The more things change, the more they stay the same.
That maxim has never been more apt than in Melbourne this week for the 2010 JBWere Masters.
The local media were out in overkill proportions with choppers jostling for airspace and live links to breakfast television for Tiger Woods' arrival at Essendon Airport on Tuesday, much as they were 12 months earlier.
Woods' life has been transformed in that time and so has the media's motivation for following his every move on and off the course.
But while his ranking may have slipped to No.2, Woods remains golf's undisputed No.1 attraction.
The 34-year-old returns to Melbourne to defend the title he won at Kingston Heath last year, this time at nearby Victoria GC, a classic sandbelt layout but not ideally suited to Woods' expansive game.
He's coming off a sixth placing in last week's HSBC Champions in Shanghai, followed by a dalliance in Bangkok on Monday for a charity skins event in which Camillo Villegas, who's also competing at the Masters this week, collected $109,600 to Woods' $6,600 for a solitary skin.
The market has Woods at $3.80 from two locals, Geoff Ogilvy ($8) and Robert Allenby ($10), with world No.30 Villegas the next in line at $15.
Sergio Garcia, who believes his game is coming together after a two-month break prompted by his meltdown at the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, is rated a $23 chance.
Garcia tied for 10th in his second event back at the Andalucia Masters in Spain a fortnight ago and feels rejuvenated and capable of winning this week.
Ogilvy has the benefit of local knowledge and the added advantage of having played his junior golf at Victoria which hasn't hosted a major event since the 2002 Australian Open.
There have been a few changes to the layout since then.
The opening hole, a 233m par-four for the members, was played as a par-three in 2002, but now it's back to a par-four.
The shot that most of the field pick up at the first they should be prepared to give back at the testing 484m par-four eighth which the members play as a par-five.
It's this change that's reduced par from 72 to 71 for this week only.
Tournament director Andrew Langford-Jones has forecast a winning score of around 14 to 16-under, but much will depend on Melbourne's spring weather which is notoriously fickle.
Temperatures will be mild to warm all week, but a stiff northerly will be a factor on Thursday, there are showers expected on Friday with heavy rain Saturday and thunderstorms Sunday.
According to Langford-Jones the greens are playing hard and true and the course, while short at 6297m, has enough tricks to confound the best and punish the wayward.
Woods will have Allenby and Brett Rumford for company over the opening two rounds.
They're scheduled to start from the 10th at 7.27am on Thursday, just behind Ogilvy, Stuart Appleby and Matt Griffin (7.03am)
Partnered by Greg Chalmers and Michael Sim, Villegas will be away from the first at 12.10pm followed by Garcia, Craig Parry and Melbourne-based South Korean, Jin Jeong, the reigning British Amateur champion, at 12.34pm.