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In professional golf, there have been several famous rivalries. From the Hogan versus Snead battle to the longstanding Palmer versus Nicklaus clash, the game has seen two great players lead the way numerous times, rivalries that have produced some major combat over the years.

The newest version is beginning to heat up in a manner reminiscent of those of historical proportions. It involves 42 year old Vijay Singh, a late bloomer on the PGA Tour and the incomparable Tiger Woods, the game's current mega-star.

In true mano-a-mano fashion, Singh answered a recent Woods charge with a version of his own this weekend. Just two weeks after Woods dominated the British Open, the two were paired on Saturday at the Buick Open, each at the top of his game and as usual, on top of the leaderboard.

Going into Saturday's round, Woods was coming off an incredible Friday performance, his score of 61 tying his career personal best and at 11 under was just one stroke behind Singh who had taken the lead with solid play over the first two rounds. Because they were one-two in the tourney, they were paired together on Saturday for the third round.

Those expecting a true bloodbath between the game's best were instead treated to Singh at his best while Tiger struggled. Nine holes in to the matchup, Singh was another seven under while Woods was struggling just to make par. By the time the two had finished their 18 holes, Singh had transformed a slim one shot lead into an insurmountable eight shot margin. Perhaps an even greater showing of Singh's dominance was the fact that he actually missed three putts of a length that would have upset the average amateur. Had he made those, he would have been 12 under and 11 shots ahead of Woods.

The assertive performance by Singh propelled him to an easy victory, his second straight Buick Open title, his third overall at that event, and his fourth win of the year. More importantly, the win moved Singh to within a few hundred thousand of Woods at the top of the money list and tied Woods with four victories on the season. The win also closed some of the gap in the world ranking that Woods had assembled after the British.

Last year Singh ended Tiger's lengthy run as PGA Tour Player of the Year. Vijay won nine tournaments and more than $10 million, putting him at the top of the season ending money list for the second straight season. His complete domination of the Tour allowed him to finally displace Woods as the World's number one ranked player.

But Woods roared back at the start of 2005, winning four times on Tour, two wins coming at golf's major championships, the Masters and the British Open. With his performances, Woods returned to the top of the money list and World Ranking.

But just as he did so, Singh came back and made a statement of his own at the Buick Open. The win gave him his 13th top ten finish on the year in 22 events, but more importantly it put Singh at the exact same spot he was a year ago at this time. The Buick Open win was also his fourth on the season in 2004, but Singh would go on to win five more times before the year was done and ultimately claim the top golfer prize.

So though Woods has reestablished himself at number one overall, Singh is poised to once again make a run at the top honors. He made a monumental statement with his play last week and as the defending champion at the season's final major for 2005, Singh appears ready to make an argument that he should be considered the number one player in the world.

But then again Woods tied for second at the Buick. That meant that Woods had nine top ten finishes on the year even though he had played in only 15 events. Most importantly, in his last five tournaments, Woods had finished 3rd, 2nd, 2nd , 1st, and 2nd. Add in his three earlier wins including a victory at the Masters and Woods clearly has answered Singh's efforts with a statement of his own.

As both players head into the final major of the season, the PGA Championship, their rivalry is on the verge of assuming greatness. Singh quite frankly may need to defend his title and win the PGA to have the opportunity to repeat as Player of the Year. But if he does win, the top spot is truly up for grabs over the final months of the season.

And if Tiger were to take the PGA title his three wins at majors would have to make him a shoo in for the honor. Certainly, he too seems poised to assert himself at the same event.

The Singh and Woods battle has become a true rivalry, a clash that may one day match those of other tour legends. In the meantime, the PGA Championship beckons in two weeks time.