Masters 2012: Golfers Who Proved They Will Be Major Players for 2012

The 2012 Masters did not disappoint, and many golfers in the field proved they should be strong contenders all season.

Tournament favorites Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald struggled while others made their way up the leaderboard.

The Masters often times jump-starts a player's season, and the 2012 Masters can offer clues as to who will continue to have success this year.

Obviously, the players who struggled have time to make swing adjustments before their next tournaments.

However, golf calls for consistency, and certain players look to be en route to having a solid season based on their Masters performance.

Here's a look at some of the golfers who will have more success in 2012.

10. Adam Scott

Adam Scott is continuing to play good golf after his 2011 season.

Scott struggled in the opening round of the Masters. He finished with five bogeys and one eagle to shoot three-over par.

Scott battled back to finish at four under for the tournament thanks to a 66 on the final round.

Scott is coming off a 2011 year in which he finished 16th in the FedExCup standings and had seven top-10 finishes. Scott putts more efficiently since he's switched to the long putter and will have another solid season on the PGA Tour in 2012.

9. Nick Watney

Nick Watney didn't finish Sunday how he would have liked, but is still a promising player.

Watney struggled in his closing round, finishing at three over for the tournament.

However, he showed during the first three rounds that he has good length off the tee and is an above-average putter that will allow him to compete in every golf tournament he enters.

Currently sitting at No. 20 in the world, Watney had 10 top-10 finishes in 2011 and made 19 of 22 cuts.

He used the same strategy at the 2012 Masters that he did to have such a good 2011. Watney is a solid young player and will always be near the top of the leaderboard thanks to a great putting game.

8. Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood being on the list should come as no surprise.

Westwood is currently the third-ranked golfer in the world and is arguably the best current golfer without a major.

He had opportunities to take home the green jacket this year but shot himself in the foot with a double bogey on 18 after the second day and missed short putts.

Westwood was still able to finish the tournament at eight under and in a tie for third place.

Westwood is one of the best pure ball-strikers on tour but lacks the touch around the greens to win a Masters tournament.

Ultimately, his excellent ball-striking will make him a strong contender in 2012. If he avoids having to get up and down, he will win again in 2012.

7. Henrik Stenson

Henrik Stenson will remember the 2012 Masters as the one that got away.

Stenson played brilliantly throughout the first day, only to see it go to waste when he shot an eight on the last hole.

Stenson also had a double bogey on the 17th hole in his second round.

Overall, Stenson showed signs of playing better golf in 2012 than he did in 2011. Stenson struggled throughout 2011 but has a good power game and is a solid putter.

Stenson needs to control his emotions on the course. It got the best of him on No. 18 at the end of his opening round.

If he does that, he looks to be poised to have a good comeback year.

6. Ian Poulter

Ian Poulter played consistent all week at Augusta National and charged up the leaderboard on Sunday for a top-10 finish.

The colorful European is a fiery competitor and lacks fear on the golf course.

Poulter is at his best when he uses this to his advantage—something he didn't do a good job of doing in 2011.

Poulter seems to be building momentum after the 2012 Masters. Poulter entered the Masters coming off a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finished seventh place this weekend.

Poulter is definitely a player to keep an eye on throughout the 2012 season. He will be entertaining to watch in triumph or defeat.

5. Matt Kuchar

Matt Kuchar plays the most consistent golf on tour.

He played each round at the 2012 Masters under par and finished at eight under. Kuchar looked to be on his way to a green jacket after his eagle on the 15th hole but followed that up with a bogey at the par-three 16th.

He is not a flashy player. He hits a very modest drive but makes up for it with excellent iron play and short game.

The lack of distance hurt him at times at the Masters, but he just doesn't make many mistakes in a round.

Kuchar finished sixth in FedExCup points in 2011, and there is no reason he won't finish near that spot or higher in 2012.

4. Hunter Mahan

Hunter Mahan played a steady round on Sunday but never made a late push toward the top.

However, Mahan has started out this 2011 season extremely hot and continued his solid play at Augusta National.

Mahan has made it all the way up to the No. 4 ranking, thanks to wins at the Shell Houston Open and WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Mahan was steady all week as he shot even par or better in his first three rounds.

Mahan possesses above-average skills in all facets of the game that allows him to be an explosive player when he's hot.

Coming off a win and having a good showing at the Masters proves Mahan is on top of his game at this moment.

3. Louis Oosthuizen

The sweet-swinging Louis Oosthuizen came up just short on Sunday at the Masters.

People have been waiting on a performance like this ever since his dominating win at the Open Championship in 2010. He won that tournament by an astonishing seven strokes but has not fared well in the majors since.

He was dealing with ligament issues in his ankle and now appears healthy again.

Oosthuizen finished the week before in third place at the Shell Houston Open and looks to be finding a rhythm again. He will be disappointed that he couldn't finish the job on Sunday, but his swing is too smooth for him not to compete the rest of this season.

Oosthuizen will be back contending as long as he can put the Masters' shortcoming behind him.

2. Bubba Watson

Bubba Watson's shot-shaping abilities were a thing of beauty to watch at Augusta National.

Watson controlled his shots masterfully throughout the week and paid off in the form of a green jacket and his first career major championship.

Nobody on tour can consistently hit both draws and fades the way Watson does and still get enormous distance.

His game sets up well at Augusta National and it showed all week.

He is not a one-hit wonder and will continue to hit anything but straight shots throughout the 2012 season. He drives too well for him to fall by the wayside.

He needs to continue to improve his putting, but he showed Sunday at the Masters he is going to be a top contender on the PGA Tour all season.

Watson will only be more dangerous now that he has the experience of winning under the pressure that comes at a major championship.

1. Phil Mickelson

Despite falling short at the Masters, everyone knows Phil Mickelson is still one of the top golfers on the planet.

No other golfer could endure two triple bogeys in a tournament and still be fighting for a green jacket on Sunday.

At times, Mickelson struggled with consistency off the tee. However, he did create just as many incredible shots.

The flop shot on No. 15 or the draw into the 18th green during his third round demonstrates he is still one of the most talented players on tour.

Mickelson couldn't overcome two triple bogeys for his fourth Masters. However, there is no doubt that Mickelson is still one of the top contenders on the PGA Tour.