The perennial allure of the Masters, which takes place from April 5-8 at Augusta National, has been ratcheted up several notches following Tiger Woods' long awaited victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.
The former world number one ended a 30-month title drought on the PGA Tour with his five-shot triumph at Bay Hill, signaling he is back to vintage form at the best possible time.
Always eagerly anticipated as the first of the year's four majors, the 76th Masters has whetted the appetite of fans and players alike perhaps more than ever before because of its rich promise.
Golf's leading exponents strive to peak for each of the sport's blue riband events and, with Woods now back in the winner's circle, all the signs indicate next week's edition could be the most competitive yet.
A rejuvenated Woods will be hunting his fifth green jacket at a venue where he has always felt extremely comfortable, as has fellow American Phil Mickelson who will be bidding for his fourth victory there amid the spectacular Georgian pines.
U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, now a major winner, will be seeking redemption 12 months after a nightmarish final-round meltdown in which he squandered a four-shot overnight lead with a closing 80.
World number one Luke Donald and fellow Briton Lee Westwood, who have become regular contenders in the game's biggest events, will each be chasing a first major title, as will Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day, joint runners-up last year.
The list of potential winners next week does not stop there.
Veterans such as Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk, PGA Tour winners like Hunter Mahan, Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose, plus a host of younger guns led byRickie Fowler and Ryo Ishikawa, are all capable of flourishing at Augusta.
Hardly surprisingly, though, Woods has been installed as a 4-1 favorite by British bookmakers Ladbrokes to win his 15th major title next week.
"He's always a force to be reckoned with when he's not playing his best golf, and obviously he's playing a lot of good golf right now," Britain's Ian Poulter told reporters.
"He's got a lot of his game back and once he starts rolling putts in, he's dangerous so he's going to be a force for everybody at Augusta."
COMFORT FACTOR
Woods could hardly pick a venue where he feels more at home, given the relative lack of rough and its slick, heavily contoured greens which place a premium on a razor-sharp short game.
He is ideally suited to the par-72 layout, which was stretched to a formidable 7,445 yards for the 2006 Masters, making it the second-longest course in major golf at the time.
Woods still ranks among the longest hitters, has a superbly creative short game and tied for fourth in his last two starts at Augusta despite his well publicized problems.
"Hopefully everything comes together for that one week," Woods said after clinching his 72nd PGA Tour victory. "I understand how to play Augusta, and it's just a matter of executing the game plan."
Left-hander Mickelson, Masters champion in 2004, 2006 and 2010, is rated at 10-1, generous odds for a player who very nearly won consecutive titles on the PGA Tour this season.
He upstaged playing partner Woods as he charged to a two-shot victory at last month's Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, then lost out to compatriot Bill Haas in a three-way playoff for the Northern Trust Open the following week.
Just like Woods, short game magician Mickelson has always loved playing at Augusta where accurate driving ranks relatively low on the "must-do-well" recipe for success.
"I just have this ease going to Augusta, because you don't have to be perfect there," said the Californian. "You can make mistakes. You can make some loose swings and still have a shot to get close to the green and let my short game make par."
South African Charl Schwartzel will defend the title he won by two strokes last year when he became the first champion to birdie the last four holes.
"That was something very special," he said. "The biggest challenge for me this year is that there are going to be more eyes on me, people wanting to see whether I can live up to the challenge.
"That's something I have to get in my head not to worry about. I have to go out there and treat it as a new tournament."
