Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have brought extra attention from beyond the typical golf fans to the 76th Masters, but they are far from the only players with a chance to win the green jacket.
There’s an intensity at Augusta National Golf Club this week far beyond the heat that led flower blooms to fall early, diminishing the course’s natural beauty but removing none of the stern test offered by the year’s first Major. “With the top players winning big events and Tiger coming back into form, it has whipped up a bit of a frenzy,” World No. 3 Lee Westwood said.
Tension comes from an on-form field of top contenders that also includes World No. 1 Luke Donald, England’s Westwood, three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson, defending champion Charl Schwartzel and a host of others. “A lot of people can win this week,” McIlroy said. “There’s a lot of great people in this field and a lot of people with great chances to win. I’m just looking forward to hopefully getting in contention and giving myself a chance.” Westwood, a top-three finisher in five of the past 10 majors still seeking his first major title at 38, says nearly one-third of the field of 96 have a solid chance to capture the title. “You can narrow it down to 30 people probably whose games are suited,” he said. “Rory has never won here. Tiger has not won here since 2005. So I think everybody would have to be naive to think it was a two-horse race.
“I think Phil might have a little bit of something to say about that. Luke might. I might.” Woods, a 14-time major winner chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, snapped a 2 1/2-year US PGA win drought two weeks ago at Bay Hill but has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open.
