2013 Masters Preview

Finally, the moment all golf fanatics have been waiting for since that first windy kick-off weekend at Kapalua has arrived!  Golf’s first major is underway at Augusta National Golf Club for the 77^th edition of The Masters.  As the media days kicked off on Tuesday, Tiger Woods, the huge favorite, looked comfortable answering questions about his game and the course.  Tiger noted that the course was in excellent shape and he hopes for a firm, fast track.

Augusta National isn’t the most challenging track on TOUR but it certainly requires a lot of skill and experience to win here.  Newbies may have some trouble navigating the course so the proper gameplan is critical.  Birdies/eagles on the par 5s are essential to scoring well given the significant challenges that lie on the 10 par 4s. Last year Masters champion Bubba Watson went 8-under (averaging 4.50) with nine birdies, six pars and a bogey on the quartet of par 5s.

As in previous years, the par 4s will present the biggest challenge to Green Jacket hopefuls. Augusta National ranked T2 among all courses played in 2012 on the par 4s at 4.20 while the par 3s averaged 3.14, tied for seventh-most difficult last year.

Defending champion Bubba Watson broke down in tears (again) when talking about his wrapping his son in his green jacket.  As you may recall, Bubba wept after sinking the put that clinched victory last year.  Bubba says he is humbled and honored to be back at the grounds that he claimed the greatest victory of his career.

Rory McIlroy took his turn in the hot seat on Tuesday where he was asked about being a “rival to Tiger”.  Rory said, “His record, when you speak of rivals … you tend to put rivals who have had similar success. He’s got 77 PGA Tour (wins); I’ve got six. He’s got 14 majors; I’ve got two. If I saw myself a rival to Tiger, I wouldn’t really be doing him much justice.”

A chance for rain and thunderstorms threaten the area Thursday and Friday and the wind is expected to gust quite a bit. Cooler temperatures will extend into a mostly dry weekend when the highs may barely hit 75 degrees.

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Want to hear more about our predictions for The 2013 Masters? Check out our Fantasy Golf Predictions page for all the odds, insights, and potential results for this week’s major event.

Golficity’s Pick: Tiger Woods

(Cover Photo Credit)