Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Top Five
|
||||
 Fred Couples will be looking to rebound at the Masters after missing his first cut ever in the event last year (PHOTO: Eddie Meeks). This is indeed a sacred week. The first night of Passover is Wednesday, Easter is on Sunday, and golf fans have arguably the holiest of the holy — the Masters. I have already taken a look at 10 Southern Californians in the field at Augusta National, with Southland natives Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the clear favorites (the odds on Woods winning are less than two to one, and Mickelson’s odds are about seven to one). Since 2001, that dynamic duo has accounted for all but three Masters titles, with the other three champions – Trevor Immelman (2008), Zach Johnson (2007) and Mike Weir (2003) – seemingly coming out of nowhere to capture their Green Jackets. I’ll be watching the Masters as much as I can and posting my thoughts on Twitter. Check it out if you haven’t already. Besides the obvious attention on Tiger and Phil, here are the five things I’ll be keeping an eye on throughout Masters week. 1. Who’s the next Immelman? Prior to winning at Augusta in ’08, Immelman missed four cuts in eight PGA Tour events and finished no better than T40 in a stroke-play event. The young South African’s talent was never in doubt, but if there were ever a time for pundits to predict the timing of his first major, it wasn’t last April. So, who can emulate Immelman in 2009 and break through without much momentum? My pick is Aussie Aaron Baddeley, whose talent is huge but whose game has been small so far in 2009 (no top-10 finishes, missed cut in Houston last week). 2. What will Danny Lee do? Lee’s last amateur romp will be at the Masters, an event he qualified for by virtue of his convincing triumph at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship. The Korea native and New Zealand resident is fearless and talented, and he’s got to be the favorite to garner low amateur honors especially after beating reigning British Amateur champ Reiner Saxton in the Georgia Cup last week. But many — including outspoken World Golf Hall of Fame member and NBC Sports golf analyst Johnny Miller — think Lee has what it takes to contend for the title. 3. Can Fred Couples contend for old time's sake? The winner of the 1992 Masters, the 49-year-old Couples is a chic pick to play well at Augusta regardless of age — his parachute fade shots can hold the treacherous greens, his jab putting stroke can still die the ball into the hole, and his prodigious length remains. Last year marked the first time he missed the cut, and I think that has to be on his mind this year. Couples challenged for the Green Jacket as recently as 2006, playing in the final group and finishing tied for third, and he’s contended at two events this season. 4. What will scoring be like? Since Augusta National was stretched to over 7,400 yards in 2006, only 23 players have finished under par in the three editions of the Masters — including none in 2007, when tough conditions amplified the layout’s difficulty. Many writers and fans have longed for the days when it was more common for golfers to make weekend charges thanks to a pair of reachable par 5s on the back nine and some par 4s that were easier to attack when the tees were shorter. Rain could soften the greens (it’s forecasted for Friday, with a chance of rain on Sunday), but it also could soften the fairways, meaning less roll off the tee and longer approaches. Whatever the conditions, I hope it makes for a fair and exciting event. 5. Which country will break through first: Australia, Ireland or Sweden? No player from any of these countries has ever won the Masters. This year, four of the top nine players in the world hail from one of these nations — Geoff Ogilvy (Australia, 4), Padraig Harrington (5, Ireland), Henrik Stenson (8, Sweden) and Robert Karlsson (9, Sweden) — and none can be discounted as a contender this week. Earlier this year, I picked Karlsson to win at Augusta, and while I think it will be tough for anybody to top Woods or Mickelson, I think the 6-foot-5 Swede has a chance. Remember to follow my Masters thoughts on Twitter! |
||||
RSS Subscribe
