Masters Prize Money 2016: Total Purse Info for Augusta National Golf Club

This year's Masters might be the most anticipated for many golf fans—namely those of the more casual variety—since the Tiger Woods years. There is a new generation of young golfers vying to call themselves the world's best, led by Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy.

Paul Hayward of the Telegraph can feel the transition taking place:

So what, exactly, are golf's Big Three playing for?

For starters, the tournament represents a potentially big payday. 

The total purse for this year's tournament will be $10 million, according to PGATour.com. Last year's winner, Spieth, took home $1.8 million for earning the coveted green jacket.

But for each player, the tournament also represents much, much more.

For McIlroy, it represents the chance to accomplish one of the most hallowed achievements in all of golf: the career Grand Slam. 

Only five players in history—Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods—have accomplished the feat. Even the great Arnold Palmer couldn't pull it off. 

McIlroy, to his credit, isn't trying to fixate upon the opportunity to join that club.

"I really feel like I can't think that much about it," he said, per Jason Sobel of ESPN.com. "Of course, it's one of the biggest things that's left on my [resume] that I haven't been able to achieve. I want to achieve it and I hopefully will one day."

One day. Maybe Sunday.

Spieth will almost assuredly have something to say about that, however. Golf's shooting star is the defending champion at this event and is looking to win his third major in five tournaments. He's also looking to prove that his two majors from last year and four top-four finishes at the majors from a season ago weren't a fluke.

Nobody would blame Spieth if he couldn't replicate last season's dominance. Everybody would love to see him reach that level of play again, however. What he was able to do last season was downright breathtaking at times and was as close to pure dominance as the sport has seen since Woods.

While Spieth was boggling minds, however, Day was putting together a magnificent season of his own, highlighted by a win at the PGA Championship. He comes into the tournament as the top-ranked golfer in the world, but he's just trying to keep things relaxed, as he told Andy Bull of the Guardian:

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Instead of “trying too hard, trying to force and will it in”, he’s going to relax, “try and play the way I have been and hopefully I’ll give it a good run at the end of the week”.

At the same time, he rightly reckons if he is in contention on Sunday, he is better equipped to handle and deal with the pressure. “With what I’ve done the last year and a half, I feel like I’m preparing myself for a good Sunday here and a good final nine.”

"

The rest of the field might want to prepare for him to do just that.

And so, after years of obsessing over mediocrity and hoping for a revival, golf is finally out of the Woods. There is a new power trio atop the golf world, and at the Masters, we'll get to see them battle for supremacy in golf's most prestigious tournament.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.