Justin Rose wants to make a statement as four of the world's top five golfers compete against each other at the Saudi International.
World Number One Rose heads a world-class field as the European Tour heads to Royal Greens Golf and Country Club for the first time.
Rose is joined by World Number Two Brooks Koepka, World Number Three Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, last week's winner at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, who is ranked fifth in the world.
England's Rose, who heads into the event on the back of a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open, is targeting Major Championship victories in 2019, and the chance to battle against the world's best this week gives him the chance to lay down a marker.
"Obviously the World Number One position has been going back and forth, back and forth," he said at his pre-tournament press conference.
"Last week I managed to just put a little bit of breathing space in there, and that's motivation for me this week to continue that form to try and continue building that lead.
"The World Number One position is important to me but it's not my primary focus this year. My primary focus this year will be around the Major Championships, but clearly it's a nice thing to have. The bigger lead you can build, the better.
"But in a scenario like this where you are playing against the top three in the world, at a tournament like this, it is on your mind and it will be extra motivation to keep going forward.
"Any time you have the opportunity to play against the best players in the world, it brings added inspiration and for me, that's a big goal this week."
"I'm definitely looking to challenge Rosey for the top spot" - Dustin Johnson
Johnson, who has topped the rankings for 81 weeks during his career, believes the close battle for top spot is good for the sport.
"Yeah, it's definitely good for golf," said the American.
"I think it's kind of been a battle to be at the top for a while now. Especially once Tiger stopped being Number One for so long, it's kind of a battle since. But you know, there's so many great players and especially if you look at the top 15 guys in the world... you've got to bring your game every single week if you want to stay at Number One. At any point, the guys that can win pass you.
"It's very important to come prepared every week, no matter where you're playing, what tournament it is, and compete. It's definitely going to be a good year and I'm definitely looking to challenge Rosey for the top spot."
