The 76th annual Masters Tournament commences this Thursday, April 5, 2012, on August National, and is considered by many as the most-anticipated Masters in history. While world ranking players are en route for the tournament the week, including last year's winner Charl Schwartzel and No. 1 ranked player Luke Donald, the burning question among golf enthusiasts is whether Tiger Woods will return to major championship form. Woods has had good performances at The Masters in the past, but no official PGA Tour victories in over 2 years, until recently winning his seventh title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The win, less than a month ago, instantly gave credence to the notion that Woods was once again a favorite for a fifth green jacket. Watch Tiger Woods tee off on Thursday at 10:35 a.m. ET.
World-ranked No. 2 professional golfer Rory McIlroy dominated the 2011 Masters for three rounds, but a disastrous drive at the 10th, which came to rest seemingly in someone's backyard, resulted in McIlroy falling into a tie for 15th. Recently, McIlroy crushed the field in a victory at the U.S. Open at Congressional, which was the launching point to the top of the world rankings, albeit a brief one. McIlroy was No. 1 for just two weeks after he won this year's Transitions Championship. With his form, McIlroy is a clear choice at Augusta this year.
A list of favorites for The Masters has to include Phil Mickelson because he's won the title three times (the green jackets came in 2004, 2006 and 2010). At the Pebble Beach Invitational, and paired in the final round with Woods, Mickelson made every putt spanning the California coastline. Mickelson had a good showing this past weekend with a tie for fourth in his Houston Open title defense.
With these three contenders, The Masters is set up for a wildly entertaining tournament this year!
Tune in to the official Masters Tournament site for live coverage, and watch for more updates on the tour from the WGT Blog.