Masters Picks 2013: Rory McIlroy and Young Stars Who Will Shine

In golf, the same question is asked around the beginning of every major: Would you take Tiger Woods or the field?

Now in years past, Tiger was the obvious choice for most, but while the world’s most popular golfer in a bit of a funk at majors, new, younger competition has come up and has made it harder for those fans to automatically pick Tiger.

2013 could be the year of Tiger Woods. With Tiger already having won three tournaments this year and becoming the world No. 1 again, it’s hard to argue with him being the talk of the town.

But as bad as he wants a win this weekend at Augusta, the younger faces of the PGA Tour want to be recognized on the grandest stage of the golfing world at the Masters.

If you saw the title of the article, you’ve probably already guessed one of the golfers, but here are four other young guns who will begin their quest to impress at Augusta on Thursday.

5. Tianlang Guan

Who?

With the emphasis on young, Guan will make his Masters debut this Thursday at the age of—wait for it—14. The Chinese amateur received an automatic invitation to Augusta National after dominating a 120-man field in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last November.

Guan can only drive the ball around 250 yards on average, but after seeing Beau Hossler contend for the U.S. Open title last year at only 17, I’ll believe anything.

He’s not going to put on the green jacket, but it sure will be fun to watch the youngest golfer at Augusta compete with Tiger Woods, who won his first Masters before Guan was born.

4. Dustin Johnson

Now let’s get to the golfers who have a chance to make noise this Sunday.

Johnson is beginning to rebound from a less-than-stellar 2013 season after placing fourth at the Shell Houston Open a couple weeks ago. His 14-under-par performance was his first top-10 finish this season.

DJ looks to continue building momentum at Augusta National this weekend. He’s ranked fifth on the Tour in average driving distance (303.5) and seventh in par-four birdies or better (20.75 percent).

With the par-fours at Augusta being longer than ever, Johnson has to convert his long drives into birdie opportunities if he wants to contend.

3. Rickie Fowler

Rickie Fowler is known more for is fashion sense on the PGA Tour than anything else. The walking Puma ad has the talent to become a bona-fide superstar, but he’s been too busy rapping about his flat-brimmed hat instead of winning tournaments.

I believe that all changes this weekend. Fowler hopes he can continue his great play after his third place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational a couple weeks ago.

Sunday will be the key day at the Masters for Fowler. He peaks in the second and third rounds of tournaments, scoring an average of 69.92 and 68.80, respectively. When it comes to the final day, Fowler shoots an on-par 72 most of the time.

I think Fowler finally puts all that promise to good use with a good run over the weekend. The 24-year-old will run out of steam late, but not before cracking the top 20 and letting us know he’s more than just a fashion icon for the PGA Tour.

2. Rory McIlroy

Now, I don’t think McIlroy will live up to his current odds to win the Masters this weekend, but I do think the 23-year-old will be in contention on Sunday.

McIlroy began his up-and-down season on the wrong foot after withdrawing from multiple tournaments and missing cuts on the European Tour.

It never really got better for the former world No. 1 as he lost that ranking to Tiger Woods and had an average performance at the Shell Houston Open, where he finished 46th.

Things seemed to have turned around last week when McIlroy placed second in the Valero Texas Open and seemed to play with the confidence he’s been lacking throughout this golf season.

With McIlroy ranking first in driving distance (308 yards), fifth in greens in regulation (71.37 percent) and birdie average (4.62 per round), the perfect storm is brewing for him to bounce back at the Masters.

1. Keegan Bradley

This 26-year-old not only has the best opportunity to shine, but has the best chance of competing with Tiger Woods this weekend.

Keegan Bradley seems to have everything going for him right now. He has been on fire as of late with four top-10 performances in a row. He is top 10 in scoring average (69.68) and driving distance (301). With that combination, Bradley can take advantage of Augusta National’s length and give himself multiple birdie opportunities throughout the weekend.

Add the fact that he has Masters veterans Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els giving him tips, and Keegan Bradley has a chance to win his second major and become the young star who shines the brightest at the 2013 Masters.