From Tiger and Phil to sleeper picks, here’s everything you need to know

The primary main of the 12 months is right here, and the anticipation for this 12 months’s Masters couldn’t be increased.

Between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson being again, the primary assembly of LIV Golf and PGA Tour gamers at Augusta Nationwide Nation Membership, in addition to Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy persevering with to play scorching potato with the No. 1 world rating, there are many compelling storylines because the golf world descends on the game’s most well-known venue.

Here is what to look at for in Georgia this week:

What can we count on from Tiger this week?

Mark Schlabach: Final 12 months, Tiger hadn’t performed competitively in 508 days and confirmed up on the Masters and made his twenty third consecutive reduce. He performed effectively over the primary 36 holes, however the chilly climate caught up along with his surgically repaired proper leg and again, making probably the most troublesome walks in all of golf even harder. He carded a 6-over 78 in every of the final two rounds, his worst rating on the Masters. He appeared higher bodily on the Genesis and mentioned his proper leg is stronger than it was a 12 months in the past, however he is nonetheless being bothered by his proper ankle. I believe he’ll make the reduce once more as a result of he is aware of the course higher than anybody else within the area. I believe a top-25 end is not utterly out of the query for Tiger, however I might discover it troublesome to imagine he can do higher than that.

Paolo Uggetti: Given what we noticed at Riviera, the place Tiger appeared a bit extra snug strolling whereas his recreation confirmed loads of promising flashes, I believe making the reduce would be the low bar that he ought to have the ability to clear. In a super world, the five-time champion would have had a minimum of yet another look earlier than arriving on the Masters, however well being is extra paramount than guaranteeing his recreation is sharp. If Tiger can succeed at anywhere with only one aggressive match underneath his belt, it is Augusta. Even when the stroll is harder than most programs, the nice and cozy climate ought to assist him, and I might enterprise to guess he’s going to get an early begin Thursday and an extended break earlier than his second spherical Friday. I will not go so far as to say he’ll contend, nevertheless it must be one other promising step on this new stage of his profession.

What can we count on from Phil this week?

Schlabach: Given the best way Mickelson performed within the majors final 12 months and what he did in LIV Golf’s first three tournaments this season, ending twenty seventh in Mexico, thirty second in Tucson, Arizona, and forty first in Orlando, Florida, I would not count on a lot of something. He is not taking part in effectively and hasn’t shortly, and it should be a circus round him in Augusta. Mickelson will not handle the media in a proper information convention earlier than the Masters begins Thursday, so there’s going to be a microscope on him throughout observe and the early rounds, after he skipped this occasion, which he has received 3 times, in 2022. There’ll nonetheless be some patrons cheering for him.

Uggetti: I truthfully do not know. Mickelson has appeared like a shell of himself — figuratively and actually — since bolting for LIV, and his efficiency finally 12 months’s U.S. Open (the final main he participated in) was notably poor. Since thumbs-upping his means out of that match, Mickelson has proven completely no indicators of life in any of LIV’s occasions, persistently ending close to the underside of the leaderboard. He has completed twenty seventh or worse in eight of his 10 appearances. Then once more, Mickelson is a previous winner right here, and it could be some sort of darkish twist to the entire PGA Tour-LIV Golf saga if he by some means turned again the clock and competed this week.

Talking of the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf, how a lot of the feud goes to be on show?

Schlabach: I do not assume it should be as a lot of a storyline as anticipated as a result of everybody goes to be on their greatest habits at Augusta Nationwide. The LIV Golf gamers are most likely going to be sporting their staff logos on shirts and hats, so the elephant within the room is not going to be utterly invisible. I simply do not know what number of of LIV Golf’s 18 members are going to be actual contenders. Australia’s Cameron Smith, who tied for second in 2020 and tied for third final 12 months, has performed effectively right here. He hasn’t performed a lot this season, although, and his type hasn’t been nice these days, ending twenty sixth in Tucson and twenty ninth in Orlando. Previous champions Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed have not performed a lot, both. Brooks Koepka received the Orlando occasion and is immediately taking part in higher. With the LIV Golf League inserting such an emphasis on the staff competitors — go RangeGoats! — can they merely flip the change and get again to taking part in as people? And end 72 holes? Chances are high one or two of them will likely be on the leaderboard Sunday, although.

Uggetti: All of it relies upon, however I believe it is going to ebb and movement relying on the match’s outcomes and what gamers say on the rostrum. The pairings and the Champions Dinner will definitely convey it into the limelight, however I believe as soon as the match begins, the one means it is going to develop into part of the weekend’s story is that if LIV gamers are in rivalry. With 18 LIV gamers within the area, that is very a lot in play, and it will likely be fascinating to look at how Augusta, the patrons and the remainder of the gamers react to the potential of a LIV participant profitable the game’s greatest match.

Who’s your darkish horse decide for the week?

Schlabach: It is most likely not an excessive amount of of a stretch to say {that a} man who completed runner-up in his first Masters look and tied for eighth in his third could be a darkish horse, however I am undecided there are too many individuals selecting Sungjae Im to win a inexperienced jacket this week. In 2020, the South Korean grew to become the primary Asian participant to complete runner-up, and he held the first-round lead two years later. Im has received two occasions on tour and loves taking part in at Augusta Nationwide. Im does not hit the ball particularly far off the tee, however he retains it within the fairway and has a strong all-around recreation.

Uggetti: It looks like each large match nowadays goes to be received by both Scheffler, McIlroy or Rahm, which makes it troublesome to look past them to search out an surprising winner. I will take Jason Day. He is clearly been trending in the fitting path — 5 top-10s prior to now six tournaments and 11 top-20 finishes this season — and it seems the swing modifications he has made have paid dividends. Day has missed the reduce prior to now two Masters he has performed in, however he completed top-5 in 2019. A win at Augusta could be a becoming, storybook-like method to cap what has been an extended, up-and-down street again to the highest of the sport.

Who’re you undoubtedly not selecting this week?

Schlabach: Patrick Cantlay is likely one of the greatest gamers on this planet, particularly with a driver in his hand. However his efficiency in main championships is perplexing, to say the least. He has just one top-5 end in a significant — a tie for third on the 2019 PGA Championship — and one top-10 on the Masters, a tie for ninth in 2019. The sunshine change goes to go off for Cantlay in some unspecified time in the future and he will contend for a significant championship. I simply do not assume it should be this week.

Uggetti: Will Zalatoris. This might seem like a poor alternative looking back, provided that Zalatoris has proved to be a supremely higher participant when taking part in in majors, however be it damage or placing woes, Zalatoris has struggled this season. After ending tied for eleventh on the Sentry Event of Champions, Zalatoris completed tied for thirty sixth and missed the reduce earlier than ending fourth at Riviera. Previously three tournaments, nevertheless, Zalatoris has completed tied for 53rd, 73rd and tied for 59th. Much more damning, Zalatoris is ranked 137th in strokes gained placing one 12 months after ending 103rd in the identical stat final season.