Three-way battle for top spot

LUKE DONALD, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood fill the top three spots on the world rankings going into The Masters – and any one of them could be number one at the end of the week.

Winning his first major after so many near-misses is the main objective for Westwood, but it would have the additional bonus of taking him back to the top if Donald finishes outside the top 10 and McIlroy the top seven.

Things are much tighter between Donald and McIlroy, but if the Irishman records a top-five finish then Donald would have to be alongside or above him to retain the number one spot.