Starting Thursday, the top golfers from around the world will take their talents to Augusta, Georgia, in their annual attempt to conquer golf's greatest and most prestigious challenge: The Masters, played, as always, at Augusta National Golf Club. This year, three-time champion Phil Mickleson will be looking to defend his title and match Tiger Woods by winning his fourth Green Jacket. But as has been the case since Tiger's "transgressions", the young guns on the PGA Tour will be looking to make a splash on the sport's biggest stage.
As always, most fans will be paying attention to the marquee names, such as Woods, Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington, and Steve Stricker. All except Westwood and Stricker have major championships to their credit, and thus have the game and the experience to get the job done and wear the Green Jacket come Sunday evening.
Some twentysomethings to keep an eye on include 2010 PGA Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Anthony Kim, and Hunter Mahan (Ryo Ishikawa would fall into this category, but he's technically not a twentysomething). Some (like Watney and Johnson) have contended in major championships recently, and will look to use their prior pressure-packed expreiences to finally reach the top of the mountain.
Then, there's a crop of players, such as Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Ross Fisher, Paul Casey, and Ian Poulter, who have Tour wins to their credit, but are looking to break through to the elite class of the golfing world. These guys are looking to play the role Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman played in 2007 and 2008: solid veterans who finally broke through on golf's biggest stage.
Who do I like to win? Though it's equally tempting to pick guys like Woods and Mickelson, or young up-starts like Fowler and McIlroy, I'm going to pick defending PLAYERS Champion Tim Clark. The 35 year-old South African has had some success in the past at Augusta, finishing second alone behind Mickelson in 2006. I except Clark to build on winning golf's "Fifth Major" last year into a Major victory on Sunday.
What I'm Listening To: Will Hoge -- Hard to Love. He finished recording his most recent studio album "The Wreckage" after being hit by a van while riding his scooter in Nashville, and recovering from multiple broken bones, lacerations, and subsequent reconstructive surgeries and rehab sessions. Truly a great story.
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