Masters 2012: Breaking Down Odds of Top Contenders to Win

After a harrowing close to the Houston Open, it's now time for the big one: the Masters.

There are several intriguing contenders this year. There are the big names, such as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. There are also some sleepers, like Keegan Bradley and Houston Open winner Hunter Mahan.

Here's a look at my top five contenders in the 2012 Masters (current world rankings included).

5. Hunter Mahan (No. 4)

Not only does Hunter Mahan own top-10 finishes at the 2009 and 2010 Masters, he just won the Houston Open with a stunning 16-under-par 272, fighting off Carl Pettersson and Louis Oosthuizen in the final round.

Mahan is now the top-ranked American in golf and he already has two wins under his belt in 2012, capturing the Accenture Match Play Championship in February. He's playing some of the best golf of his career and enters Augusta with some momentum.

4. Phil Mickelson (No. 14)

No matter what Phil Mickelson is doing before the Masters, he always seems to raise his level of play at Augusta. He's a three-time winner at Augusta and just played his best golf of the year at the Houston Open, placing fourth with a 12-under-par 276.

I don't think Mickelson will ultimately come away victorious, but one thing I do know is you can never completely count him out at the Masters.

3. Keegan Bradley (No. 19)

How can you not like Keegan Bradley coming into the Masters this year?

Bradley won the PGA Championship last year in his first career attempt en route to capturing the 2011 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Award. On top of that, he's played very consistent golf this year, with top-25 finishes in all nine of his events. He placed second at the Northern Trust Open and is coming off a 12-under-par 276 at the Houston Open.

I would not be surprised if Bradley played big at his first career Masters this year and pressured the front-runners.

2. Tiger Woods (No. 7)

I firmly believe Tiger Woods' victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational has renewed his confidence. He's healthy now and his mental game appears as sound as its been since September 2009.

Woods knows he likely doesn't have many more opportunities to capture his fifth career green jacket. He's heading into Augusta red hot and, remember, he placed fourth at the Masters last year before everything fell apart.

1. Rory McIlroy (No. 2)

The doubters will point to Rory McIlroy's epic meltdown in last year's Masters.

However, the reality is that he was still an emerging star at that point in his career and just realizing his potential. He's shown since that he's a much more composed golfer.

He was splendid at the U.S. Open last year. This year? He has three top-three finishes on the PGA Tour, including a victory at the Honda Classic. He's coming off a third-place finish at the Cadillac Championship, in which he shot a 14-under-par 274.

A battle between Woods and McIlroy would be great for golf, and I could see McIlroy holding Woods off at the end.

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