Golf fans are spoilt for choice with a plethora of mouthwatering storylines for this week's Players Championship where Phil Mickelson has a chance to replace Tiger Woods as world number one.While Mickelson could take over at the top for the first time, Woods will be aiming to bounce back from his woeful performance at last week's Quail Hollow Championship where he missed the cut for only the sixth time as a professional.In other intriguing scenarios, Britain's Rory McIlroy will be seeking a second successive PGA Tour victory following his scintillating display at Quail Hollow and Swede Henrik Stenson will be defending the title he won by four shots last year.Mickelson's bid to reach the top of the world rankings has attracted most of the attention in the build-up to Thursday's opening round at the TPC Sawgrass, although the American left-hander prefers not to be distracted by the topic."It's certainly something that I have been striving for but have not achieved yet, so it would mean a lot to me," Masters champion Mickelson told reporters at Sawgrass on Tuesday."But for me to accomplish that, I can't focus on that. I've got to go out and get ready to play this golf course because it's not an easy challenge. I've got a lot of work ahead."The only way for four-times major winner Mickelson to take over at the top would be if he wins on Sunday and Woods finishes outside the top five.Woods, who has been world number one for 258 consecutive weeks and for a total of 598 in his glittering career, was unfazed by the prospect of being dethroned."I've had it happen before," the 14-times major champion said, referring to former world number ones David Duval and Fijian Vijay Singh."The whole idea to be No. 1 and continue being No. 1, you have to win tournaments and I haven't done that in a while."PRESSING CONCERNRegaining consistency is a much more pressing concern for Woods who missed the cut last week after a surprisingly inept performance at Quail Hollow where he shot 74 and 79."It's getting better, no doubt," the 34-year-old said of his game. "It couldn't get any worse. It's just one of those things where I just need a little bit of work, to tighten things up a little bit."Although Woods has recently returned to golf after a self-imposed break of five months following sordid revelations about extra-marital affairs, Mickelson expects him to flourish at Sawgrass."He has one of the most impressive records, if not the most impressive record, in the history of the game," Mickelson said. "I won't ever underestimate him."Regardless of what he did last week, knowing the type of competitor he is, I expect him to come back and be the Tiger that we are used to seeing on the golf course."The outstanding competitor last week was Northern Irishman McIlroy who, two days shy of his 21st birthday, blew away the field with a course record 10-under-par 62 to win his first PGA Tour title by a commanding four shots."I'm delighted for Rory that he won and did it in such great style," Stenson said. "It's good to see him in the winner's circle."The Swede is also delighted to be back at Sawgrass for the tournament considered the "fifth major" by the players after producing mixed results this season."I've been kind of struggling most of the year ... but I'm feeling I'm moving in the right direction," Stenson said. "It's great to be back here. It's a course I love playing."(Editing by Rex Gowar; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)News posted by www.newsinfoline.com
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