Masters 2012: Bubba Watson and Golfers Who Must Step Up to Challenge Tiger Woods

A win at the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational has Tiger Woods back in the mix as one of golf's top contenders, as Woods is now one of the favorites to take home a championship at the Masters.

According to Las Vegas Hilton sports book oddsmaker Jeff Sherman, Woods has 4/1 odds to win the tournament. This easily tops both Rory McIlroy (5/1), who previously was favored, and Phil Mickelson's (10/1) odds to take home a Masters title.

Bubba Watson, currently the world's No. 10 ranked golfer, is putting together a solid run in 2012 and will be one of the main threats to Woods in this year's Masters. Yet with a five-under finish at the invitational, Watson knows he will have to bring his "A-game."

These are Watson and the three golfers that must take it to Tiger in order to stop him from taking home a second tournament in a row.

Rory McIlory (No. 1)

Undoubtedly, as the World's No. 1 golfer, McIlroy will be one of the main threats to Tiger Woods come April 2.

McIlroy, in spite of playing in just three tournaments this season, has finished in the top three in each of those tournaments—WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (second), the Honda Classic (first), and the WGC-Cadillac Championship (third).

In spite of taking several weeks off before the start of the Masters, there is no question that McIlroy will have his eye on the prize in this year's Masters.

Bubba Watson (No. 10)

Bubba Watson, although not a top-five golfer in the World, is a tremendous talent that has been putting forth some of his best golf in 2012.

In his last five tournaments, Watson has finished in the top 17 each time and in the top five on three occasions. In his last two tourneys, he has finished in second and fourth place. His fourth-place showing came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Given his two consecutive top-five finishes heading into the 2012 Masters, Watson will certainly have what it takes to push Woods to the limit.

Phil Mickelson (No. 5)

This season has been loaded with ups and downs for one of the top golfers in the sport, yet for just that reason Mickelson will give Woods a strong run in this tournament.

Aside from his PGA Tour win at Pebble Beach in 2012, Mickelson has one top-10 finish and two top-25 finishes in the six other tournaments he has taken part in.

As talented a golfer as Mickelson is, this tournament will be an important one for him in 2012, as he will try to use it as a turning point. After finishing just 27th in 2011, Mickelson will have plenty to prove in this one.