2011 Masters Preview

Until Phil Mickelson thumped the field to win the Shell Houston Open yesterday, there didn't appear to be a clear favorite for the first major of the year, this week's Masters. But after posting 20-under par to win by three, Mickelson has leaped to the forefront of the favorites.

Mickelson, the defending Masters champion, is coming off his best week of the year. There is a reason Mickelson has won three Masters tournaments - Augusta National favors a player who can hit high, soft fades into tight pin placements. As a lefty, Mickelson has a distinct advantage. For a right-handed player, as a majority of professionals are, the course sets up to require a right to left draw shot. This makes it difficult to stop approach shots close to the hole. On the other hand, a lefty like Mickelson can shape his shots from right to left using a high fade, which lands softer and makes it easier to fire in to those tight pin placements. This is part of the reason world #1 Martin Kaymer has struggled at Augusta, missing the cut all three times he's played there. Kaymer's natural shot is a draw, so he's been working on hitting the fade in preparation for the Masters. It's not there yet, and he feels he might still be a year away.

Watch for Bubba Watson this week. He's a lefty and a dynamo at shaping his shots. If his short game is there, the course could be a perfect fit for Bubba.

But the reason this tournament is so wide-open this year is because Augusta National tests every part of your game. Yes it favors bombers, but that hasn't stopped guys like Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman, relatively short hitters, from winning in recent years.

That's because you have to be dead on with your mid-irons; your short game has to be immaculate around Augusta's giant, speedy, undulating greens; and you will not win if you're not putting brilliantly this week.

So who are the favorites? Mickelson and last year's runner-up, Lee Westwood, have to be favored. Dustin Johnson, with his success in last year's majors, is a name that keeps popping up. He defintely has the length for the course, but his putting has been incosistent, especially in big moments when it counts. I have to see him actually do it one time before I can consider him a true favorite.

Rory McIlroy is another name that gets bantered around when talking about the Masters, but he's been largely absent this year from contending for tournaments. Maybe he's a darkhorse, because he certainly possesses the talent.

We've seen some flashes of the old Tiger, but what we haven't seen is four consistently good rounds. Maybe this is the week the four-time Masters champion puts it all together and wins his first major since 2008's epic at Torrey Pines.

And watch out for a guy like Luke Donald. The WGC-Accenture Matchplay winner has the total game to get it done at Augusta. Guys would pay big money for his short-game expertise, but whether he can be consistent off the tee with the driver will determine his fate this week.

It will take a lot to top Mickelson's 6-iron off the pine needles last year that propelled him to the win, but this field is certainly capable of making a magic moment.

With Phil eager to defend his title; Tiger ready to relaunch his march toward history; and Lee Westwood looking to storm through the door to his first major, the 2011 Masters may just be, one for the ages.