The Masters is the first Major event on the PGA Tour this season, getting underway on April 7th. The final field for the 2016 edition has not yet been finalized, but let’s take a look at some of the top players that are likely to play, and give a few important pieces of information to you anyway.
The Masters is being played at Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Georgia. The course was founded in 1933, and it’s played host to The Masters since 1934, making it one of the most historic courses in the United States. The Masters is the first of the four Majors in the PGA Tour, and it is considered to be one of the toughest, most talented fields of the season. Even casual golf fans get excited for this tournament. After all, Augusta National is considered to be the nicest golf course in the U.S. Playing here in a professional capacity is one of the most prestigious moments of a golfer’s career. Winning is even more illustrious.
Last year, Jordan Spieth was the champion at The Masters. He won another Major in the 2015 season—the U.S. Open Championship. Those two wins, plus a win at the PGA Tour Championship in September, were enough to cement his spot as the number one golfer in the world. He still holds that title, but his performances so far in the 2016 season have been lacking. Spieth did win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions back at the beginning of January, but other than that, his PGA performances have been weak. Of the four events he’s played in since then on the Tour, his best finish is a T17. However, you do need to consider that the top golfers in the PGA usually don’t attempt to be in top shape until The Masters. This is the first “real” tournament of the season for them, and this has more than likely played a role in his training.
The four other players that round out the top five in the world right now: Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, and Rickie Fowler, should be present for this tournament. It will be the first time this season that all five have played in the same tourney.
McIlroy has had a season even worse than Spieth so far. He did miss much of last year because of an injury, but so far, he seems healthy. He’s just not in great shape. It might take him some extra time to get to the level of conditioning that he is capable of, so unlike Spieth, it isn’t realistic to expect McIlroy to be a threat to take the number one spot at this tournament. He’s still a top ten contender, even in bad shape, but we will have to see how things develop.
Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are both playing decent golf right now and seem to have their kinks worked out. In fact, Fowler had a pretty strong start to his season, and although he’s ranked just number five in the world, he’s probably the golfer of all of these that is readiest to shine here.
That leaves Bubba Watson. Watson has played at the same levels as Fowler this season or better, but is battling a back injury right now. He officially withdrew from the Arnold Palmer a few days before that began, apologizing to the ailing Palmer personally for doing so. And although reports say he should be completely healthy by the start of April, these kinds of things need to be approached a day at a time. He has won this tournament a couple times in the past, so if he is healthy, he is definitely a threat to do it again.
Whatever happens come April, and whoever ends up winning the first Major of the year, The Masters in Augusta promises to be an exciting tournament, and should usher in the peak of the 2016 PGA season.
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