Justin Rose returns to the scene of his biggest career breakthroughs this week ready to take his game to an even higher level.

Rose's victory in the Dunhill Championship last year in his native Johannesburg sparked a brilliant season which saw him win a total of four tournaments in three continents.

The 22-year-old also outscored playing partner Tiger Woods in the first round of the British Open at Muirfield, played his first Major championship in America and finished fifth in the NEC Invitational.

It meant a massive climb up the world rankings and for the second consecutive week Rose, at number 37, is the highest ranked played in the field.

There was also deep sadness off the course, however, with Rose's father Ken, the biggest influence on his career, finally losing his long battle against leukaemia late last year.

But Rose remains determined to enjoy a season which will see him play in all four Major championships for the first time after a coveted US Masters invitation recently dropped on his doormat.

"Looking back two years when I finished second to Adam Scott here at Houghton, that was a turning point in my career," said Rose, who finished eighth last week in Cape Town.

"Obviously a year ago, my first win gave me the confidence to go to the next level. It's been a happy hunting ground for me.

"Now for the next level. I'm in all four Majors, which is fantastic. I heard that the Masters invitations arrive around Christmas time and I thought it would be a nice Christmas present, but I kept waiting and nothing happened.

"It was a couple of weeks late but an incredible feeling. After playing in the Open and US PGA it felt like the hardest Major to get into and to receive the call-up was incredible."

But first comes the matter of defending his title in the £500,000 Dunhill Championship at Houghton, where he is 40 under par for the last two events with a remarkable scoring average of 67.

"I made a good start last year and it would be nice to do something similar this season, although it's not the be-all and end-all," added Rose, who is likely to warm up for his Masters debut by playing two preceding events in America.

Rose was reasonably satisfied to finish in a tie for eighth on his seasonal debut last week in Cape Town, although a final round of 71 uncharacteristically contained a triple bogey and three other dropped shots.

Tiger Woods will defend his title in the $2.7 million Tournament Players Championship (TPC) in Germany from May 15-18th, tournament organisers said yesterday.

The world's top-ranked golfer, who has won the event three times in the last four years, had been considering playing in the Byron Nelson Classic in the United States but decided to defend his title in Germany instead.

"The determining factor is the fact that he is the titleholder here," TPC spokeswoman Nicolai Lauda said yesterday.

Woods is still recovering from knee surgery, but his return to Tour action is anticipated by March.