Masters Payout 2012: Who's Cashing in Big at Augusta?

There's more to playing in the Masters than just taking home a green jacket or pocketing $1.4 million for winning at Augusta National, though such symbolic and financial windfalls deserve plenty of revelry in their own right.

Performing well at the most prestigious event in golf can and often does have far-reaching effects on a golfer's pro career. Just ask these three guys, all of whom stand to benefit handsomely after Sunday's finale in Georgia.

Louis Oosthuizen

Win or lose, Louis Oosthuizen's performance at Augusta won't soon be forgotten. The 29-year-old was among the steadiest performers in the field throughout, with nary a single round above par.

Oosthuizen came into Sunday at seven-under and promptly propelled himself into the lead with the first-ever albatross on the second hole in the 76-year history of the Masters. It was the sort of shot that will live on in golf lore for years to come and may well define the career of a man who, despite sporting nine professional victories and a PGA Championship, remains largely anonymous in relation to the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy.

A finish at or near the top of the leaderboard would cement "Shrek" as a legitimate star in the world of golf while raising his profile to near-legendary status in his native South Africa. 

Bubba Watson

It's been a long time coming for Bubba Watson. The scruffy Floridian has been in the hunt for the green jacket since Day 1 at the Masters, riding his prodigious power off the tee to 13 birdies in his first three rounds at Augusta.

Watson has held steady on Sunday and, barring a complete disaster, will register his finest finish at the Masters since he first played in the event in 2008.

It'd only be fitting, too, if Watson were to score his first major championship at Augusta, seeing as how played collegiately at the University of Georgia in nearby Athens. If nothing else, it's clear that Watson has finally arrived, the benefits of which he's bound to reap in the not-so-distant future.

Matt Kuchar

Speaking of Sunshine Staters turning in peachy performances at Augusta, Matt Kuchar has done exceedingly well to thrust himself into the mix at the Masters. The Georgia Tech grad has played every round in the red and managed to play himself into the lead on the back nine on Sunday.

Kuchar figures to make a pretty penny for his play, perhaps for just his third top-10 finish in a major championship and his best-ever at Augusta. You won't see Kuchar bound for superstardom any time soon, though it'll certainly help the 33-year-old's profile in the golf world and beyond to have fared so well at such a momentous event.

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