Masters 2012: What Tiger Woods and Top Contenders Must Do to Win Prolific Event

Augusta National Golf Club, the home of the Masters, is not the most challenging golf course on the PGA Tour, but it certainly has a number of holes where even the best players can lose valuable strokes.

Tiger Woods and other top players who are familiar with the course will certainly benefit from their experience, while newcomers to Augusta could find themselves having trouble with some of the more challenging holes.

Let's look at three things the top players must do to win golf's most prestigious tournament.

Dominate the Greens

The biggest key to winning the Masters is dominating the tricky greens at Augusta that slope, tilt and look confusing. The greens at the Masters are also very fast too, which is also tricky.

Many times, you hit the ball towards the hole and it breaks the complete other way, leaving you even more confused than before.

Mastering the greens certainly comes with experience, but having success on them is required if you want to win the green jacket.

Hitting greens in regulation isn't too hard at the Masters, but putting certainly is. A couple of good putts to start your day can really give you the confidence needed to finish the round strongly.

Conquer the Par-5 Holes

The par-five holes can sometimes be the difference between losing and winning at Augusta. It is imperative that you do well on the par five holes because they present chances of making key birdies.

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“If you don’t take advantage of (the par-5s),” said Andy North, a two-time U.S. Open champion and ESPN analyst, via the Columbus Dispatch, “you can go days there without getting good birdie putts.”

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Since the late 1990s, Augusta's rough has gotten thicker, there are more trees and many of the holes are longer than they've ever been.

Getting to the greens smoothly on the par-fives can put you in a position to really earn a good score each round. You cannot pass up opportunities to dominate the longer holes at Augusta. These are the holes that can help your score if you bogeyed some earlier holes.

The par-fives at Augusta are holes Nos. 2, 8, 13 and 15.

Win the Battle vs. Amen Corner

Holes No. 11-13 are called "Amen Corner" at Augusta National Golf Club, and they are the signature set of holes at the course. Each hole isn't easy to beat and has its own challenges for golfers of all levels.

The first hole is a long 505-yard par-four that is often one of the most challenging holes on the course. Failing to strike the ball well off the tee and hit the fairway here could result in disaster.

Hole No. 12 is a 155-yard par-three, but the water makes it a difficult hole to get just right. Wind also plays a factor here on days where the weather is poor. This par-three is no walk in the park.

The No. 13 par-five hole is not very difficult, but it presents the golfers with an interesting dilemma: to either go for the green in two or play it safe and take three shots. Aggressiveness is often rewarded on this hole, but it's a risk either way.

Doing well in Amen Corner is the best way for a solid back nine performance. 

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