The Masters

The first major in golf is here and it is the most prestigious of them all: The Masters. Before we get into previewing the event, let's recap 2014 on the PGA Tour:

1. Tiger Woods is injured. That's been a common theme for the last 8 years or so, but this will be his first time missing the Masters since he was young.

2. Three players can take over #1 in the world with a win this week. Adam Scott would need a two-way tie for third (or better) to take over. Henrik Stenson would need a two-way tie for second (or better) to get to #1. Jason Day would need to win.

3. Lots of new winners. I'm not looking at the exact stats, but we are seeing some new blood at the top of some of these tourneys. One such player is Patrick Reed, who won a big WGC event.

4. And in the biggest event thus far in 2014, Jason Day won the WGC Match Play Championship.

So that sets the stage for the first major of the year. For those of you not familiar with the golf course, you will hear all weekend that the back nine on Sunday is when the real tournament starts. Here are some of the key holes:

11 - 13, nicknamed "Amen Corner" - This consists of a tough par 4 and par 3, then a very important reachable par 5. Getting through 11 and 12 unscathed is important, but taking advantage of 13 is vital. NOTE: Look up Phil Mickelson's second shot at 13 in 2010 if you want to see excitement.

15 - Similar to 13, this is a reachable par 5 that needs to be birdied or better to keep pace with the field and the leaders... especially on Sunday. Last year, it was a bad break hitting the flag stick and rolling into the water that led to Tiger's penalized drop. I think that made headlines...

16 - This par 3 can play difficult depending on the pin location. But the Sunday pin location makes for excitement as we will see bogeys, birdies, and even a likely hole-in-one. NOTE: Look up Tiger Wood's chip in on this hole on youtube (2005). My favorite shot of the Masters, ever.

18 - The finishing hole in any tournament is important, but this one can play brutal if into the wind. Players will likely be satisfied with a par with the difficult wind (like in 2013), and the Sunday pin is placed in a gully with lots of turns.

Now let's break down the field:

Pick 5 Challenge

We'll begin with our picks in our weekly "Pick 5 Challenge". For those who are not familiar, for each PGA Tour event we pick 5 players in different categories who we think will do well. Andrew leads the competition so far this year 272 to 262. This week our categories are based on age. We must pick one player in each of these age ranges: Under 25, 25-30, 30-35, 35-40, and 40+. Here are our picks:

Greg's Picks

Under 25: Jordan Spieth (20)
25-30: Jason Day (26)
30-35: Adam Scott (33)
35-40: Zach Johnson (38)
Over 40: Lee Westwood (40)

Andrew's Picks

Under 25: Rory McIlroy (24)
25-30: Charl Schwartzel (29)
30-35: Sergio Garcia (34)
35-40: Matt Kuchar (35)
Over 40: Phil Mickelson (43)

Intriguing Pairings

McDowell/Fowler/Walker - McDowell is a grizzled vet and he's paired with young talents Fowler and Walker. Fans would love it if this group was making a charge.

Scott/Dufner/Fitzpatrick - Adam Scott is the defending champ and highest ranked player in the field. Dufner is one of the best players in the country as well. And Fitzpatrick is the defending US Amateur Champ. Should be fun.

Spieth/Reed/McIlroy - This is the group I'd follow if I was attending. All young, all exciting, and all winners.

Day/D. Johnson/Stenson - Day and Stenson each can take over #1 in the world this week. And Dustin is still searching for that first major after so many close calls.

Watson/Donald/Garcia - Bubba won this tourney a couple years ago. Donald and Garcia have both hovered around the top of the game for years. Will it be the year for any of them?

Mickelson/Els/Rose - This is the old group (although Rose isn't too old). And any group with Phil at the Masters is marquee

Like always, let us know your thoughts. Feel free to pick five guys yourself and compete against us. Let us know what you are looking forward to always. And don't miss the action, particularly on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!

By: The Sports Guys