2011 Masters Picks

I've said it before and I'm saying it again - trying to pick the winner of a golf tournament is more difficult than any other sport. Going through the list of participants for this year's Masters, I came up with 27 players I think have a legitimate chance at winning. And that doesn't even include recent major winners like Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, and Lucas Glover, nor does it include three of the last four Masters winners - Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, and Zach Johnson. How crazy is that?

Watch 30 minutes of coverage this week and you get 30 different interpretations by the "experts." You have to be a long hitter. No, wait, you don't. Iron play is critical. No, putting is more important. Really, it's anybody's guess. And that's exactly what I'm doing here, but still having fun with it. I mean, with a major tournament that's this wide open, it's going to have to be one heckuva good weekend!

So before I burst a blood vessel trying to analyze and scrutinize who's got what it takes to win, I'll leave my "guesses" below. Have some fun with it and leave yours in the comments section.

Favorite - Phil Mickelson - after winning in convincing fashion last week, the defending champ is the odds on favorite (at least according to Vegas: 7 to 1).

Darkhorse - Miguel Angel Jiminez - great ballstriker, savvy veteran, looking to cap stellar career with first major.

Surprise to miss the cut - Steve Stricker - inconsistent year so far, although coming off good performance last week at Shell Houston Open. Putting usually best part of game, but falls short this week.

Top "old guy" - First Greg Norman at the '08 British Open, then Tom Watson at the '09 British Open. Which grizzly vet will make a run this week? '12 Ryder Cup Captains Jose Maria Olazabal and Davis Love III give preview of what's to come, battle it out for top-20 finish.

Contender - Hunter Mahan - getting closer and playing well this year - he'll be in the hunt.

Champion - Aaron Baddeley - rejuvenated Aussie has been playing brilliant golf this season, especially since dumping the stack and tilt swing. Best finish at Augusta is a T17 in '09, but he's a whole new player this year. Plus, he's the best player who's still flying under the media radar.

Masters coverage starts Thursday at 3pm on ESPN. Or you can go to masters.com to watch extended coverage online, including featured groups, Amen Corner, and holes 15 and 16.

Check here for the list of invitees and leave your picks below! http://www.masters.com/en_US/players/invitees_2011.html