A Tradition Unlike Any Other

Tomorrow marks one of the best days of the sports' calendar year. It is the beginning of the Masters, the greatest golf tournament in the world. As a matter of fact, my favorite part of the NCAA Basketball Tournament was seeing the commercials for the Masters with the voice of Jim Nantz and the image of Tiger Woods filling my living room. This also marks the beginning of a new baseball season and the emergence of warm weather. What more could anyone ask for?

This year's favorites are the usual suspects. Tiger Woods is listed at 2-1 odds to win, and after watching him in several tournaments this year, I would not at all be surprised if his was on top on Sunday. Woods has two wins in six events so far this year, but his accuracy and putting have been holding him back. Woods is 151st in driving accuracy heading into the tournament and 110th in putting average. His accuracy has been down the past few years, but he is usually reliable with the flat stick which is ultra important in Augusta. That being said, Woods has still hit 72.5% of GIR which is third on tour and shows that he still puts the ball on the green no matter where he drives it to. This will benefit him this weekend because the Masters does not feature extreme punishments for missing the fairways which means that he can bomb it as often as he wants because even if he is off, he can still hit the greens. His putting is another problem given that Augusta has historically slick greens which puts putting at a premium.

Phil Mickelson is coming off of one of the most dominating performances of recent memory at the Bell South. Mickelson finished at -28 which was 13 shots better than second place finisher Jose Maria Olazabal. Mickelson has his green jacket from the 2004 Masters, and he no longer has to deal with the pressure of being the best player not to have a major. He has a dynamite short game and imagination around the greens that can be valuable this weekend. The problems he has had in the past occur when he gets too greedy and gambles on shots which are nearly impossible to make. Mickelson is first in GIR and third in putting this year, and if he can stay out of trouble, he should be near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.

Woods and Mickelson are the two front runners heading into Thursday, but there are other candidates. Vijay Singh always has a chance, but his putter has let him down time and time again in big situations. Retief Goosen is possibly the best putter of fast greens on tour, but I still don't think he has fully recovered from last year's meltdown at the U.S. Open. Ernie Els rounds out the "Big 5," but Els has not won a significant tournament in some time, and he is still coming back from last year's knee surgery. These three men have the skills to compete, but in the end they all have shortcomings that will be exposed during the weekend.

I would not be completely shocked to see someone step up this year the way that Chris DiMarco did during the 2005 tournament. Sergio Garcia has been playing well, and he has the length and touch needed to be successful. Garcia could use a signature win, and the Masters would give him that. Luke Donald has been very consistent, and his mistake-free style of play could put him at the top as the other players lose shots. Rory Sabbatini may be the ultimate sleeper. His fast paced play and fiery demeanor could help him as he attempts to tackle one of the toughest courses around. He is 6th on tour in putting average, and he ranks #1 in overall money leaders. Sabbatini has the game to win, and if he keeps his cool, he will have a shot.

Ultimately I think that it comes down to Tiger and Phil. Both guys play so well at Augusta, and they are both hot to start this year. Mickelson would love to get his second green jacket, and he would love to win with Tiger close behind to prove that he can beat Tiger heads up. Unfortunately for him, Tiger plays the Masters better than anyone, and he has the added incentive of winning this one for his ailing father Earl. My pick is Tiger in a close one as Phil and possibly Sergio fall just short.