Who's gonna win? Masters 2010 preview

The first Major Championship of the year begins tomorrow at the storied Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. With all the distractions that have gone on off the course the last few months, its nice that the attention is now on golf.

Phil Mickelson has not gotten off to a promising start this year in Tiger's absence. He has 1 top 10 and has had at least 1 round in each tournament where he put up a monster number that took him out of contention. But at Augusta, where he has won 2 green jackets, Phil could be back in business by Sunday.

Tiger has looked a little rusty in the practice rounds this week, spraying drives left and right. Tiger has never been known to be deadly accurate off the tee, so he is going to have to rely on his irons and short game if hes going to win this week.

Ernie Els leads the Fed Ex Cup standings and has won twice already this year. If the Big Easy keeps up how hes been playing, hes gonna be in good shape.

The putting of Geoff Ogilvy is just outstanding. He averages 28.72 putts per round, more than 1 putt under tour average. With his short game, watch for him to be a contender this week.

Fred Couples has been lighting up the Champions Tour this year, becoming the first golfer to win three of the first four Champions Tour events he played in. He is not the longest guy in the field, but with a swing like his, there is no way he can't do what Tom Watson almost did last year at the Open Championship.

Defending Champion Angel Cabrera has gotten off to a rocky start of the 2010 season with only 1 top ten finish. If hes accurate, he could be in contention over the weekend.

Padriag Harrington has been playing well so far this year. Even though he has yet to win, hes been in contention on the weekend several times resulting in 2 top ten finishes. Look for him to be be in contention this weekend as well

My Pick: Geoff Ogilvy

Predict the winner in Comments

Tiger Woods to make return at The Masters

Tiger is back. He will return next month at The Masters. This will be Tiger's first tournament since his accident and subsequent fallout from last Thanksgiving.

The choice makes total sense from his standpoint. TMZ and the like do not have credentials to the Masters and won't be there to hound Tiger with questions not pertaining to golf. He may get some non-golf questions from the regular golf media but nothing that will make Tiger uncomfortable.

The fans are another distraction Tiger must face on his return. Another advantage for him in choosing the Masters is they are strict about golf etiquette. They will escort off the grounds anyone they deem is disrupting either other fans or the players. This is something only done at Augusta and no other PGA tournament or USGA tournament. No one will be yelling in Tiger's swing or chanting any obscenities. The following clause appears on the Masters website:

"In golf, customs of etiquette and decorum are just as important as rules governing play. It is appropriate for spectators to applaud successful strokes in proportion to difficulty but excessive demonstrations by a player or his partisans are not proper because of the possible effect upon other competitors."

"Most distressing to those who love the game of golf is the applauding or cheering of misplays or misfortunes of a player. Such occurrences have been rare at the Masters but we must eliminate them entirely if our patrons are to continue to merit their reputation as the most knowledgeable and considerate in the world."

Tigers return will do wonders for ratings for The Masters, which always usually have high ratings.

More on The Masters as it gets closer. Comments