Masters 2015: Early Golf Schedule Info and Tournament Predictions
The biggest week of the golf year is upon us, even though there's an event currently going in Houston, as everyone is set to converge on Augusta for the 2015 Masters. This is shaping up to be a strange year because all of the usual suspects predicted to win have shown cracks coming into the year's first major.
Of course, all the storylines before the Masters will pale in comparison to Tiger Woods' return. He's been at Augusta for nearly one week, and the Golf Channel (h/t Golf Central) reported on Friday he was taking part in a practice round:
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It's amazing the power Tiger still has, even though he hasn't played in an event since February and has fallen out of the top 100 world rankings. He's going to command so much attention prior to the start of the Masters.
Once things tee off on Thursday, though, the story will change to everything happening on the course. There's plenty of time to think about the action, so here's a look at the early scheduling information and a preview of the top contenders.
| Date | Time (ET) | Network |
| Thursday, April 9 | 8 a.m.-3 p.m. & 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. | Golf Channel & ESPN |
| Friday, April 10 | 8 a.m.-3 p.m. & 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. | Golf Channel & ESPN |
| Saturday, April 11 | 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. & 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Golf Channel & CBS |
| Sunday, April 12 | 9:30 p.m.-2 p.m. & 2 p.m.-7 p.m. | Golf Channel & CBS |
Jordan Spieth
If last year was the appetizer, 2015 is going to be the year of Jordan Spieth. The 21-year-old tied for second place at the 2014 Masters, the second major tournament of his career as a professional, and has been on a torrid pace this season with two victories and six top-10 finishes prior to this weekend's Shell Houston Open.
Every prediction you see for the Masters this week is going to discuss Spieth in some form, whether as the favorite or a player to watch. He's quickly becoming the new American star to carry the mantle with Woods and Phil Mickelson in the twilight of their respective careers.
It's already showing in the betting odds, as David Purdum of ESPN.com wrote Spieth is generating more money to win at Augusta than any other player: "More money has been bet on Spieth to win the Masters than on any other golfer at multiple Las Vegas sportsbooks. On Wednesday at the MGM, Spieth was listed as the 5-1 favorite, ahead of McIlroy. Rory, however, is the man to beat at the majority of sportsbooks."
You can see why fans would be so high on Spieth given how he finished in the event last year and how he's played so far in 2015.
One area where Spieth excels that gives him an edge coming into Augusta is on the greens, which ESPN.com's Michael Collins highlighted two weeks ago:
"Going into Bay Hill, I'd rank him second behind Dustin Johnson with Rory McIlroy now a close third. The short game Spieth has shown on tour would be impressive if I hadn't heard stories of the challenges he'd take from adults in his high school days back in Texas. The kid has a short game somewhere between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
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Combine Spieth's adept putting with his ability to gain strokes from tee to green (eighth overall), per PGATour.com, and it's no wonder there are raves for this young star heading into the Masters. He has all the raw ingredients to be a dominant force on tour. Now, he just has to put it all together for 72 holes.
Since we saw how unfazed Spieth was by this stage last year with limited professional experience, this year should be a breeze for him.
Adam Scott
Adam Scott is the golfer whom you never think about until you see his name atop the leaderboard. That hasn't happened much in 2015, as he's only appeared in four PGA Tour events with one top-10 finish and one missed cut.
Yet don't overlook the 2013 Masters champion this time around, and not just because he carries the weight of that victory two years ago with him. Remember, before Scott won his green jacket in 2013, he finished 30th in his previous event (Tampa Bay Championship).
This year, he enters the Masters after finishing 35th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He's a player whose skills play up on the long course at Augusta.
If you want to get more specific than that, Mark Broadie of Golf.com developed a model to determine the Masters champion, in which Scott came out on top. Here's a snippet of the formula:
"At Augusta, the holes topping that list (in order of most gain) are Nos. 7, 18, 13, 12, and 14. Let's focus on the first three. Statistics show that the field plays the par-4 seventh over par, with an average score of 4.2, but the top five finishers play it slightly under par, with an average score of 3.9. Thus, the top finishers gain 0.3 strokes per round on the field, or just over one stroke in the tournament, on average. Since the top finishers average 0.4 strokes under par for four days on No. 7, savvy players could set a target of even par or 1-under-par for the tournament on this hole.
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Basically, Broadie found these holes are the most critical because his methodology looked at 10 years of previous winners gaining the most strokes against the field. He did acknowledge not having access to much 2015 player data due to his schedule, so it's not a foolproof method.
But it's a better formula to try to handicap a winner than by simply saying who is or isn't playing well right now. Golf is a game in which different courses can highlight different attributes. One can favor a player who excels off the tee, while another makes a golfer who can chip and handle irons look like a superstar.
Scott comes out on top in Broadie's methodology, followed by Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson. Scott has to show more on the course than he has in four PGA Tour events so far, but the focus tends to narrow when the spotlight is brightest.
Rory McIlroy
You didn't think we could talk about potential Masters winners without mentioning McIlroy, did you? Like Scott, he's had some struggles in PGA Tour events this year. The 25-year-old started 2015 by missing the cut at the Honda Classic but rebounded to finish ninth at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and 11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Even though it's fashionable to expect McIlroy to win every event he enters, that's not practical. It may not even be his ultimate goal. Some players bear down in the biggest events, so finding his swing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational seems more important than where he finished.
However, there's a reason McIlroy isn't a definitive favorite heading into Augusta. It was an enlightening comment he made to Alan Shipnuck of Golf.com:
"I recently asked McIlroy if Augusta National intimidates him. 'Uh, yeah, I think so,' he said. 'I mean, tee to green not really. I feel very comfortable tee to green. But the greens, for sure. They're the toughest we face all year. I don't know if it's intimidation; it's just you gotta think about them more. It does play on your mind more than other courses.'
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To hear the best golfer in the world say that he's intimidated by the greens on a course makes it hard to declare him a runaway champion. This is the one major tournament McIlroy hasn't won, as he's never finished higher than eighth (2014).
While there has been some devotion to devising a method for determining a legitimate contender in this year's Masters, sometimes you have to say that the best player in the world will figure things out in the biggest event.
Michael Jordan had to overcome the Detroit Pistons before he could become arguably the best basketball player ever. Clayton Kershaw put up historic numbers for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, but his season was considered a failure because the St. Louis Cardinals beat him.
McIlroy is just 25 years old and has many great years ahead of him. He's going to win a green jacket eventually because he's too talented not to. He has to stay focused, especially with his putter, to avoid the disaster round that has happened every year since 2010.
Things can fall into place quickly when you are a great player. McIlroy has been treading water lately and seems poised for a breakout PGA Tour event soon. The Masters seems like an appropriate place for that to happen.
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