Tiger Woods has been paired with Lee Westwood for the opening two rounds of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with the Englishman targeting the world number one spot. (Woods 5/6 to win two-ball)

Westwood must finish first or second to have any chance of taking Woods’ place as the number one golfer in the world but Phil Mickelson could also have a say in proceedings.

The Californian could reach number one with a top-four finish, providing that Woods finishes down the field at the Firestone Country Club.

But that seems unlikely to happen as the 14-time major winner has won the event seven times, including his last four appearances at the venue.

Woods missed out in 2008 through injury but won in 2009 with a score of 12-under par.

He has yet to win anywhere in the world this season, after taking time out of the sport to sort out his personal problems, but has shown glimpses of the old magic with fourth-place finishes at both the Masters and the US Open.

The Florida resident needs a couple of good finsihes in both Ohio and at the US PGA if he is to secure automatic qualification into the US Ryder Cup team but his record in Akron would seem to suggest that a return to the top of the leaderboard could be on the cards this week. (Woods 9/2 to win tournament)

Woods has been at the top of the rankings for more than five years and will be desperate to hold on to the coveted spot, especially with his great rival, Mickelson, the man who is in pole position to knock him off his perch.