When Tiger Woods recently made his long-awaited return from knee surgery after eight months out, he may not have expected to see such a glut of young talent ready to challenge his dominance.

We take a look at five of the youthful contenders to Tiger's golfing crown...

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy is a Hollywood star (Northern Ireland not US) whose displays this season have thrust him into the limelight and seen him heralded as the sport's next superstar.

At just 19 years of age, McIlroy has been a revelation in recent weeks, winning his first title as a professional in February and reaching the quarter-finals of the WGC Matchplay Championship earlier this month.

His impact has been such that luminaries including Mark O'Meara, Ernie Els and even Woods himself, have lauded the teenager as a future world number one.

He first came to domestic prominence when firing a three-under 68 during the first round of his Open debut two years ago.

His improvement since then has been rapid and many will be tipping the fearless youngster for glory when he makes his US Masters debut in Augusta next month.

Camillo Villegas

Thanks to two victories on the PGA Tour during the back end of last year, Villegas is now the seventh best player in the world.

The Colombian has fine-tuned his game on the US circuit and appears to have a great temperament which should serve him well ahead of a potentially breakthrough year in the Majors.

Future tussles with fit-again Woods could be classics.

Alvaro Quiros

The latest Spanish star began the year in impressive fashion when he held off Henrik Stenson to win the Qatar Masters by three shots.

The 26-year-old, who is an instantly recognizable figure on the tour thanks to his penchant for wearing stylish Panama hats, made his first breakthrough in 2007 when he clinched his maiden title – the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

He followed up with victory in the Portugal Masters the following year and his continued good form has seen him steadily rise up to 25th in the world.

Anthony Kim

There is no doubt that Kim has shown a stomach for the big occasion, most notably when finishing in a tie for seventh place on his Open debut last year.

In addition Kim starred in the Ryder Cup and emerged as one the US's most dependable performers when forming a doubles partnership with the far more experienced Phil Mickelson.

Last year he became the first under 25 American player since 2000 to claim two wins in one year on the PGA Tour. The last man to achieve such a feat? Tiger Woods.

Danny Lee

Lee is an amateur from New Zealand who announced his arrival on the world stage by becoming the youngest-ever winner on the European Tour.

He achieved this with his victory in last month's Johnnie Walker Classic at the frightening age of 18 years and 213 days.

Lee has already taken one record off Woods, that of the youngest-ever US Amateur champion, and many an observer will be keeping a keen eye on his progress in the coming months.