Arnold Palmer Invitational 2012: Masters Favorites to Watch Closely at Bay Hill

With the Masters two weeks away, it's definitely time to look at how golfers are playing to preview what will happen at Augusta. We know about names like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, but we're going to look at a different type of favorite here. 

None of these players have won any major, but belong high on the list of Masters favorites. Each of them is in the field at Bay Hill, and have parts of their games which must be watched closely. 

Sergio Garcia

Garcia is in the middle of a nice career revival and is absolutely on a shortlist of people to win the Masters. What you have to watch from him are the blow up holes and how he handles the first few holes after making a nice birdie. 

This often gets Garcia into trouble, and it's kept him from being a much more successful golfer throughout his career.

If you're pinpointing elements of the game to watch, keep an eye on if he goes along in regulation.

If Sergio is finding the fairways and greens now, there's no reason to believe he won't be doing the same two weeks from now. Conversely, if he's relying too much on the putter, don't expect good things at Augusta. The greens there are significantly tougher than at Bay Hill, or anywhere else for that matter. 

Webb Simpson

Simpson is one of the best young players in the world and is absolutely one of the top 10 players to look for to win the Masters. He had a breakout year a season ago, learning how to win on the PGA Tour. The next step is winning majors. 

If we're looking at how that's going to happen, watch the driver. Simpson's driver is the prime example of one that works okay on tour, but not at majors. His distance is not great, but more than serviceable.

That being said, the accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. 

That is not a recipe for success at majors, as he won't hit greens from the second cut at Augusta if he's not pounding the ball a lot longer than normal. That leads to scrambling for par, which will not work there.  

If he's finding fairways at Bay Hill, consider him a real threat to take the Masters, as the rest of Simpson's game is spectacular. 

Anthony Kim

The fact that he's near the top of the leaderboard after a day at Bay Hill is extremely promising, as Kim is the kind of golfer who will thrive on confidence. He's been hurt a lot recently which has kept him off the course and leaderboards, so getting that taste back in his mouth will be vital. 

Kim is all or nothing, which needs to be reined in. He once made 11 birdies in a round at Augusta, so Kim is comfortable playing there. The problem is, he shot a 65 in that round, which means he had a lot of bogeys as well. 

If Kim is going to win, he can't get himself into trouble off the tee. Bay Hill is a course that penalizes golfers for missing fairways, so what he does in this one will be a good preview for the Masters. 

Follow @mdixon1985