Europeans ready to tame Blue Monster

McDowell and Kaymer have every chance this week

The leading lights of European golf will be looking to end a 15-year drought of wins on Doral's TPC Blue Monster course at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship this week.

With 20 Europeans taking part in the 69-man strong field, including our newly formed quartet at the summit of the Official World Rankings, it would seem there is every chance to fill the void stretching back to Nick Faldo's victory in 1995.

Over the past 12 months, Europeans have shifted the golfing balance this side of the Atlantic, claiming five of the last four majors and five WGCs - including a recent European one-two in Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Final.

Germany's Kaymer will deservedly start as favourite, looking to make an instant impact in his first tournament as world number one - and he has every chance of winning the $1.4 million prize following his tie for third last year. 

Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is also hotly fancied to claim a hat-trick of wins in America, following his course record-equalling 64 in the final round of the Honda Classic last week to finish inside the top 10. After struggling at Doral in 2009, the Ulsterman put a first round 74 behind him in 2010 to climb into a tie for sixth.

But it will be no easy task for our stars considering the world's top-50 ranked players are here in force for the first time in the tournament's history since 2005, including defending champion from South Africa, Ernie Els.

Els broke his two-year winless streak in this event last year when carding an 18-under par total to beat fellow South African Charl Schwartzel by four shots.

Looking for something similar is American Tiger Woods, who is competing in a tournament for the first-time as world number five. Woods will be hoping to rekindle former glories having won here twice when the event was known as the Ford Championship at Doral - including a memorable duel with compatriot Phil Mickelson in 2005 and once again in 2007 at the WGC.

Woods has much to ponder after poor start to season

There is no question, however, the demise of Woods has given the Europeans, and the rest of the world for that matter, the confidence to kick on. Having endured his first winless season as a professional in 2010, while dealing with his well-documented personal issues, Woods has continued to look out of sorts in his three events and nine rounds so far this year.

The former five-year world number one carded a final round 75 at the Famers Insurance Open to finish tied 44th and once again at the Dubai Desert Classic when finishing tied 20th. If that was not bad enough, Woods was then dumped out by lowly-seeded Thomas Bjorn in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play when double-bogeying the first extra hole.

With just one month to go until the first major of the season, the world's best will want to fine tune their games in preparation for Augusta, and none more so than defending Masters champion Mickelson. The world number six has recorded two top 10s so far this year but was sent packing to America's bright young prodigy Rickie Fowler in the second-round of the Match Play two weeks ago.

It would be like picking a needle from a haystack to find the winner this week, but one thing is for certain, there will be more red numbers posted on the leaderboard than at last week's Honda Classic where just 13 players broke par. Expect a birdie fest, warm weather and hopefully yet another World Golf Championship winner from this side of the pond.