GOLF TOUR NEWS:ONE WAY or another, the end is nigh for Tiger Woods as far as his reign as world number one is concerned. Having held the top position in the rankings for the past 281 weeks, Woods will be replaced by either Lee Westwood or US PGA champion Martin Kaymer after this week's Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.

Westwood, ironically, isn’t competing at Valderrama. The Englishman suffered a recurrence of his calf injury at the Dunhill Links the week after the Ryder Cup, but his accumulation of points spread over the season will definitely see him overtake Woods at week’s end.

Westwood is 0.06 points behind Woods in the accumulated points average.

Woods has been inactive since the Ryder Cup, but he resumes tournament play at next week’s HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai.

Whether Westwood assumes the number one position, however, depends on what Kaymer does at Valderrama. The German is 0.28 points behind Woods, but has his destiny in his hands in that quest to be number one: Kaymer has to win, finish second on his own or finish second with one other player to reach the top position.

Kaymer has won on each of his last three outings on the European Tour, in the US PGA, the Dutch Open and the Dunhill Links.

Kaymer is chasing the number one position on a number of fronts, as he also seeks to consolidate his place atop the European Tour Order of Merit. As things stand, he is almost €1 million ahead of his closest challenger, Graeme McDowell.

The Ulsterman also resumes full tournament action at Valderrama as he seeks to make inroads into Kaymer’s lead.

But he will do so in the knowledge he will probably need a couple of tournament wins ahead of the season’s finale in Dubai at the end of November if he is to have any chance of overhauling the precocious German.

McDowell has a strong end-of-season schedule mapped out to give himself every chance, however.

He follows up his appearance in Spain with a run that takes in next week’s €7 million HSBC Champions event in Shanghai and the Hong Kong Open a fortnight later before heading to Dubai.

While McDowell heads an eight-strong Irish contingent in the Andalucian Masters – with Paul McGinley, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Michael Hoey and Gareth Maybin also in the field – there are some other loose ends to be tied up.

Among them is Lowry attempt to earn a place in the elite 60-man field for Dubai.

The Offalyman has slipped to 63rd in the standings and is looking “to step up a gear” in Valderrama as he has only one other scheduled event (the Singapore Open) after this to make the grade for Dubai.

Pádraig Harrington, who ended a two-year drought without a win in the Johor Open in Malaysia just over a week ago, is on the second week of a two-week break before he resumes tournament play in next week’s megabucks event in Shanghai before moving on to Singapore.

For Rory McIlroy, this week’s break at home will also give him the first real opportunity to work on his swing at the new practice facility he has built.

The 21-year-old Northerner took the opportunity to play in the Egypt Open on the European Challenge Tour last week, but he has a week away from tournament play before rejoining the main tour in Shanghai.

McIlroy has serious plans for this week, which will see him get down to business with coach Michael Bannon in working on his swing.

“I’ll be properly working from home this week because the range is finally ready,” said McIlroy, adding.

“This will be the first time that I have used it for a proper practice session so you could say it is the official opening. There are three tee-boxes now ready, and the long-game area, which is 330 yards long, is ready to use.

“I’ll be able to hit balls from there, so it will be pretty cool.

“The short-game area is 180 yards at its longest, with four greens, which are not quite ready yet but I will be able to hit shots and work on everything else.”

Meanwhile, McIlroy has accepted an invitation from Woods to make his debut in the Chevron World Challenge in California on December 1st to 4th.

In fact, both McIlroy and McDowell – who finished runner-up to Jim Furyk in the event a year ago, which moved him back into the world’s top-50 and earned him an exemption into the Masters – have committed to the event.

Harrington, though, has decided to play in the conflicting Sun City tournament.