The Masters are finally set to get started on Thursday from Augusta National Golf Club after the fun and exciting Par 3 Contest and now all the top golfers are ready to start their quest to capture the first major of the season, including favorites Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy as well as defending champion Bubba Watson.
Mickelson is heading into Augusta with a plan in hand, as he is not planning on using a driver at the major and instead will use a modified 3-wood in an attempt to get more distance on his shots. Lefty spoke about the club a couple weeks ago while playing in Houston and the new club fits to USGA guidelines, allowing him to utilize it Augusta.
Mickelson has already won once on tour this season in Phoenix and he started practicing for the Masters early, taking in a round on Sunday with one of the clubs new members in former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The 42-year-old has won the Masters three times, including in 2010, and he is looking to get another green jacket to tie with Tiger Woods for career wins at the Masters.
Mickelson has been one of the best players at Augusta for his career and he has finished outside the top 10 just twice since 2000 and is expecting to do that again this year. Rory McIlroy will be looking for a solid run as well after coming in second place at the Texas Open on Sunday and after a rough start to the year he will be looking to fully turn the corner. He missed the cut at Abu Dhabi and was eliminated at match play before quitting and walking off at the Honda Classic, adding to the idea that he is having a hard time with his new Nike clubs.
McIlroy's best finish at Augusta was 15th in 2011, but the 23-year-old former number one golfer will be looking to improve on that. Playing the Par 3 loosened him up since his girlfriend was playing as his caddie and he now has the chance to add another major over the weekend if he can play well.
For the first day of action on Thursday, the television coverage will be on ESPN from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will be the same on Friday when the action picks up. The weekend will see coverage turn to broadcast on CBS, while ESPN also aired the Par 3 Tournament on Wednesday. The gates at Augusta open up at 7:30 in the morning and coverage of round one will be all day online and on the radio.
Tiger Woods is paired with Luke Donald and Scott Piercy in the first round, while McIlroy will play in the afternoon with Keegan Bradley and Fredrik Jacobson. Mickelson will be with Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer, while Watson is with U.S. Amateur champion Steve Fox and Ian Poulter.
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