Tiger is top, but challengers abound

Tiger Woods regained the world number one ranking after an absence of two and a half years in 2013, but the debate over who is currently the best golfer in the world rages on.

Woods owes his return to top spot to his wins in five tournaments, but crucially he came up short once again in the four majors, failing to end a drought that dates back to June 2008 when he won hs 14th major title at the US Open.

Instead, four players shared the honours in the tournaments that are the crown jewels of golf.

Adam Scott finally smashed the Aussie jinx at the Masters, Justin Rose became the first Englishman to win the US Open in 43 years at Merion, Phil Mickelson took the British Open at his 20th attempt and Jason Dufner was a popular winner of the PGA Championship.

With his 38th birthday coming up on December 30, Woods can hardly be called a veteran just yet, but he admits that the golfing landscape around him is changing fast.

'It's a whole different generation of guys,' he said.

'I've played probably more head-to-head matches against Ernie (Els) than anybody because we played around the world; and Vijay (Singh) would probably be the second and Phil (Mickelson) would probably be third.

'But along the way ... I had Goose (Retief Goosen) in there and (David) Duval in there as well for a number of years.

'It's a different crop of guys. All those guys are in their 40s and 50s. So we got a whole new crew, and I think the youngest probably being Rory (McIlroy).

'But there's a lot of guys who are in their late 20s, early 30s that are right in their prime.'

McIlroy in fact started the year as the world number one but, after a change of golfing equipment, his year went rapidly downhill as he became distracted by business affairs and a clear loss of form.

Still there were some signs that he can put all that behind him and he has plenty of career time left to significantly add to his majors haul of two.

'Golf's a long career and I'm 24 years old,' said McIlroy in Sydney earlier this month after overhauling Scott to win the Australian Open - his first and only tournament victory of the year.

'I get a little impatient at times and if I actually just took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, it hasn't been too bad a year.

'It's obviously been made a lot better with the win. You know you have to go through the lows and I'm not saying it was a low this year. It's not like I plummeted off the face of the earth.

'I'm still sixth in the world so it's not too bad. It's not the level that I feel like I can play to but I feel I'm getting back there, so it's very pleasing.'

McIlroy's win in Sydney prevented Scott from becoming just the second player to achieve the Down Under 'Grand Slam' of Australian PGA, Australian Masters and Australian Open which would have brought down the curtain splendidly on a breakthrough year for him.

Long touted as set to become a dominant figure in the game, Scott had - until April - flattered to deceive.

But all that changed at Augusta National - where he beat Angel Cabrera in a drama-filled playoff.

He nearly -- once again -- won the British Open three months later and many see Scott as being the next player to hold the world number one spot.

Others point to Henrik Stenson, the big Swede who started 2013 way down the rankings after a miserable last two years and wasn't even eligible for the Masters until the week prior to the tournament.

But in a super summer, Stenson tied for third at the Scottish Open, was runner-up at the British Open, runner-up to Woods at Firestone and third in the PGA Championship.

He then won the FedEx Cup in the United States and the final event in Europe to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same season.

He was rightly named as European Tour Player of the Year.

'It just reflects the stellar year I have had. You can call it a dream season, year of my life, whatever you want. It has been an unbelievable year and I am delighted to win this award, especially as I am the first Swede to do so,' he said.

All then augurs well for 2014 with the US Open at Pinehurst, British Open at Hoylake and PGA Championship at Valhalla followed by Europe's defence of the Ryder Cup in Scotland in late September.

Guan, Ko offer glimpse of the future

Guan Tianlang offered a tantalising glimpse of the future this year as a group of emerging teens showed how Chinese players could finally become a force in world golf.

Despite some difficulties in a 'year of consolidation' for Asia, Guan provided hope of better times to come with a stunning appearance at the US Masters.

The Guangzhou schoolboy became the tournament's youngest ever player, aged just 14, and then the youngest to make the cut and the highest placed amateur.

With Andy Zhang also competing at last year's US Open aged 14, and Ye Wocheng playing a European Tour event at the record-low age of just 12, it seems something is stirring in Chinese golf.

Golf in China has made huge strides over the past decade and the country now hosts one of the world's richest tournaments, the $8.5 million WGC-HSBC Champions.

Until now, players in the communist country, where golf was once banned as a bourgeois pursuit, have lagged behind, with just a handful ranked in the world's top 1,000.

But China's new group of teenagers, backed by well-heeled 'Tiger Dads' and trained by some of the world's best coaches -- often with the 2016 Olympics in mind -- could be the start of something big.

'I think people getting to see (Guan) play around the world, especially the Masters, is great for the game,' said America's Rickie Fowler.

'And there's going to be, probably in the next 10 to 15 years, some good players coming out of China, more so than what there has been before.'

Women's golf has long been dominated by Asian players but another teenager stole the headlines this year in the form of New Zealand's South Korean-born Lydia Ko, 16.

