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While those boffins in Switzerland seek the origins of the universe it seems the various atoms that make up the golfing cosmos are on a collision course to create the sport's own Big Bang at the Masters next week.

Has there been before a more exciting build-up to the first major of the year?

"I don't know about that machine, but it is all coming together," said the world number four. "We've got the best player in the world coming back, we've got a guy who's been one of the best players in the world in Ernie Els striking good form and we've got a lot of good young players on the scene.

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Transgressions have taken precedence over transitions in the life of Tiger Woods, so what price he mis-hits his first drive at Augusta on 8 April?

He certainly seems to have timing issues at the moment - his carefully choreographed re-entry into public life appears to pay scant regard to whatever else is going on in the golfing world.

Simultaneously released, his first two interviews since his downfall were broadcast on ESPN and the Golf Channel at the same time as . (Watch video below)

The plan was to avoid such a conflict and get the tournament out of the way first, but storms in Tampa (thunder on a Sunday in Florida at this time of year? Couldn't see that one coming) meant a delay to the golf which led to the clash.

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Which will command more attention, the pre-tournament hullabaloo building up to Tiger Woods's opening drive or the tournament's winning putt four days later? Unless it is the world number one holing out, it will probably be the former.

Absurd as it seems, in New York he was front page news for a longer period than 9/11,

That carefully stage managed speech suggested it would be some time before we saw Woods on a golf course again,

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The golfing world has to hang on a little longer, but for Ernie Els the waiting is over.

now is the time to consider Els' popular win at the WGC CA Championship.

Once we get definitive word on Woods, Els' win will be swept from golf's news agenda - such is the way the world number one dominates, even when he is absent from the game.

There will be few more popular wins this year, than Els' four shot victory after a closing 66 on a wind blown Blue Monster. Everybody loves Ernie, for his glorious tempo and the way he has played the game over the past two decades.

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It is a fair bet emotions are rather mixed in the household. There will be delight that his form seems to be back but frustration that he can't demonstrate it at this week.

Rose's third place at the Honda Classic was his best result since finishing .

His closing round of 64 equalled the PGA National course record and helped him bank $380,800 in prize money, but it wasn't enough to earn Rose a place in the elite field for this week's WGC CA Championship in the suburbs around Miami airport.

The 29-year-old may have improved his world ranking from 76 to 58, but he must watch on as a group of fellow Englishmen contest the second World Golf Championships event of the 2010 season.

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It seemed appropriate to end 5 live's last day of major broadcasting in 2009 with a lyric from Bob Dylan.

We were in his after all and "the times, they are a changin'" neatly summed up the world of men's golf as the dust settled on the USPGA at Hazeltine.

YE Yang had just become and the golfing compass seemed to be pointing due East. In this respect, the game looked to be heading for a transformation similar to the one we have already witnessed in women's golf.

Here it is perhaps more the case of "the times, they HAVE changed" such is the domination of Asian players. Indeed, in the wake of at the prestigious HSBC Women's Champions tournament in Singapore, the boss of the LPGA has said the staging of a major in Asia is "inevitable".

Heading into the Champions event, no fewer than 12 players of the top 25 in the world come from Asia. This compares with four from Europe.

Ai Miyazato celebrates her HSBC Champions event victory. Photograph: Getty Images

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