It’s not that the Masters need more buzz, but Woods’s involvement gives it a bit. But there are 90 other players claiming a green jacket. On the eve of the 86th game of the first big year at Augusta National, we gathered our experts to dive into the big questions – about Tiger Woods and not.
What’s a successful week for Tiger Woods?
Mark Schlabach: I can not imagine Woods coming to Augusta National to play if he did not think he could win a sixth green jacket. He said the same on Tuesday. But these may be unrealistic expectations after a 17-month layoff. His game looks good, according to Woods and others who have played with him. But it will result in endurance and tolerance of pain. This weekend will be cooler and windier. It’s a big win that is still here, but I think Woods really believes he can compete and possibly put himself in a position to fight at the weekend. Michael Collins: Playing golf this week is a victory. Not just for Tiger, but for all of us. From happy that he is alive, happy that I hold his foot, happy that he plays golf with his son, until now … this is all the cherry on top of a very good icing (forget the cake). 2 About Kevin Van Valkenburg: Stay healthy, enjoy some much needed love from the crowd, make some birds, find out what’s realistic about the future of golf tournaments. He has repeatedly stated that he will never play a full golf program again, so this should be a mission of discovery. What does his body do to play in a big? What parts of the game are he missing? Is it realistic to think that he can just play big teams without warming up and play? I’m skeptical that he can resist, and I suspect that even if he does cut and mix, he’ll run out of gas on Saturday. But I will not rule anything out. Wright Thompson: For those of us who watch, overcoming the course is a success. I guess it’s not what he thinks. Nick Pietruszkiewicz: In fact, listening to “Fore please, Tiger Woods is driving now …” on Thursday morning makes it a successful week. He will not see it that way. But honestly, being here is more than enough to be considered successful. Why; Take a look at what this car was like 14 months ago. Playing Masters, at all, does not matter a little more than a year later, this is a victory. Walking is a victory.
Can this Masters win?
Schlabach: Winning the Masters after a 17-month dismissal would be almost impossible for anyone else, but we are not talking about everyone else. We are talking about the best golfer of his generation, if not of all time. A PGA Tour player told me earlier this week that he was not sure Woods could win after not playing for more than 500 days. Caddy said he would not be surprised to see Woods finish in the top 10, however, and that it would potentially be the biggest achievement of his career, given what he has returned. Collins: Yes. And we will all write it because everyone is terrified of what we said in 2019. Would a golf reporter be shocked if he lost the cut? No. But one will say “The Tiger can not …?” No one is so stupid anymore when it comes to TW. Make your choices and compete for a chance to win $ 5,000! Make your choices Van Valkenburg: I feel ridiculous to write this, but if we have a Masters like 2016 where he wins 5 under, I suddenly like the chances of him doing another miracle. The fact that we are amused even by this question a year after his accident is surreal. But he has won five of them with five different cots. Why not a sixth? I still prefer his chances at St. Andrews at The Open, and I respectfully disagree with people who think they’re here just to win. I think his mentality has changed after the accident and he just wants to relive the golf tournament and then build from there. But a tournament where he can shoot 73-71-68-70 to win? Yes, I buy this script. Thompson: Yes. Pietruszkiewicz: Yes. He would not show up if he did not think about it. It may? Well, now, that would be something. But Tiger Woods does not reach the Augusta National with the mentality of a man who is okay and goes 74-70, cuts the number and sneaks into a back-door top 20. If he is here, he believes he can win. He said it himself on Tuesday. I do not think so, but I have never stopped talking to this guy in a long time.
What other player, not named Tiger Woods, interests you most this week?