Ko, already the world number four, has been winning professional tournaments since the age of 14, when she became the youngest player of either sex to do so.

After missing out on millions of dollars in prize money due to her amateur status, Ko announced her long-awaited decision to turn pro on YouTube in October. She won her first event as a professional this month in Taiwan.

World number one Park In-Bee was player of the year on the back of six wins this season, while Taiwan's Tseng Ya-ni fell off the top ranking and plunged to 29.

Off the course, it was in some respects a tough season for Asian golf, with tournaments dropping off what has become a congested calendar.

The Singapore Open, once dubbed 'Asia's major', took a break while it searches for a title sponsor, while the Hong Kong Open struggled on without corporate backing.

The Avantha Masters, India's only European Tour event, fell victim to economic woes, and the OneAsia circuit cancelled two events, the Charity High1 Resort Open and the inaugural OneAsia Championship.

The Asian Tour, locked in a bitter turf war with OneAsia and seeking out new markets, also postponed the inaugural Vietnam Masters, which is due to be its first event in the country.

With two rival circuits and expansion into the region by both the US PGA Tour and the European Tour, it is no surprise some events are being squeezed out.

'Whilst there are new sponsors out there, getting them on board, certainly in Asia, is not easy,' David Parkin, OneAsia director of tour operations, told AFP earlier this season.

One Asia separately called it 'a year of consolidation... for the industry in genera

Heat dynasty picks up NBA steam

The Miami Heat picked up right where they left off by returning their core group and adding key pieces like veteran Ray Allen en route to winning their second-straight NBA championship in 2013.

Talk of a Heat dynasty gained momentum and James was named MVP of both the regular season and playoffs for the second-consecutive year. He also silenced the critics who said he couldn't win the big one.

James carried the Heat on his back in two game sevens in the postseason, including a 37-point, 12-rebound performance in a 95-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs to give Miami back-to-back NBA titles.

'It feels great. This team is amazing,' he said. 'The vision I had when I decided to come here has all come true. To win back-to-back championships is an unbelievable feeling.'

James had another 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a must win game six that pushed the Spurs to the brink of elimination.

Allen drained a key three pointer with five seconds left in regulation to force overtime in game six and keep the Heat's season alive.

James' game-seven playoff heroics also included scoring 39 points in a 99-76 rout by the Heat over the scrappy Indiana Pacers in the league semi-finals.

The Heat won a league-best 66 games which included an impressive 27-game win streak which began on February 3 with a win over Toronto. It marked the second longest win streak in NBA history behind the Los Angeles Lakers 33-game run in the 1971-72 season.

The Heat are now the darlings of the NBA, just two years after becoming one of the most reviled teams in league history when James and Bosh jumped ship and joined Dwyane Wade in south Florida.

But the big three are also a year older, especially the 31-year old Wade who has been suffering from chronic knee problems for the last few years.

Oklahoma City became a victim of their own success. After a strong 2011-12 season, the Thunder traded away James Harden after the two sides couldn't agree on a new contract.

The Thunder failed to find a replacement for the offensive weapon, who was sent to Houston in a trade.

In Harden's absence, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook stepped up to lead the club to a 60-win season, but the loss of their top sixth man proved to be too much for the Thunder to overcome.

It didn't take long for the wheels to come off the Los Angeles Lakers' bid for another title. In one of the earliest firings in NBA history, the Lakers sacked coach Mike Brown after just five games of the season.

Kobe Bryant going down with a torn left Achilles tendon in April didn't help either. To top it off, Dwight Howard's brief stint in LA ended up being a bust and he eventually ended up bolting Hollwood for the low-key atmosphere of Houston.

The Lakers also lost their long-time owner Jerry Buss who died at age 80 in 2013.

On the injury front, no contending team felt the loss of a superstar more than the Chicago Bulls who lost Derrick Rose for the season with a torn ACL. In a small consolation, the Bulls were the ones who ended Miami's 27-game win streak with a victory on March 27.

NBA player Jason Collins made headlines in May by becoming the first openly gay athlete of any of the four major North American sports.

The New Jersey Nets moved to Brooklyn to become the Brooklyn Nets.

The move allowed the club to return to New York where it first played when they joined the NBA in 1976.

The first game of the 2012-13 season in Brooklyn was supposed to feature the Nets playing the New York Knicks, but it had to be postponed because of Hurricane Sandy which slammed into the east coach of the United States, killing over a hundred people and causing billion of dollars in damage.

Kohli tames South African fast bowlers

Virat Kohli tamed South Africa's fast bowlers with a stroke-filled innings of 84 not out as India reached 164 for four at tea on the first day of the first Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Wednesday.

Kohli, filling the number four batting position vacated by the recently-retired Sachin Tendulkar, came in with India in trouble at 24 for two.

