Masters 2013: Latest Chatter Surrounding Golf's First Major of the Year

The Masters is arguably the biggest golf tournament of the year, so there is certain to be some buzz leading up to the main event. 

Tuesday featured tons of interviews from the players, although it was not the usual display of cliche answers. Instead, there was genuine emotion and a level of realness to show that this is going to be an exciting week.

Between these media sessions and other news, there is plenty of chatter to keep track of. Here is the latest info to come out of Augusta.

Bubba Watson Is Still Emotional About Last Year's Win

Everyone who has watched Bubba Watson over the past few years knows that he has a fun-loving personality, but he is also very emotional.

That came through during his press conference when discussing last year's win at Augusta. After a reporter asked if he did anything specific with the ceremonial green jacket after taking it home, Watson could barely contain himself.

He talked about wrapping up his newly adopted infant son, Caleb, in the jacket, as well as the respect he had for the tournament's history.

While most of the press conference featured laughs around the room, this showed a serious side to the talented golfer.

Top Players Provide More Interesting Quotes

Phil Mickelson has had plenty of success around the world in his career, but he is always at his best at the Masters.

In the last 14 years, Mickelson has 12 top-10 finishes and won it all three times. This is why he was so excited to be back at Augusta (via PGA Tour):

However, the odds-on favorite in this event is Tiger Woods. The superstar has three tournament wins already this year and he is brimming with confidence, according to USA Today Sports:

Meanwhile, ESPN's Rick Reilly mocks the people who still question whether Woods is truly "back" with some interesting stats:

These types of numbers are not lost on Rory McIlroy, who remained modest when he was asked if he was a rival of Woods (via SportsCenter):

Still, these three competitors will easily generate the bulk of the interest for the rest of the week. Hopefully, they live up to expectations.

Tianlang Guan Is Having a Cool Break from Eighth-Grade Classes

You might have been a good athlete when you were 14 years old, but you were not good enough to play in the Masters.

In fact, no one in history has ever been able to do this until Tianlang Guan tees up on Thursday.

The Chinese star qualified for the event by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, and he is making the most of his opportunity.

According to Paul Mahoney of Golf.com, Guan has already played practice rounds with Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson. He will be paired with Nick Faldo in the Par-3 Contest.

Regardless of how he performs this week, it is obvious that Guan will have quite an interesting week for someone his age.

Tickets Are Very Expensive

Unsurprisingly, people are really excited to see this year's Masters. The field is loaded with talented players, but the reemergence of Tiger Woods is what fans want to see.

The problem, however, is that Augusta does not sell tickets to the general public. This has caused the secondary market to soar, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell:

Apparently the tickets are only $7,000 for a four-day pass, so that is a good thing.

Rovell also reported that tickets for Tuesday's practice round were selling as high as $1,000, which is quite a jump from the $50 face value.

If you are planning on seeing this event live, you better be willing to cough up some serious dough. 

Legend Make News in the Clubhouse

In a moment that had very little to do with golf but generated plenty of interest around the Internet, Arnold Palmer decided to drink the lemonade and ice tea concoction named after him. 

However, Steve Politi of the Newark Star-Ledger was more curious as to how he ordered the beverage. 

According to the waitress who served him, "He leaned over and said, 'I'll have a Mr. Palmer.' Then he winked." 

It turns out that one of the most popular athletes in history is still doing things as cool as possible.

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