THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Tiger Woods posed next to the trophy on the 18th green, a familiar scene with a rare twist. It was Sunday, and his clothing did not include a trace of red, and his jacket was black, not green.

He was merely the host of the Chevron World Challenge. His duty was to thank sponsors and volunteers and give the trophy to Vijay Singh.

"I'm on the operational side this week,'' Woods said.

That still beats being operated on, which is why no one had seen Woods at a tournament in any capacity since he won the U.S. Open, his last event before season-ending knee surgery. He went the final 188 days of the U.S. golf season without hitting a single shot, opening a host of opportunities for those he regularly beats.

Singh won the silly season event for the first time, taking home his third trophy that belonged to Woods a year ago. The other two were from the Bridgestone Invitational and the FedEx Cup.

Did the 45-year-old Fijian take advantage of the big cat being away?

Not really.

Singh has been among golf's elite for the better part of a decade now, winning three majors and taking the No. 1 ranking away from Woods in 2004. He might not be considered Woods' chief rival, but he could be remembered as the second-best player in Woods' era.

Still, there were some who benefited from Woods spending more time chasing his daughter than chasing Jack Nicklaus.

And there were some who didn't.

The next four players behind Woods in the world ranking after he won the U.S. Open - Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Ernie Els - combined to play 41 times and produced one victory over the last six months. The only time Mickelson made headlines was because of something Woods' caddie said.

Woods simply gobbles up so much attention when he plays, whether he wins or finishes fifth (his worst finish this year). During a discussion about rivals, Nicklaus once told Woods that the most important thing was to be part of the conversation.

With the world's No. 1 player out of sight for the second half of the season, the conversation shifted to five players:

Padraig Harrington
The Irishman joined some truly elite company by becoming only the seventh player in the last 50 years to win consecutive majors in the same season. The others were Woods, Nick Price, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

That was enough to be voted player of the year by five organizations - golf writers from both sides of the Atlantic, the PGA of America, European Tour and U.S. PGA Tour. Not even Woods has done that (but only because he has never joined the European Tour).

Anthony Kim
Everyone raves about Kim's raw skill and unlimited potential. It was worth paying attention to when he delivered.

The first victory came at Quail Hollow in Ohio by five shots against a strong field. Then came a two-shot victory at Congressional in Maryland to join Woods, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott to become the only players in the last 10 years to win multiple times in a season before turning 25.

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Adding to the hype was his emotional play at the Ryder Cup, and the thrashing he gave Garcia in Sunday singles. Kim closed him out on the 14th hole, 5 and 4, and was so fired up he stormed off to the 15th tee without realizing he had won.

"He's got the swagger,'' Woods said. "He's got all the tools.''

Camilo Villegas
The Colombian deserves a cameo mention, but two consecutive victories is not quite enough to establish himself as a challenger to Woods. Even when he wasn't contending, Villegas was promoted for his magazine looks and stylish clothing. But he is No. 7 in the world, and rightfully mentioned in a growing group of young stars.

Sergio Garcia
Garcia is similar to Singh in that he was part of the conversation even before Woods left, having established himself as the best player to have never won a major (and perhaps the youngest player, at 28, to carry that burden).

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Garcia wasn't affected that much by Woods' absence. What he really needs is for Harrington to break a leg (figuratively speaking, of course), because the Irishman twice has trumped him on the closing holes at majors in the last two years.

Even so, Garcia restored his star power by winning The Players Championship and twice losing in extra holes during the U.S. PGA Tour playoffs - one to Singh, another to Villegas.

Asked who benefited the most from his absence, Woods focused on youth - Kim, Villegas, Garcia.

"They're hitting their stride now,'' he said. "They're coming into their own.''

The question is whether they can keep pace when Woods is wearing a red shirt on Sunday, not a black jacket.

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