The most exciting and anticipated tournament in the world of golf, The Masters provides an annual reminder of what is great in our game. The pageantry, tradition, drama and colour are unrivalled and the final round always provides us with a tension-packed feast of birdies and eagles at every turn as the tournament explodes to a crescendo on the back nine.
It seems by Sunday that everyone is shooting lights out, yet history has shown that experience is the key to unlocking the secrets of Augusta National and to be best positioned to contend for the storied Green Jacket and the lifetime invitation that comes with it to return as a past champion.
The contenders in 2013 are once again many and varied as a mixture of youth and experience has prevailed on the PGA Tour so far this season. Here is our look at the leading candidates.
Tiger Woods
The History Maker
You get the real sense that 2013 could be the year of the Tiger. A simple examination of the host venues for this season's majors would have had Woods licking his lips at the challenge ahead, with historic Merion hosting the US Open again and the Open Championship returning to the wonderful links at Muirfield. But it's Augusta where the world number two knows best.
With his early season form, Woods has reignited debate about his ultimate place in history and the pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. Two dominant victories at Torrey Pines and Doral augers well for Woods as he eyeballs a fifth Masters title and 15th major.
There is no doubting that he is 'back’; Woods has now won five times in his last 23 PGA Tour events and has the look of old, a look that sent chills down the spines of his fellow competitors.
Having said that, getting the job done in a regular tour event is one thing for a man who has won 76 times on the PGA Tour and for whom Sam Snead’s all-time PGA Tour record of 82 wins seems but a mere formality. Doing it again in the majors – the tournaments that define careers – is another matter entirely.
Eighteen majors have been contested since Woods won his last – at the 2008 US Open – and it’s been eight years since he won the last of his four Green Jackets. Stepping up to the plate and doing it under the pressure of expectation is the next challenge that Woods faces in his return to the top and a tilt at history.
