Lefty, Woods, McIlroy all seem in fine form heading into Augusta Every year, the Masters is the most anticipated tournament in golf. But the buzz-o-meter has rarely registered this high as the stars have aligned in intriguing fashion for the year’s first major, which tees off Thursday at Augusta National.
Four-time green jacket winner Tiger Woods is coming off his first PGA Tour victory since 2009. Three-time Masters champ Phil Mickelson also enters with a 2012 victory on his resume. Same for reigning U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, whose final-round collapse last year evoked memories of Greg Norman.
Forget the rankings. These are the three rainmakers of golf, each in a different stage of his career. At 22, McIlroy is a budding superstar. At 41, Mickelson wonders how long he can continue to compete for majors. At 36, the often-injured Woods is at a career crossroads.
| Masters |
| When » Thursday-Sunday |
| Where » Augusta (Ga.) National |
| TV » ESPN (Thu.-Fri.), |
| CBS (Sat.-Sun.) |
All three already have flashed brilliant stuff this year. At Pebble Beach, Mickelson defeated Woods in a final pairing stare-down. At Doral, McIlroy withstood a thrilling charge by Woods, who shot a final-round 62. Late last month at Bay Hill, Woods won by five strokes, the largest margin this year on the PGA Tour. They come to Augusta primed for success. Thus the anticipation for a possible Sunday showdown in which one or more could be in contention.
“Augusta is by far my favorite week of the year, the one I look forward to in the offseason,” Mickelson told reporters after tying for fourth at the Houston Open on Sunday. “I can’t believe it’s finally here. Three more days and we’re teeing it up for real, and I think every player is excited.”
Measuring up to last year, when Charl Schwartzel became the first player in Masters history to win with a birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie finish, will be difficult. The South African emerged in perhaps the greatest Sunday scramble ever at Augusta as eight players, including Woods, led or tied for the lead on the back nine.
“The amount of emotions that were going through my body, through my head, it was an unbelievable feeling. I wish I could put it in a bottle and keep it forever,” said Australian Jason Day, who tied for second. “Almost makes you want to cry because you were so close.”
There also are interesting storylines surrounding players seeking their first major championship. Luke Donald wants to prove worthy of his No. 1 ranking. No. 3 Lee Westwood is overdue after placing second or third in six of the last 15 majors. No. 4 Hunter Mahan will try to ride his momentum from capturing the Houston Open on Sunday. No. 5 Steve Stricker could be running out of time at age 45.
But the overwhelming reason for the high anticipation of this Masters is the recent play of the big three and the potential for a superstar showdown.
“If Tiger is playing great, it’s good for the game,” Day said. “Any player like Rory or Phil or Tiger that goes ahead, that wins this week, it would be great for the game of golf. But I’m going to do my best to try to stop them.”
