The 77th playing of the Masters from beautiful Augusta National Golf Club is set to begin Thursday. Tiger Woods is back at No. 1, Rory McIlroy’s play has improved and Phil Mickelson has a win this year.
There are 50 players who have a legitimate chance to win this week. Here is a list of the seven “Hottest” golfers heading into the 2013 Masters.
Steve Stricker has only played in four events this year. He has a win and three top-10 finishes. He is ranked No. 7 in the FedEx Cup rankings and is only playing part-time on tour.
He is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour and needs a major victory for his resume' and to secure his spot in the Hall of Fame.
In just his second season on the PGA Tour, Billy Horschel has made all 10 cuts in his starts this year. He also has three top-10 finishes including a T-2 at the Shell Houston Open and a T-3 at the Valero Texas Open last week.
With his win at the Valero Texas Open last week, Martin Laird moved from No. 157 to No. 18 in the FedEx Cup standings. He has only made five of nine cuts this year, but a win last week puts him near the top of the “Hot List.”
Brandt Snedeker was “Hot” earlier in the year. He had two runners-up and a win at Pebble Beach. He has earned $2.8 million this year and is second in the FedEx Cup standings.
Snedeker has missed his last two cuts after returning to the tour from a rib injury. His acuity with the putter and his love for the Masters always puts him on the “Hot List” at Augusta National.
Matt Kuchar won the 2013 WGC-Accenture Match Play and has not missed a cut in eight starts this year. He is No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings, knows how to control his ball and if he can unravel the mystery that is Augusta National’s greens, will be at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon.
Tiger Woods has won three tournaments in 2013, reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the Official World Golf Ranking and is also No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings.
His putting touch has returned and his short game is greatly improved from last year.
He is looking for his 15th major title and fifth Green Jacket. He has not won a major championship since the 2008 U.S. Open but is looking very much like the Tiger of old that won tournaments in bunches.
Rory McIlroy was definitely “Hot” missing cuts and walking off tournaments earlier in the year. His mental toughness and tournament edge may have returned with his play over the last two weeks.
He shot a solid 66 on Sunday and finished runner-up to Martin Laird at the Valero Texas Open.
Phil Mickelson is always “Hot” at Augusta. His temperature and interest level increase exponentially when he turns into Magnolia Lane.
He picked up a win in Phoenix, a T-3 at Doral and shot 67-68 on the weekend at Houston to finish T-16 after barely making the cut on Friday.
Nothing would be better than, Tiger, Phil and Rory on the leaderboard late on Sunday afternoon among the Azaleas and Magnolias at Augusta National.