Three months into the season and it's finally time for the first major.
This one is definitely worth the wait, though.
Sure, the British Open might have more history and the U.S. Open is this country's national championship, but nothing quite compares to the tradition unlike any other that is the Masters.
And, to make your Augusta National experience even more exciting this year, Fantasy Golf is back on CBSSports.com, this time in the form of Majors Matchup.
Just like with our previous incarnation, you have an imaginary $1 million to spend on five golfers, who range in price from $75,000 to $300,000. The earnings those golfers make are converted into points for your Fantasy team, with additional bonuses awarded to the golfer leading after the first, second and third rounds.
Along with a season-long grand prize, we will be awarding prizes for the Fantasy champ in each major, so even if you forget to enter a tournament, you can still win something, including airfare from Southwest Airlines!
Enough of the small talk, let's get down to business here with a look at what it takes to succeed at Augusta, some of the players to watch and why, and a few tactical tips.
Firstly, the weather this week in eastern Georgia is expected to be absolutely perfect, with highs in the 80s. They did get some rain earlier this week, but that doesn't mean those trademark putting surfaces won't be as slick as they always are.
"The course looks to be in pretty much the same shape as last year," K.J. Choi told the Korean Herald. "Greens are fast and I'd need a good short game to put up low scores."
While a solid short game is certainly a huge help at this event, the course has been lengthened over the years, sitting at 7,435 yards for the time being. Being long off the tee certainly helped Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods win five of the last 10 Masters, but shorter hitters like Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson have also won in recent years, dispelling the myth that you need to pound the ball to contend here.
Looking over the stats from the last 10 years, hitting greens and making putts are the real keys at Augusta National. Only two of the last 10 winners have finished outside of the top five in putting, and no winner since 2002 has finished outside of the top 15 in putting average. On the other hand, with the lack of rough, keeping your drives on the fairways hasn't been nearly as important.
For your information, here are the top 10 putters and greens in regulation guys in the field (stats year to date):
Putting
1. Nick Watney; 2. Brandt Snedeker; 3. Matt Kuchar; 4. Lucas Glover; 5. Steve Stricker; 6. Rickie Fowler 7. Kevin Na; 8. Anthony Kim; 9. Ben Crane; 10. David Toms
Greens
1. Ben Crane; 2. Bubba Watson; 3. Justin Rose; 4. Mark Wilson; 5. Bill Haas; 6. Heath Slocum; 7. Ernie Els; 7.Gary Woodland; 8. David Toms; 9. Stewart Cink; 10. Dustin Johnson.
As you can see, two names appear in both of those lists: Crane and Toms, so they are certainly names to consider in this first tournament of our Majors Matchup competition. Here are some others not named Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods I suggest you shouldn't forget about, either:
The Hot Dogs
Luke Donald ($293,500): Match Play champ also finished in top 10 at Honda and Cadillac ... also can't forget two runner-up finishes and T15 during last year's FedEx Cup Playoffs ... second in scoring average this season and fifth in scrambling, which helps make up for lack of length ... two MCs and a T38 in last three trips here.
Nick Watney ($261,000): Third favorite behind Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods ... four top-10s in five stroke play events this season, including win at Doral ... leads tour in birdies, scoring and all-around ranking ... never finished outside of top-10 in three trips to Augusta National (seventh last year).
Martin Laird ($235,000): Comes in off three straight top-10s, including win at Bay Hill ... plenty of length off the tee (sixth) and is 15th in putting ... stats are great, but this is his first trip to Augusta National, which might scare people away.
Aaron Baddeley ($173,250): Having best start to a season since his stellar 2007 campaign ... three top-10s, including fourth last week in Houston ... his stats project well for Masters success, as he hits ball far, puts it on the green and makes putts ... T17 here in 2009.
Gary Woodland ($75,000): Winner in Tampa also has top-10s at Bob Hope, Phoenix and Honda Classic and finished T13 last week ... like Baddeley, stats appear to be perfect for Augusta National (eighth in driving, 16th in greens and 25th in putting average) ... a Masters rookie like Laird, however.
The Horses for Courses
Ian Poulter ($257,750): Hasn't finished outside of the top 25 in last four years ... finished T10 in 2010 after opening with back-to-back 68s before fading on the weekend ... not playing great golf in 2011 though, with just one top-10 in a full-field PGA Tour event (Bay Hill) ... 71st in greens and 85th in putting.
Hunter Mahan ($254,500): His three starts here might be a small sample size, but can't discount back-to-back top-10 finishes last two years ... already has five top-10 finishes under his belt in 2011 ... sixth in the all-around ranking, eighth in birdies and 17th in ball striking ... in prime position for first major title.
Geoff Ogilvy ($218,750): Has never missed a cut in five Masters trips, with four top-30 finishes ... some decent results in 2011, but is hitting just 63.16 percent of his greens (149th) ... clearly hasn't been an issue for him at Augusta, however ... his great putting has saved him over last few seasons.
Vijay Singh ($186,250): Missed the cut last year and finished T30 in 2009, but Fijian had stretch of eight top-20s in a row from 2001-08 ... got off to great start in 2011 before fading last month with two MCs and no top-20s ... needs to improve ball striking and putting though if he's going to contend.
Jerry Kelly ($75,000): Form has been all over the place in 2011 with three top-15s, two MCs and a WD (back, Puerto Rico) ... however, has three top-20s in his last three visits here, including a T5 in 2007 ... sixth in fairways, which will make up for lack of pop, and is putting superbly (15th).
Sneaky Other Cats
Lee Westwood ($296,750): Not playing great golf this season, but knows what to do at majors ... will be desperate to do one better than last year's runner-up finish.
Steve Stricker ($274,000): Form here in 10 starts has been a roller coaster with three top-20s and five MCs ... quietly using hot putter in sneaky good 2011 start with three top-10s and no MCs.
Matt Kuchar ($270,750): 2010 trip (T24) here was first since 2002 ... superb hitter of greens and putts will need to be spot on to overcome lack of length off tee.
Rory Sabbatini ($189,500): After slow start, has been playing great over last month ... won Honda Classic and finished T2 here in 2007.
Fred Couples ($75,000): Playing well on Champions Tour and finished T7 at Riviera ... sixth-place finish in '10 is one of three top-10s in last seven trips.
My Lineups
Studs and Duds: Donald, Mickelson, Watney, Woodland, Kelly
Spread
The Love: Laird, Ogilvy, Singh, Crane, Baddeley
Good luck to you all!