We've all endured a crisis of confidence on the golf course.

In this crude amateur's own, grim experiences, the seeds of that said crisis tend to be sown amid the frantic pre-round rummages in the bag for a ball and glove before the whole affair reaches a crippling breaking point at the top of the backswing on the first tee.

It's almost a year since Rory McIlroy had his own confidence temporarily crushed during the final round of the Masters at Augusta, when his march to the Green Jacket veered spectacularly off track and he ended up dragging himself from the wreckage of a closing 80.

Unlike us club hackers, however, the real players don't allow the effects of such savage blows to linger. The Northern Irishman swiftly found redemption with his staggering victory in the very next major, the US Open in June, and with the Masters now looming on the horizon again, the 22-year-old finds himself on top of the world after his latest triumph in Florida on Sunday night. It's been a remarkable ascent. Some four and half years ago he was 876th in the rankings, 14 months later he was into the top 50 and by 2009 he had barged his way into the leading 10. Now he has knocked Luke Donald off the coveted perch.

The weekend action at the Honda Classic was, well, classic. Needing to win to assume command at the head of the global order, McIlroy pulled a memorable victory out of the bag. He didn't just win; he stood firm in the face of the fierce turbulence whipped up by a charging Tiger Woods with the added force of the world No.1 position on his back.

The pressure was immense but he handled the situation with total authority. The often-observed deficiencies in his game, namely his putting and the ability to put the tin lid on events when leading from the front, were nowhere to be seen at Palm Beach.

McIlroy, whose style of play makes for an engrossing spectacle, has made himself the man to beat at every tournament he pitches up at and his record over the past few months highlights the kind of consistency that is a hallmark of the truly exceptional.

Since he finished down in 64th place in last August's US PGA Championship – an event in which his progress was hindered by a wrist injury picked up in the first round - the Ryder Cup player's 'worst' result has been a share of 11th in December's Dubai World Championship. In that six-month period, the Holywood youngster has won three times while racking up five other podium finishes.

It's the kind of relentless run his boyhood hero, Woods, used to fashion. And what of the former world No 1? A week ago, at the WGC Accenture Matchplay, he was again being written off. His putting was desperate and his driving was as erratic as a one-armed cabbie. But a rousing 62 on Sunday, the lowest final round of his career and one burnished by the aggression, adventure and fist-pumping of old, gave him a share of second. It made for a riveting rivalry and cranked up the anticipation levels ahead of Augusta.

These are compelling times. Throw in Donald, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and a rejuvenated Phil Mickelson and you have quite a mix. We've already had a Honda Classic. This week, there is a WGC Cadillac of an event. The way things are shaping up, the Masters will be a Rolls Royce welded to a Ferrari with a Lamborghini bolted on for good measure. And it's only four weeks away.

AND ANOTHER THING

From the new world No.1 to the player 1020 places further down the global standings. When young master McIlroy joined the paid ranks back in 2007 and earned his European Tour card in just his second start as a pro with a third-place finish in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Liverpool's Nick Dougherty was a leading light on the main circuit.

The popular Englishman won that particular Dunhill title at St Andrews and everything was rosy. Fast forward 4½ years and Dougherty is on second-tier Challenge Tour duty in Colombia this week as he battles to rebuild a faltering career.

It will be the first competitive outing for the 2002 European Tour rookie of the year since he finished 122nd out of 148 at December's qualifying school, the final disappointment of a thoroughly wretched season in which he missed the cut 31 times in 32 starts.

Dougherty, who won three titles on the European circuit, has racked up over £5m in earnings during his time at the top table but, with a total purse of just £160,000 in Colombia, the former Walker Cup player will now be dining on more humble fare.

"It's certainly been a bit of a smack to the solar plexus," said Dougherty, as he reflected on his current plight.

Golf can often have a habit of hitting you where it hurts.