Kohli was the dominant partner in a third-wicket stand of 89 with Cheteshwar Pujara (25) which went a long way towards justifying captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bat first on a pitch which is renowned for giving assistance to fast bowlers on the first morning but which also gives value to batsmen prepared to play their strokes.

The partnership ended with a mix-up which led to the patient Pujara being run out after making 25 off 98 balls.

Kohli played leg-spinner Imran Tahir towards midwicket and set off for a run, only to send Pujara back as Tahir scurried to pick up the ball.

Hashim Amla backed up at the bowler's end and broke the stumps with Pujara well out.

Rohit Sharma, who made centuries in his only two previous Test innings, against the West Indies in India, was caught behind off Vernon Philander for 14 shortly before tea.

Kohli, though, played a wide variety of attacking strokes, hitting 14 boundaries in a 111-ball innings. He reached his fifty off 76 balls with nine fours.

Earlier Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel took a wicket apiece as the Indian batsmen were subjected to a testing examination from the South African pace attack.

Steyn dismissed Shikhar Dhawan for 13 and Morkel claimed the wicket of Dhawan's fellow opening batsman, Murali Vijay, for six.

For the first half hour, Dhoni's confidence seemed justified as Vijay in particular showed good judgment in leaving as many balls as possible and defending solidly when necessary.

But the left-handed Dhawan showed vulnerability against some well-directed short-pitched bowling from Steyn. After a couple of false strokes, Dhawan top-edged a hook to backward square leg where Imran Tahir took a good catch.

Morkel, who came on as first change, gave Vijay a torrid time with some sharply-lifting deliveries before having Vijay caught behind by AB de Villiers off a fuller one. Vijay had only two scoring strokes in making six off 42 balls.

Vonn back as Hoefl-Riesch tops downhill training

American speed queen Lindsey Vonn was back in World Cup action on Wednesday, comfortably completing downhill training in Val d'Isere.

In her fight to regain full fitness in time to defend her Olympic downhill title, Vonn opted out of competing at St Moritz last weekend after returning to competition at Lake Louise in the first week of December.

In Canada she showed steady progress over three races in her first starts since reconstructive surgery on her right knee after a crash at the World Championships in Schladming last February.

Vonn finished in 12th spot on Wednesday, 1.23sec off the lead time of 1min 49.30sec set by Germany's Maria Hoefl-Riesch, who won back-to-back downhills in Lake Louise.

Current World Cup leader Lara Gut of Switzerland was a further 0.06sec adrift.

Austrian Anna Fenninger and Spain's Carolina Ruiz Castillo were second and third, with a raft of favourites also showing promise on the Oreiller Killy piste

Japan PGA brass to resign in yakuza scandal

The leadership of Japan's Professional Golfers Association will resign en masse after two of its executives were found to have played golf and socialised with an underworld boss, a report said Wednesday.

The PGA's policy board decided Wednesday on the mass resignation, to be followed by the election of new representatives in January, the Jiji Press news agency said.

All the 91 PGA representatives, including chairman Shizuo Mori, four vice chairmen and some 20 board directors, will voluntarily step down to help restore public trust in the body, the report said.

Between March and June this year, a then-PGA vice chairman Shinsaku Maeda, 61, and then-board director Tadayoshi Bando, 67, were found to have played golf and dined with the head of a yakuza organised crime group in the southern island of Kyushu, the report said.

The PGA bars its representatives from socialising with organised crime syndicates.

Maeda and Bando were expelled from the association in October.

'We take the matter very seriously. We want to do our utmost to prevent a recurrence of such a case,' the PGA current vice chairman Nobuyuki Abe told Jiji.

The body oversees the country's professional golf activities, including the licensing of golfers and development of junior players.

Japan's premier tour has been organised and supervised by the Japan Golf Tour Organisation since 1999, when it was founded to take over the role from the PGA.

Barca doctor confirms Messi on the mend

Argentina's four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi's recovery from a torn hamstring is on schedule, his club Barcelona confirmed on Wednesday.

Messi was ruled out for the rest of the year when he suffered the latest in a number of recent muscle injuries in Barca's 4-1 win over Real Betis at the beginning of November.

The 26-year-old is currently in Argentina as he undergoes treatment, but has been joined in Buenos Aires by Barca sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta and club doctor Ricard Pruna.

'The fitness test and scan carried out this morning by doctor Ricard Pruna at the training facilities of the Argentine Football Federation in Buenos Aires showed good progress in Lionel Messi's injury,' the club said in a statement.

'More tests will be carried out on Friday to set the timescale for the third part of the player's recovery process and training schedule.'

Barca boss Gerardo Martino said on Tuesday that he expects Messi to be back in Barcelona on January 2.

And the Catalans hope that their star man could even be fit to face Atletico Madrid in a clash between the top two sides in La Liga on January 11.