Masters 2012: Tiger Woods and More Disappointing Stars Guaranteed to Bounce Back

Several big names came up well short of their ultimate goal at the Masters as Bubba Watson charged to victory at Augusta. While a poor performance at the year's first major will leave a sour taste, in most cases it will only be a temporary setback.

Let's take a look at three stars who will bounce back quickly. They should rebound in plenty of time to prepare for the next marquee event, which will be the U.S. Open in June.

Rory McIlroy

It appeared McIlroy was setting himself up for a weekend run after a strong second round, but he struggled on both Saturday and Sunday en route to a second straight underwhelming Masters finish. He infamously fell apart in the final round last year.

That said, the Northern Irishman is simply too talented to struggle for any extended period of time. His picture-perfect swing leaves little room for slumps, and he's slowly starting to develop a champion's mentality. Once he gets that killer instinct, he'll be virtually unstoppable.

McIlroy finished in 40th place, which was the first time he didn't end up in the top five all season. The rising star should be back in elite form in time to defend his U.S. Open title.

Tiger Woods

Woods entered the Masters as a favorite after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Instead of looking like the elite version of himself from previous years, however, Woods was never able to gain any momentum and finished at five-over par.

First and foremost, it was a sign that he's not all the way back and may never reach his previous level of weekly dominance again. He isn't able to make little adjustments throughout the round to remain competitive. If he gets off track, things get away in a hurry.

Woods' will to win tends to get him in trouble. If he falls behind early, he tries to make up the deficit too quickly. He'll get back on the range to correct some of the bad habits that developed, setting him up for a better showing at The Olympic Club.

Luke Donald

Donald was able to make his final score more respectable with a four-under round on Sunday, but another weak showing in the first three rounds leaves him without a major championship. He has never finished better than third in one of the four big events.

He's still the world's top-ranked player, though. His problems at majors have more to do with getting over the mental hurdle than anything else. The 34-year-old Englishman has more than enough game to win one.

The final round should give him the little boost of confidence he needs heading into the U.S. Open. He's going to break through eventually, it's just a matter of when he finally believes he can do it.