by Robert McIntosh
This weekend, one of golf’s legendary tournaments takes place in Augusta, Georgia. While the PGA Tour season has been underway for some time now, for many fans The Masters represents the unofficial start of the season. As the first Major Championship of the year, it holds a special place in many golfers’ hearts. No golfer is more excited than Phil Mickelson. Mickelson expressed this sentiment just before the start of this year’s tournament.
“To be in the thick of it, to feel that excitement. To grace Amen Corner knowing you need birdies and trying to win a green jacket, that is the greatest thrill a golfer can possibly experience.”
Mickelson, along with many other golfers playing this weekend, hope to earn the privilege of wearing the green jacket. In order to do so, the winner will have to “master” Augusta National’s fairways and greens.
Heading into the tournament, the player most poised to make such a run seems to be Tiger Woods. After three early season wins, he’s regained the number one ranking on the PGA Tour for the first time since October 2010. While his game has been coming together at the right time, it has been five years since he last won a major. Will he be able to pull it off this year and put a cap on his comeback?
While Woods is the clear favorite, there is no reason to discount the likes of Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, and last year’s recipient of the green jacket, Bubba Watson. All four have an excellent chance of being declared the tournament’s winner on Sunday. But, keep an eye on the lefties; left-handed hitters have won five of the last ten tournaments.
There are many story lines to follow in this year’s Masters Tournament, but none greater than the Masters itself. Clifford Roberts couldn’t have said it better about the course he and Bobby Jones founded together.
“While we may not have expected it originally, we have created a tournament of such importance that we are bound to see that it continues.”
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