Masters Predictions 2012: Charl Schwartzel and Big Names That Will Miss the Cut

With the Masters kicking off today, most of the talk has been about who will secure the green jacket. The familiar names of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are continually mentioned in that regard, but it is also interesting to consider which big-name contenders might crumble on the big stage and miss the cut completely.

It obviously isn't easy to make that type of prediction, but several well-known golfers bow out prior to the weekend in every single major. While it may seem inexplicable at times, there are often warning signs heading into a big tournament that a player may not exactly be on his game.

There are several golfers you can say that about currently, and some of them are in real danger of turning in a disappointing performance.

Here are three players who will surprisingly miss the cut at Augusta and see their hopes of being fitted for the green jacket go up in smoke.

Charl Schwartzel

South African Charl Schwartzel shockingly won the green jacket last year, and while he may not be able to fly under the radar in 2012, he still isn't being mentioned among the top contenders. There seems to be good reason for that, however, as Schwartzel hasn't performed particularly well this season. Schwartzel has missed the cut in each of the past two tournaments, as well as doing so once on the European Tour.

It's quite obvious that Schwartzel isn't on top of his game right now, and that certainly isn't a good place to be in heading into the Masters. In one respect, there probably isn't much outside pressure on Schwartzel to repeat since few expect him to do it—but internally, Schwartzel seems to be pressing at the moment and it is adversely affecting his game.

Schwartzel isn't anywhere near the level he was playing to at this time last year, and it will ultimately cause him to miss the cut.

Padraig Harrington

Padraig Harrington is getting up there in years a bit, as he is now 40 and may no longer be considered one of the elite golfers in the world—but he still has the ability to compete in big tournaments. The Irishman is a three-time major winner and has come through in the clutch many times over the course of his career, but his play has been alarmingly mediocre as of late, and it is likely to lead to an early Masters exit.

Harrington has finished even or worse in three of the past four tournaments he has participated in, and has shown no signs of the Harrington of old. At this point in his career, he is likely no longer a legitimate threat to win a major—but Tom Watson almost won the British Open a couple years ago, so you never know.

Harrington may recapture his form at some point, but right now he is a prime candidate to go home on Friday.

Ian Poulter

Ian Poulter certainly talks a big game, but he is still in search of his first major victory, and this year's Masters doesn't appear to be the tournament where he'll do so. Poulter usually finds a way to stay in the mix nearly every week, but there are also times when he is unbelievably inconsistent.

That has been the case for Poulter as of late, as he finished 45th or worse in the three tournaments preceding the Arnold Palmer Invitational. While Poulter finished third in that tournament, his overall game hasn't been good.

Poulter is currently 139th on tour this season in putting and greens in regulation, and he is just 152nd in birdies per round. Those obviously don't seem to be the rankings of a major-tournament contender, so Poulter will need to make radical improvements to be in the hunt at Augusta.

I personally don't see it happening, in part because Tiger Woods, who Poulter hasn't been shy about criticizing, is back to elite form and likely out to prove his detractors wrong.