Augusta National Golf Club: 7,435 yards, par 72

Today through Sunday

Defending champion: Adam Scott

72-hole record: Tiger Woods (270, 18-under, 1997)

CBS: Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo, David Feherty, Ian Baker-Finch, Verne Lundquist, Peter Kostis

Weather: 78 high today, 79 tomorrow, 80 over the weekend, no rain. Wind WSW 8 MPH today; SW 12 MPH Friday; SSE 5 MPH on Saturday; and SSE 8 MPH on Sunday.

TV times: Today-Friday: ESPN:  3-7:30 PM ET/2-6:30 CT; Saturday: CBS: 3-7 PM ET/2-6 CT; Sunday: CBS: 2-7 PM ET/1-6 CT

Marquee groups today:

9:35 AM ET: Graeme McDowell, Rickie Fowler, JimmyWalker

10:41 AM ET: Adam Scott, Jason Dufner, Matthew Fitzpatrick (amateur)

1:04 PM ET: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson;

1:15 PM ET: Bubba Watson, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia

1:48 PM ET: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Justin Rose

Key holes:

Back side of Augusta on Sunday:

No.10: Camelia-495 yards, Par-4

Historically the most difficult hole on the course. Rory McIlroy saw his hopes of winning his first Green Jacket at 21, dashed on this hole as he snap hooked his drive into the trees. It’s a bit shorter than the yardage thanks to a downhill layout, but it’s tough. The dogleg left prevents the longer hitters from hitting driver as a straight drive from a long hitter is trouble on the right with a massive collection of trees although Bubba Watson executed a miracle shot out of the trees in 2012 to win his first Green Jacket in a playoff over Louis Oosthuizen. Most players will try to shape the ball right to left around the bend and avoid running it through the fairway. The second shot provides very little margin for error. There is a large bunker  to the right in front of the green, which is a very difficult up and down if you find it, and long or left will leave you a highly challenging up and down. The green slopes from right to left and is very challenging to read. Par is good; birdie is very helpful.

No.11: White Dogwood-505 yards, Par-4

The start of Amen Corner. The longest Par-4 on the course, and to me, the hardest hole. The dogleg right and overhanging trees on the right means the players need to shape the ball from left to right, in other words, a cut is needed here. Water surrounds the left and the back of the green with a bunker on the back right. Players can miss short right, but that doesn’t leave an easy up and down. Most players will try to shape the ball from right-to-left and stay far away from the water on Sunday to try and escape with an up and down par or a two-putt par.

No.12: Golden Bell-155 yards-Par 3

The second hole at Amen Corner is also  the most famous par-3 in all of golf. The short 12th is historically the third hardest hole on the course. Wind is often a huge factor on the hole, making the club choice critical as one of the biggest keys to success. Rae’s Creek guards the front of the hole with one front bunker and two in the back. Many will target the center of the green and be happy with a two-putt par.

No.13: Azalea-510 yards, Par-5

The final hole of Amen Corner provides a bit of a reprieve from the first two, but it’s a high risk-reward hole. With a good tee shot, many players will be able to attack the Par-5 in two. But in order to do that, the players need to shape the ball right to left on the severe dogleg left. If they do it successfully, they will have a mid to long iron into the green. A tributary of Rae’s Creek runs along the left of the fairway and the front of the green with four large bunkers guarding the back of the green. Historically, the hole plays as the second easiest on the course and was recently the site of Phil Mickelson’s amazing second shot out of the pine straw and onto the green (2010). Such a recovery is rare when you drive it through the dogleg fairway. A birdie is almost a must here on Sunday and there are possible eagles to be had with three excellent shots (including the putt).

No.14: Chinese Fir-440 yards, Par-4

The tee shot on the 14th is the easiest part of the hole with most players hitting a relatively straight shot, aiming for the right-center of the fairway. From there, it gets much harder. with a multi-tiered green, an accurate approach is vital, but also very difficult. With a sloped fairway, players will have an uneven lie on their second shot. The green is tiered and heavily sloped. Missing short makes saving par a major challenge. Any approach within 15 feet of the pin is excellent.

No.15: Fire Thorn-530 yards, Par-5

The last five winners have all played 13 and 15 under par for the tournament. Another hole where a birdie is critical on Sunday. Historically, it’s the easiest hole on the course. It’s the best birdie opportunity of the closing stretch. The reachable Par-5 will yield its share of birdies, but isn’t a pushover either. A solid tee shot is required to have any shot at going for the green. Most will try to find the right side of the fairway off the tee. A good drive will leave a mid iron into the green. Wind will be a serious factor on the hole, impacting strategy and club choice.A pond guards the front of the green with a bunker on the back right. Missing long is a safe play, but leaves a challenging up-and-down. The green is one of the easiest on the course, A player who reaches the green in two should come away with no worse than a birdie. The hole was made most famous by Gene Sarazen’s double eagle in 1935, the reason the crossway over the pond is called Sarazen’s bridge. However, an unlucky bounce off the flagstick, and a little ball drop controversy last year might overtake Sarazen as the most memorable moment on this hole.

No.16: Redbud-170 yards, Par-3

The 16th features more water than any other hole, and while rarely coming into play, it can. Players tee off over the water, with the real challenge finding the right tier of the green, depending on pin placement. There’s a bunker front right, right and to the left. The pin placements can be very difficult, especially front left, but a player can catch the right side of the green have the ball roll down to the left front close to  the hole. This front left pin placement is usually the one on Sundays. This is the scene of Tiger Woods’ miracle chip in 2005. This hole can lead to some high drama. Jack worked some magic on it in 1986, birdieing it on his way to winning his sixth green jacket at age 46. That’s sensational.