Schlabach: Viktor Hovland. He is one of the most talented players in the world at the age of 24, especially when it comes to ball driving and iron toy. But I’m not sure he was such a talented player who has fought as hard in one area of his game as Hovland with chipping. If he can somehow figure out how to improve his game around the greens, he can wear a green jacket very soon – maybe even on Sunday. Collins: Brooks Koepka. Now that he finally has a chance in this place to be 100% healthy, I think he can win. That said, Koepka is also the type of player who could shoot 79 and check out before Friday starts. If it starts well, the edge of my seat will be worn by Sunday. Van Valkenburg: Justin Thomas. My view of JT has evolved in recent years. I thought his game did not suit the Masters – or any of the lessons in The Open rota – that he was best suited for dome conditions. But lately he has shown that he has so much creativity in his game, I feel he is ready to take the next step and fight regularly here. Having Jim “Bones” Mackay in the bag should save some shots. You do not have to do well to win a Masters, but you do have to give yourself a lot of opportunities. I think Thomas can do that. Michael Collins returns for a brand new season of America’s Caddie. It will take you to the world of golf with exclusive appearances at some of the top golf courses, stories, celebrity guests and interviews with the biggest golf stars. Streaming to ESPN + Thompson: Rory McIlroy, who talks about the balance of professional and personal life as clearly as anyone else in public life, in a way that reflects how so many of us who watch golf feel about it. But you still need the Masters for a career grand slam. Pietruszkiewicz: Bryson DeChambeau. He says he gets into this Masters at 80 percent and he can’t go “all out”. This can be really good. His swing-for-the-fences approach, which is supposed to neutralize Augusta National, did not work. He completed the T-34 in his first lap after the body transformation. It opened with 76 a year ago, flew a pair of 75 out there over the weekend and finished week on the T-46. You may have to call again because hand and hip problems are not the worst.
Which player, not named Tiger Woods, is facing the most pressure this week?
Bryson DeChambeau had a hard time finding Augusta National. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports Schlabach: If Woods plays, I’m not sure anyone else will feel so stressed because every camera and every spectator’s eye will be on Tiger. But for the eighth time, McIlroy will try to finish his career grand slam by winning the Masters. He has come close to the past, but could not do it at the weekend. There may not be a more introverted golfer than McIlroy, and there are plenty of players who will pull him to do it. Collins: Rory McIlroy. How many more realistic downloads will it have? Every year there is someone else who catches the spotlight and gives Rory the opportunity to be “on the radar” to start the week, and every year ends before Sunday even starts (except in 2018, when he shot 65 on Saturday and finished T-5). Although it’s not time to press the panic button, McIlroy is definitely in the “go-or-get-off-the-pot”. Van Valkenburg: Bryson DeChambeau. I say this with the recognition that he is facing less pressure this year than the two previous Masters in which he has played, but I still believe that if he stinks again, the place will come to his mind more. The pressure he faces is both internal and external at this point. People love to enjoy his failures here and because he is extremely online, he does not seem to be able to coordinate them. Calling Augusta National “par 67” can be considered one of the great own goals of all time. Thompson: Jordan Spieth. He is in the endless mill known only to those stars, whether in sports, music or cinema, who enjoy meteoric success at the beginning of their careers. The rest of their lives will always be measured by this newer, more carefree version of themselves. Get access to 4,300+ hours of live coverage from 35 PGA TOUR tournaments each year, including 4 days of coverage in 28 events with four feeds each day. In addition, access repetitions, originals and more. Streaming to ESPN + Pietruszkiewicz: Joaquin Niemann and Louis Oosthuizen. Why; Because they play with Tiger Woods for the first two days. Both are strong players with the ability to fight. Oosthuizen finished in the top three at the PGA Championships, the US Open and The Open last year. Niemann won his first PGA Tour event earlier this year. Ironically, it was Genesis Invitational, hosted by Woods and benefiting his foundation. But now he will be in the arena with Woods as he returns. A conservative estimate is that about 99 percent of real estate owners will want to look at Woods. While this is the most well-meaning audience in sports, there will be movement. There will be a buzz. For them, there will be a lot of pressure.
Which player under the radar could make noise this week?
Schlabach: Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters Champion, made 18 of his 20 starts at Augusta National, earning more than $ 3.7 million in …
