I'm writing this week's column from the USA where all the talk is about Tiger Woods following his first comeback win.

Not many people can return after nine months out and win their third tournament back, but then again Tiger Woods is hardly your average golfer.

His victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational shows he has overcome some of the rustiness he showed around the greens at the Accenture Match Play. His ball striking was simply imperious and he has set himself up nicely for a charge at next week's Masters. Who'd now bet against him bagging yet another major?

Torrance: makes 705th Tour appearance

Over in Europe, Soren Kjeldsen held off a good field to win the Andalucian Open, a performance that really cemented his position as a world-class player.

He has shown promise for a long time, but towards the back end of last year he nudged himself up to the next level with his victory in the Volvo Masters and his 10th-placed finish in the Order of Merit.

Last Sunday we saw just how good a golfer he has become because even though he wasn't on top of his game, he still managed to grind out a victory.

His short game is excellent, I was extremely impressed by some of his bunker shots, and he is a marvellous putter. His technique is rock solid, his game is ever improving and with all of those shots in his locker he is always capable of producing birdies.

This could be a big year for him after he sneaked into the field for the Masters. Initially he was told by a Danish journalist that he'd missed out on Masters qualifying by one spot - and so he went for a 10-mile run with tears in his eyes because he was so devastated.

When he got back the journalist called him back to say he'd got it wrong and he'd made it. That's a great story.

As a golfer in form, he is being talked about as a potential challenger at the Masters - and that certainly would be a fairytale. However, I think it is a huge ask for anybody to contend on their first appearance at Augusta.

But he is a superb putter and that's one of the most important elements you need to win the Masters, and he is full of confidence so good luck to him.

Eye

This week the European Tour heads to Portugal and it might be worth keeping an eye on the young Welshman Rhys Davies, who showed great potential in Spain last week.

He has spent a lot of time on the Asian Tour and will have learned a lot about the pressures of life on the European Tour after his joint-sixth placed finish in Andalucia.

He was 11-under-par at one stage, he was right in contention, and he can take great heart from that. His top-10 finish means he qualifies for Portugal and it's another chance for him to show what he's got. I'm sure we'll see plenty more from him when he gets his full playing rights.

I'd also like to see Thomas Bjorn back to his best after a good performance in Andalucia - and of course I'm looking forward to seeing Sam Torrance make his 705th Tour appearance.

That truly is a remarkable statistic and one he should be very proud of. I think we could see a strong display from him too after some strong showings on the Seniors Tour lately.

Maybe he won't be up there challenging at the top of the leaderboard, but I'd back him to make the cut and show us a bit of the old magic.

Exciting

Whatever happens, we should be in for an exciting tournament because I'm a huge fan of the Oitavos Dunes course, having played there a few times throughout my career.

You start off in very picturesque surroundings with pine trees as far as the eye can see - but within about four or five holes you suddenly find yourself on cliff tops with the wind whistling past you. That's pretty intimidating.

And this is one tournament which isn't over until it's over because anything can happen on the 18th. It's one of the hardest holes I've ever played on.

You've sometimes got the wind blowing a gale on the left-hand side and an out-of-bounds fence on the right - so you have to hug your tee shot to the left and a lot of guys end up in the bushes.

The course is likely to suit the low ball-strikers and should keep us on the edge of our seats right until the end of the event. Don't miss it.

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