No.17: Nandina-440 yards, Par-4

The Eisenhower tree is no longer there. “Ike” played 800 rounds of golf during his presidency from 1954-61 and over 200 rounds at Augusta and he asked the board in a board meeting in 1956 to have the tree removed. Clifford Roberts promptly adjourned the meeting. This was the Commander of all Allied forces in Europe in World War II and the President of the United States and he still couldn’t get Augusta to remove that tree. Ike had a bad knee from a football injury which caused him to slice the ball. He hit that dadgum tree (not Ike’s words, trying to keep it clean) about every time he played at Augusta. But Ike finally got his wish posthumously as an ice storm this winter caused Augusta National to have to bring the tree down. Without the tree, the tee shot will be slightly less demanding on the straightforward Par-4. The hole plays uphill with most players hitting a mid iron into the green. Pin placement dictates a lot at No.17. The left side of the green is fairly manageable. The right side, however, is difficult. A back right pin placement can easily yield more bogeys than birdies. There is a trap in front on the right and the green slopes to the right. A two putt par with a back right pin placement is pretty good. Verne Lundquist’s famous “Yes sir!” call of Jack’s birdie there in ’86 is one of the most famous lines in golf broadcasting lore.

No.18: Holly-465 yards, Par-4

The 18th will lead to some epic drama on Sunday as it always does. Just last year, Adam Scott birdied the 18th from 18 feet to take a one shot lead. Adam’s caddie, Stevie Williams, said he could see half of Angel Cabrera’s body in the fairway after they finished and knew that Adam was going to be in a playoff. Sure enough, Angel from 150 yards stuck it two feet and birdies to send Adam and Angel into a playoff, which Adam won on the second playoff hole, the 10th hole, with a 12 foot birdie putt. The hole is a dogleg right that will challenge the players from tee to green. The narrow driving chute through trees on both sides of the fairway requires extreme accuracy. Driving it too far right brings trees in play and leaves an impossible second shot. There is a bunker 280 yards on the right, which can cause some issues. The shorter hitters may use a three wood on this hole and the longer hitters can have trouble with it. There is a large bunker on the left and a large one on the right guarding the two-tiered green. The green slopes from back to front and to the right. Finding the right tier for the pin placement is critical to having a shot at biride. The pin placement on Sunday is usually front right. An inaccurate approach can easily result in a costly three-putt bogey or into one of the traps which causes problems. Kenny Perry had a one shot lead on Sunday in 2009 over Angel and Chad Campbell and his approach went left and he couldn’t get it up and down from the rough, which led to a three-way playoff which Angel won. Should be classic here late Sunday afternoon and can easily determine who dons the Green Jacket.

Analysis:

There is no Tiger Woods but that’s OK. This is the Masters and it’s bigger than Tiger Woods. He’s been an integral part of the rich history of this amazing tournament, and may be in the future if he can solve his back issues, but there have been many players who have made this such an elite event in sports. There’s Jack Nicklaus with six Green Jackets and 18 majors; Arnie with four Green Jackets and seven majors; Bobby Jones, the founder (with help from businessman Clifford Roberts) and co-desginer with Alister MacKenzie of Augusta National. The first Masters was played in 1934. Jones didn’t win the Masters because he was retired and practicing law to make a living, but before he retired from golf, he won four U.S. Opens, three Open Championships, five U.S. Amateurs and one British Amateurs. He completed the Grand Slam in 1930 consisting of the U.S. the British Open Championship, the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur. It was an amazing feat. He’s a golfer for the ages. Ben Hogan is part of Masters lore as well as he won two Green Jackets and nine majors. Sam Snead won three Masters and seven majors. Seve Ballesteros won two Masters and five majors. And Sir Nick Faldo won three Masters and six majors. The tournament is bigger than any one player.

The contenders:

I like the veterans. Only three rookies at the Masters have won at Augusta, the last being Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

Adam Scott:

The defending champion. One of if not the best ball striker on tour. If his broomstick putter is working, Adam could take his second consecutive Green Jacket home to Down Under.

Rory McIlroy

Rory shot 65 last Sunday at Houston and that’s a good sign for him. Has all the tools to win multiple Green Jackets. He seems to be in a great place mentally and has experience here now. Just has to avoid a major mistake like the drive on No.10 in 2011, and his putter has to be working.

Philip Alfred Mickelson:

Phil has battled back and a stomach muscle pull this year and hasn’t played lights out, but Phil comes alive at Augusta. He’s a three time winner and would join Arnie and Tiger as the only four-time winners if he could pull it off this weekend. Only six players have won who were over 40 when they did: Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and Mark O’Meara. But with Phil, it’s possible. His fourth Green Jacket and sixth major would put him in rarefied air.

Angel Cabrera:

El Pato comes alive in majors, particularly at Augusta. He’s an excellent putter in the clutch and is long and accurate. He’s got a legitimate shot.

Projected winner:

The guy I like finished second in 2011 and tied for third last year with chances to win both years, and particularly with the lead last year with four holes to play. I think he’s learned, he’s matured at 26- he’s married with a two-year old boy, and despite the fact that he’s been out seven weeks with a bad thumb, he is a relentless worker who has worked tirelessly to get himself fit physically and mentally for moments like Augusta. He hits it a ton, is accurate, and is excellent around and on the greens. As Jim Nantz said when Phil sank the putt in 2004 to win his first Masters and major, “is it his time?”  I think it is.

Jason Day