Cadillac Championship 2012 Tee Times: Top Contenders to Conquer Blue Monster

Coming off a thrilling Sunday finish, which featured a late charge by Tiger Woods and a victory by rising star Rory McIlroy, the PGA will attempt to build off that momentum in the WGC Cadillac Championship.

The Blue Monster at Doral is awaiting some of the sport's biggest stars, so let's examine this week's top contenders. For a complete list of tee times, visit the tournament's official site.

Tiger Woods

It's probably too soon to proclaim Woods is back. After all, he's teased fans with low rounds before and proceeded to slip back, but he's certainly a lot closer to finding his game. The fact he was willing to take some risks in his final round showed his confidence is returning.

Even though his final-round rally fell short, any time a golfer posts 62 it gives them hope heading into their next tournament. Woods is the ultimate competitor. He wants to prove to all of the doubters that he's still a weekly threat despite all of the career turmoil.

The key for him, as always, will be accuracy off the tee. A lot has been made about his putting woes at times, but green play is meaningless if you are always playing from the rough.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy ascended to the No. 1 ranking with his victory last week. He's long been viewed as the next big thing in golf and appears well on his way to filling those big shoes. Much like Tiger in his prime, the Northern Irishman is seemingly unstoppable when he finds a groove.

Time and again down the stretch last week his approach shots would leave tough up-and-down plays to get par and he didn't waver once. He knew Woods was waiting in the clubhouse in case he slipped up, but he was up to the challenge.

Winning consecutive tournaments is a tough task because it basically means playing eight straight solid rounds. But if anybody can do it right now, it's McIlroy.

Phil Mickelson

Between McIlroy's rise and Tiger's resurgence, Mickelson has gotten lost in the shuffle. In his last two tournaments, he's a combined 24-under par with a victory and a second-place finish. So his game is clicking on all cylinders as well.

To have all three of those guys playing well at the same time is a major treat for golf fans. Mickelson entered the season with a lot of questions about his game after a shaky finish to 2011, but he's answered them all in resounding fashion.

He hasn't played in three weeks, so getting a quick start will be vital. As long as he doesn't fall too far off the pace in Round 1, Mickelson will be in the mix at crunch time.