All Eyes On Augusta

Kevin has his Master’s picks...are you ready for the biggest four days in Golf?

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You can argue that other majors may have better fields, but The Masters is the most prestigious tournament one could hope to win. The history and tradition of this event are like none other in the sport of golf, and perhaps even in all of sports. The Masters is the only major played at the same venue, Augusta National Club Club, every year. Because of changes that have taken place in recent years, Augusta has been lengthened considerably, but as we know from watching Zach Johnson last year, even short hitters can win on this course. This is where the beauty of Augusta really shines - a player who is unfamiliar with the course may be deadly accurate off the tee and place his shots strategically to set up the best approach shot, but the player who has played at Augusta many times will know where exactly to leave the ball on the green for the best opportunity to make putts. You need to play this place as often as possible to learn all the subtleties of the grounds.

With 4 green jackets in his closet, Tiger Woods is the only other player along with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer to have at least 4 (only Nicklaus has more than 4, with 6). Much noise has been made of Tiger Woods saying that he thinks that winning all 4 majors was possible this year. If there is anyone that can do it, it’s him. No other player has been dominating the sport more than Woods, and his overall record since winning the Open Championship in 2006 is amazing. Tiger Woods has the best chance of winning this tournament. Since 2005, he has won the tournament and finished T3 and T2. You know his game will be sharp, and even if it isn’t there is no other golfer with the skill to beat the rest of the field even with a bad round thrown into the 4-round mix. Equally impressive is Phil Mickelson’s record here. Since 2001 has finished 3, 3, 3, 1, 10, 1, at T24, with both of his wins coming in even-numbered years, which this happens to be. In order for Phil to win this tournament he will NEED to be precise and make the many key short putts he has a tendency of not capitalizing on. His incredible short game will always be his best tool at Augusta. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, to me, represent the two best players capable of winning this year.

Stewart Cink and Angel Cabrera are my best 2nd Tier picks. Cink has had a great year but closing out tournaments hasn’t been his strong suit this year. He’s a great putter and tends to have a couple of good rounds each here at Augusta. Don’t look for Cink to win, however.  The reigning US Open champion, Angel Cabrera, should also have a good outing here. He has a decent track record at Augusta with his best finish coming in 2006 with a tie for 8th.

My last two picks always shine at this tournament - Jose Maria Olazabal and Fred Couples. Olazabal, a 2-time champion, has been playing at Augusta since 1984 and has tons of experience here. He finished T3 as late as 2006, and played well last week despite some health issues. Couples, also a former champion, has never missed a cut at this tournament and finished T3 along with Olazabal in 2006. He played excellently at last week’s Shell Houston Open and I think he has had some decent success in fending off any back problems. Augusta is Freddy’s favorite place to play, so he’ll be ready to go.

BONUS!!! - My bonus picks are going to be Geoff Ogilvy and Justin Leonard. To be honest, these guys are good enough to replace anyone else in this post that isn’t named Woods or Mickelson. Ogilvy has been playing excellently in the past month and is arguably the hottest player on tour right now (excluding Tiger Woods). With his athletic swing, he can hit high draws and little fades which are perfect for Augusta, and he is a great putter. Justin Leonard has had an excellent year and as a former Open Champion I can see him being able to navigate this course well this week.

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