Today's young stars haven't faced race against Tiger Woods

Ernie Els could see where the question was going, and he couldn’t wait to answer.

The four-time major champion was asked about what will it be like for top players in their early to mid-20s to go up against this version of Tiger Woods with a major championship like the Masters Tournament on the line.

“That’s going to be great; I’m really looking forward to that,” said the 48-year-old Els, who was one of the main foils for Woods, who at 42 is making a strong comeback after being waylaid by injuries for most of the past two and a half years.

“I was in the middle of that,” said Els, referring to Woods' prime, when he was the No. 1-ranked player in the world for 683 weeks, from early 1997 to early 2014, but not consecutively.

“I just so want the young guys to see what we saw for such a long time,” added Paul Casey, who is 40. “It would be really, really cool.”

What Woods accomplished from 1997 through 2013 – 79 PGA Tour wins, including 14 majors – still boggles the mind of Augusta native Charles Howell, who has played on the PGA Tour full-time since 2001.

PHOTOS: Tiger's Monday Practice Round at Augusta

I would love for everybody to see Tiger at his peak,” Howell said. “Those years from 2000 to 2005, it was crazy. I was lucky enough to play and practice with him at home, and the guy would do things with golf balls that nobody in the world can do. Everything that people ever criticized him for, he just got better at it.”

Woods’ brilliance cost Els and other contemporaries such as Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III and David Duval major championships, not to mention regular PGA Tour events.

Duval, who now works for Golf Channel, broached the young guns vs. Tiger on the air recently. His answer to those young stars who say they wish they could have gone up against Tiger in his prime:  “The hell you do.”

Some of those young stars are Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama. Rahm is 23, Thomas and Spieth are 24 and Matsuyama is 26.

Thomas is ranked No. 2 in the world, Rahm is No. 3, Spieth No. 4 and Matsuyama No. 6.

“These kids are good players, great players, but they need to experience a battle with him,” Els said. “Because you’re going to feel better about yourself because then you’ve fought Muhammad Ali and you felt what it was like.

“I’m not taking anything away from the youngsters,” Els said. “They’re going to have great times. But they need to experience Tiger on the prowl. It will give those players something to feel and experience also. Playing with Tiger on a Sunday is the ultimate in our sport. He brings so much intensity to the first tee. He brings the excitement from the people. He brings all the elements you need to really experience a sport being played at the highest level. He’s the epitome of that in our sport.”

During his time away from the course because of back injuries, Woods got to know most of the younger players as an assistant captain on the 2016 Ryder Cup and 2017 Presidents Cup teams. Spieth was on both, and Thomas was on the Presidents Cup team.

“I think it will be harder for them because they only know Tiger as their friend and their buddy,” Brandt Snedeker said. “They don’t know Tiger as the ‘cut your head off on 18 and make that putt to win the golf tournament' kind of guy. I think that will be a little different change for them that they don’t realize how dominant he was in that aspect back in the day.”

Woods played a practice round Monday at Augusta National with Thomas and Fred Couples.

PHOTOS: Monday's Practice Round at the Masters

“It is different,” said Love, who was the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team that beat Europe in 2016 and an assistant captain on the 2017 Presidents Cup team. “Like Justin Thomas, he almost brought Justin along a little bit. When Brandt goes out to play with Tiger, he’s real comfortable, but Tiger seems to beat him every time."

Snedeker says the current players might feel comfortable playing against Tiger now but that will change if he gets in contention.

“I think guys won’t be as nervous before they tee off, but if he gets going, you’re going, ‘here we go,’" he said. "It doesn’t matter if it’s five years ago or now. We were used to him – me and Phil and Vijay – and he was still stomping us."

Woods has what Love calls an intimidation factor.

“He can either smile at you or he can stare at you,” Love said. “If he starts staring at you and it gets real quiet on the back nine, it’s still going to be Tiger Woods. He might be more vocal about it now with Justin Thomas. He may say something rather than just stare at him.”

Older 20-somethings such as Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler saw a glimpse of Woods in his prime before he was sidelined by injury. They are both friends with Woods and play with him when they are home in south Florida. But they have never gone head-to-head with the four-time Masters champ in the final round of a major.

“I’m a big fan of Rory McIlroy’s and I’d love to see Rory playing great and Tiger playing great and those two kind of go at it,” Howell said. “Even if it’s just one time, it would be great.”