Handicapping the field at the Masters midway

At the midway point of the Masters, 23 players are within four shots of the lead. It’s anyone’s tournament. Who’s got the best shot? Here’s an attempt to handicap the field.

1.  Rory McIlroy (-4) – Hasn’t had his ‘A’ game yet. That’s a daunting prospect for foes.
2.  Bubba Watson (-4) – Other than McIlroy, he’s got as much game as anyone on leaderboard. But does he have the restraint which is so necessary at Augusta? Seems impervious to pressure.
3.  Phil Mickelson (-2) – Beware of the three-time champ after his second-round 68. He has needed just 51 putts so far, fewest in the field.
4.  Lee Westwood (-4) – Best player tee-to-green in contention. Tied with Stewart Cink for most greens in regulation (30) so far. His 3-putt on 18 could be a portent however. Greens will only get faster on the weekend.
5.  Fred Couples (-5) – Shot the same score (67) on Friday that he did in round two 20 years ago when he won. Got the game and finally the putting stroke, but can his back hold up on the hills of Augusta?
6.  Jason Dufner (-5) – Why not? Showed he was a major player at the PGA. And you’ve got to love anybody with a big-time waggle.

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7.  Louis Oosthuizen (-4) – Nice comeback on Friday shows he’s not ready to go away. He’s got major-championship pedigree and South Africans have had a lot of success at Augusta.
8.  Matt Kuchar (-3) – Overdue for a major. Why not win one close to his alma mater (Georgia Tech)?
9. Sergio Garcia (-4) – Even with long putter, hard to imagine his stroke holding up under pressure, even though he ranks No. 2 in putting through the first two rounds (52 putts). By the way, how did he go from being golf’s most joyful to joyless player?
10. Henrik Stenson (-2) – If it wasn’t for that snowman on 18 on Thursday, he’d be in the lead.
11. Vijay Singh (-2) – Everyone’s frothing over Fred Couples. How about another former champ who’s three years younger and has a better back. 
12. Jim Furyk (-1) – He’s never really seriously challenged at Augusta. Maybe it’s his time.
13. Y.E. Yang (-1) – Verne Lundquist is pulling for him. And that means a lot at Augusta.
14. Tiger Woods (+3) – Lots of others to pass, but they’re all mere mortals. If Jackie Burke, Jr. could come from 8 strokes back, certainly Tiger can do it.