This is definitely going to be a fascinating battle for the No 1 position in world golf between the two hottest players on the planet. Both Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald are enjoying the form of their life.
It's been an extraordinary tussle between them. Donald has been extremely consistent over the last 18 months, and that helped him usurp the crown last May when he beat Lee Westwood at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth. McIlroy has done hardly anything wrong since September last year. In fact, such has been his form that a top-10 finish is almost a gimme for him.
This only means one thing — the list of edge-of-the-seat storylines for the opening Major of the season just got longer. The No 1 position will be up for grabs between McIlroy and Donald when the Masters is played at the Augusta National Golf Club from April 5-8. In between, there are two big events on the PGA Tour — the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Shell Houston Open, but unless someone like Westwood wins both of them, I don't see anyone coming close to the two.
I have written a lot about McIlroy over the past couple of weeks, so let me concentrate on Donald this time. I think the understated Englishman is an exceptional talent and deserves a lot more respect than he gets from the media and fans. I was in awe of him when knowing his only chance to secure the 2011 PGA Tour Money List honour was by winning the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, he did just that with a stunning final-day showing.
Last week, knowing he needed to win the Transitions Championship to wrest back his No 1 crown from McIlroy, he once again achieved his goal with minimum fuss. These two tournaments demonstrate how tough he is mentally.
Moving on, we are in Morocco for the Trophy Hassan II. I have played the tournament and the golf course before and have had decent results. I was disappointed with the way I finished last week in Spain, where I made 19 birdies during the week and should have at least been inside the top 10. Hopefully, I will keep on making the birdies and cut down on mistakes this week.
Jeev Milkha Singh is a three-time champion on the European Tour
