Masters favorite Tiger Woods and defending champion Phil Mickelson both said on Tuesday that they would relish the chance to go head-to-head for the title on the back nine on Sunday.
Between them, the two have won five of the last six tournaments at Augusta and their domination has brought comparisons to similar periods of two-player rule involving Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus between 1962 and 1965 and Ben Hogan and Sam Snead between 1951 and 1954.
Last year, it was Mickelson's turn to accept the winner's green jacket from the hands of Woods, who had won the previous year.
But it was only his third victory in a major at the age of 35, compared to Woods, who has now won 12 majors and is by nearly five years the junior of the two.
On that occasion, Mickelson was playing some of the best golf of his career as he won going away from the field, while Woods was under the cloud of the cancer illness which killed his father shortly after.
This time around, Woods is back to his sparkling best and there are some doubts over Mickelson following his final-hole collapse at last year's US Open and a poor showing at the Ryder Cup.
He said he would relish the chance to take on Woods on Sunday, but insisted that he could hardly be placed alongside the man who was "most likely the best player the game has ever seen."
"If I have a great rest of my career and I go out and win 20 more tournaments and seven more majors to get to 50 wins and 10 majors, that would be an awesome career," he said. "But I still won't get to where he is today. So I don't try to compare myself against him."
Woods agreed that he was coming into this year's tournament with a vastly different mindset and that he would be better equipped to challenge Mickelson down the home stretch than he was 12 months ago.
"It doesn't happen that often, when we're both playing well at the same time, the same week," he said. "It's one of the hard dynamics of the game of golf."
"It would be fun because if we're both going at it, that means we've got a chance to win the tournament," he said.
Talk of a two-horse race, however, may be premature with Ernie Els, once seen as the likeliest player to challenge Woods for the mantle of best golfer in the world, saying he feels he is finally back to his best form.
The South African had a long and difficult rehabilitation period following a knee operation in July 2005 during which he admitted he "got into some bad habits" with his golf swing.
"It was only since the start of this year that I really started feeling no pain or no effect in the knee. It took a little longer than I thought," he said. "People who have had knee reconstruction have told me it would take up to two years and they were right. But I think I am finally normal again."
Els has been runner-up twice at the Masters and he knows that failure to win at least one green jacket would be a big blemish on his career.
"I've had 13 chances at it and haven't done it quite yet and I'd love to do it. If I don't do it, it definitely would be a bit of a downer," Els said.
With dry, cool conditions forecast for the later part of the week, world No. 2 Jim Furyk said that that could act in favor of the players like himself who cannot match the big-hitting power of Woods, Mickelson and Els.
"I don't think it's impossible," he said when asked if the tournament could be won by a lightweight hitter.
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