Rob Lee looks back on the latest fitness update from Tiger Woods, welcome wins for Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen, and insists there is no reason for Rory McIlroy fans to be concerned.
As we look forward to the first World Golf Championship of the year, much of the attention was diverted in the direction of multiple WGC winner Tiger Woods after he gave us an update on his recovery from back surgery.
He admitted there was still no timetable for his return, but it's good to hear he's able to practice chipping and putting and the video of him hitting a smooth nine-iron on a simulator was a welcome sight for his legion of fans.
Tiger has had three major back operations now, and these are difficult things to come back from. I think he came back too quickly the first time. Don't forget Graham DeLaet had the exact same procedure and was out of action for almost a year, and Tiger tried to come back in almost half that time.
I'm sure he's now fully aware of the importance of not rushing back this time, and he will not return unless he is absolutely sure he is 100% fit. There is no point in coming back too soon, and if he has to spend the whole of 2016 recovering, then so be it.
The most important thing for Tiger is that he avoids the temptation to try and speed up the process. He said in Albany in December that he would quit if he required any more surgery. He's had the advice from the best doctors, and that is something he may not have heeded in recent years.
But I think it's different this time, and I can't imagine any medical specialist worth his salt would be keen for an athlete such as Tiger Woods to rush back into competition.
Perhaps this time the penny has dropped, and he is now at the point of no return. So I wouldn't be surprised to see him come back later, rather than sooner.
Just down the road from Chez Tiger, the Florida Swing kicked into action with the Honda Classic and Sky Sports viewers were treated to an excellent tournament packed with talking points.
I was really pleased to see Adam Scott win after dealing with having to go back to a conventional putter. He persevered with the anchored putter for longer than most last year, and many predicted the anchored putting ban could damage his career.
But he finished second at Riviera and followed that up with a win at PGA National, and he looks like he is swinging the club better than he ever has.
After a number of youngsters won on the PGA Tour in the early part of the wrap-around season, the likes of Jason Dufner, Brandt Snedeker and now Scott have bucked that trend.
Are the old guard fighting back? I wouldn't read much into that. These things can go in phases - a few wins for the 20-somethings, and then a few for the over 30s. These things happen in golf.
The thing to do is look at the top of the world rankings if you want to know where the power base is, and - right now - the power base is with the young guns.
Sergio Garcia pushed Scott hard at the Honda and came up just short at the end. He said he didn't feel completely comfortable with his swing all week, and comfort is vital for PGA Tour professionals.
But even the best players will have weeks where they're a little off with their swing, and sometimes you just have to battle hard and gouge it round. This is what we saw from Sergio at PGA National, and it was a great result for him coming off a missed cut at Riviera.
You can't turn up week in, week out with a pretty swing, and when you lose the comfort and feel, it's a mystery you have to resolve out on the course and just find a way to get it round. Garcia managed that and good for him - more please!
He can paint some really pretty pictures on a golf course, but it's also good for him to be contending for a title when he feels he's not 100%.
As for Rory McIlroy, he has enjoyed - and endured - five years of contrasting fortunes in this event, and it was disappointing to see him miss the cut after a pair of erratic 72s.
Rory has always had that element of being a streaky player. He can get on a run where he looks unstoppable, and then he can have a period where he is just a little off. For all the mistakes last week, he still hit a lot of great shots, and he is not far away from his best.
It's easy to say he's in a "slump" just because he hasn't been in the top-five every week since January. But the reality is, golf is a very difficult game, and I really don't think Rory McIlroy has anything to worry about right now.Maybe his change of putting grip will do the trick this week.
I was also surprised to see Rickie Fowler fall away at the weekend after playing the first 36 holes without a bogey and looking so accomplished. He looked all set to ride off into the sunset with another title in the bag, but it went very wrong for him on Saturday.
He appeared very loose over the weekend, but like Rory, you can't castigate a talent such as Rickie Fowler for a couple of bad rounds - especially at one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour schedule.
If you're just a little off key around PGA National, you get punished. It's a very unforgiving venue, and Jack Nicklaus has done a great job in turning into the sort of course that has a major feel about it.
Over on the European Tour, Louis Oosthuizen collected his first win in over two years at the Perth International. His fellow South African Charl Schwartzel rarely wins outside his homeland, but Louis has proved he can win anywhere in the world.
He's an amazing player and, on his day, he's up there with the likes of Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day as one of the best ball-strikers in the world.
Oosthuizen has had a lot of problems with injuries in recent seasons, but he's managing his schedule very carefully and it would be fantastic to see him have three healthy years to see what he's really capable of.
This week, all eyes are on Doral in Florida for the WGC-Cadillac Championship, where Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy play together for the first two rounds.
A lot of long hitters have had success at Doral, but if there's no rain over the week, those greens will be like big bricks over the weekend. There's a couple of holes where you can struggle to keep it on the green hitting a sand wedge.
It can be almost a bit too "tricked up" for my liking, and I'm guessing it will be soft and lush for two days, and then they will turn the taps off and let the greens bake for the weekend.
The 18th at Doral is one of the toughest closing holes in the world, and if you have a one-shot lead after 71 holes, you still need to keep your focus and work very hard to walk off 18 with a par.
Rob's Sky Bet tip: Length is always an advantage at the Blue Monster, and that's why I expect Dustin Johnson to go well there again this week. Playing a course he has won at before will do wonders for his confidence, and I've got the feeling he's been "bubbling under" in the early part of the year.
There's a big week coming soon for DJ, and this could be the perfect week for him to deliver at 10/1 with Sky Bet.