what do you want to achieve, everyone says I want to be the best in the world. Right at this moment I can show people the world rankings and say I am the best on the planet."
Woods, meanwhile, admits his poor form means it comes as no surprise to lose his number one ranking.
"I'm not ranked number one. In order to do that you have win golf tournaments and I didn't win a golf tournament this year,'' Woods said at an exhibition event in Japan. "That's how I got there in the first place and that's how I maintained that position for a long time.
"Hopefully I can win some events - I'm playing three more - and get it turned around. As far as emotions, it is what it is. As I said, you have to win in order to become number one in the world and you have to win a lot to maintain it. That's just the way it goes.''
Woods' last victory came in the Australian Masters in November last year, just days before revelations emerged about his private life following a car crash outside his house in Florida. He is due to defend his title in Melbourne next week and also play in his own tournament in California at the start of December and added: "Hopefully I can end on a good note.
"I'm looking forward to the next three events, I've done some pretty good work with Sean (Foley, his coach) since the USPGA."
Latest leading positions:1 Lee Westwood (Eng) 8.29pts, 2 Tiger Woods (USA) 8.13, 3 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 7.98, 4 Phil Mickelson (USA) 7.83, 5 Steve Stricker (USA) 7.20, 6 Jim Furyk (USA) 7.09, 7 Paul Casey (Eng) 6.14, 8 Luke Donald (Eng) 5.70, 9 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 5.44, 10 Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 5.4311 Matt Kuchar (USA) 5.33, 12 Ernie Els (Rsa) 5.13, 13 Dustin Johnson (USA) 4.99, 14 Ian Poulter (Eng) 4.49, 15 Hunter Mahan (USA) 4.48, 16 Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 4.48, 17 Retief Goosen (Rsa) 4.25, 18 Zach Johnson (USA) 4.06, 19 Pádraig Harrington (Irl) 4.00, 20 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 3.91.
Other leading Europeans:23 Justin Rose, 24 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 27 Ross Fisher, 30 Francesco Molinari, 36 Robert Karlsson, 44 Peter Hanson, 49 Martin Laird 51 Henrik Stenson, 53 Alvaro Quiros, 61 Rhys Davies, 66 Danny Willett, 68 Sergio Garcia, 70 Brian Davis, 73 Simon Dyson, 75 Fredrik Andersson Hed, 77 Soren Kjeldsen 79 Oliver Wilson, 82 Stephen Gallacher 86 David Horsey, 89 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 90 Matteo Manassero, 98 Chris Wood, 100 Darren Clarke.