2011 Masters Predictions: 10 Golfers Most Likely To Win First Major This Week
Golf's greatest spectacle is almost before us.
Like an annual rite of spring, the Masters is this upcoming weekend.
The 2010 Masters champion, Phil Mickelson, will look to feed upon the momentum of winning last week's Shell Houston Open and win a fourth green jacket.
However, the field may be deeper than ever.
With the fall from grace of Tiger Woods, the next generation of superstars are all basking in the opportunity to become the next major champion.
The Masters still remains the crown jewel in golf. The green jacket is the most coveted fashion item in the sport.
Plenty of people would love to win their first major right here and now.
Some are young phenoms, waiting to show the world what they are capable of.
Others are older, more experienced and see the time ticking away.
Regardless, these are the 10 players without a major most likely to change all that on Sunday.
10. K.J. Choi
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Silent but deadly, Choi is one of those sleek figures who can move up the leaderboard quickly.
While he may not have the star power or swagger that some of the others on this list possess, he does have five career top 10 finishes in the majors.
Choi had a close call last year at the Masters, finishing fourth to eventual-champion Phil Mickelson. That was his best finish since finishing third to Phil Mickelson in 2004.
Have you noticed the trend?
Considering Mickelson will be coming into August fresh off a victory, I expect him to play well. That also means that Choi should probably follow suit.
With two top 10s already this season, Choi has played well. His scrambling is some of the best in the game, and that is what it takes to win majors.
Could it finally be his time to break out of the pack and finally bring home a green jacket?
9. Rickie Fowler
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When Rickie Fowler was selected as a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup, it certainly turned heads.
An inexperienced youngster would surely struggle in the pressure cooker of playing for his country.
Instead, Fowler proved to everyone that he has the mental toughness to go with the flashy clothes and wavy hair. He birdied four holes in a row to halve a match on the final day and help the United States make an impressive run, only to fall short in the end.
Fowler is currently second on the tour in putting in 2011. The flat stick has helped garner him some impressive rounds and makes him a good pick heading into the Masters.
After all, the Masters is a risk-reward paradise. The swashbucklers who can rack up birdies and eagles have a great chance at victory.
Fowler plays aggressively, but he has never played in the Masters.
Can he really win in his first attempt?
He has surprised us before.
8. Steve Marino
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If you want a dark horse, look no further than Steve Marino.
Marino has never won on the PGA Tour, yet he has flirted with victory more than once.
Just a few weeks ago, the former Virginia Cavalier was on the verge of stealing the Arnold Palmer Invitational. However, a tough closing stretch handed the tournament to Martin Laird by one stroke.
Just a few years ago, Marino was the co-leader with Tom Watson after the second round of the 2009 British Open.
We all know that it takes some time for players to learn how to win.
The question is not whether Marino has the talent to win; it is whether he will allow himself to breakthrough and win if he can overcome the demons that plague all golfers.
Marino finished in a tie for 14th last year at Augusta in his first ever appearance there. The finish was his best ever in a major.
With a strong start to 2011, Marino could very well be a factor this weekend. Time will tell if his close calls can translate into a green jacket.
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7. Ian Poulter
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Ian Poulter may try to distract you with his clothes, but the most flashy part about him is his game.
Poulter used to be a welcome sideshow, a distraction from the actual tournament. However, the Brit appears to be on the verge of finally breaking through.
First, people began to admire the impressive Ryder Cup performances.
Then he catapulted to fifth in the World Rankings by winning the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, his first win on American soil.
Poulter has finished in the top 25 at the Masters in the past four years. Last year, he finished 10th, the third top 10 in a major for his career.
The brash young man has always had the style; now he has the substance to back it up.
He can make enough birdies to compete, and he has enough experience to battle through the rough patches.
Still, will Poulter be able to bring it all together to make for a weekend to remember?
6. Matt Kuchar
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What a turnaround for Matt Kuchar.
It seems like a lifetime ago that Kuchar burst on the scene with a 1997 U.S. Amateur title followed by two low-amateur marks in 1998.
It looked like Kuchar was going to be the next big thing.
Instead, he decided to stay at Georgia Tech rather than turn pro. Afterwards, Kuchar simply could not seem to recapture that magic.
In 2006, he was on the Nationwide Tour, just trying to get back on the major circuit.
It may have taken longer than expected, but Kuchar is finally playing like the young man we saw in 1997.
With two wins in the past two seasons, Kuchar was the leading money winner last season and made the Ryder Cup team.
He is now one of the top-ranked Americans in the country but he is still trying to improve upon his best Masters finish 13 years ago.
Kuchar is one of the most consistent players around. He will not shoot himself out of a competition, and there is no major flaw in his game.
With three top 10s in a row to start the 2011 season, Kuchar is playing well and with a great deal of confidence.
Now it is time for him to make the next step. After finishing 21st, sixth, 27th and 10th in the majors respectively for 2010, Kuchar may finally be ready to make some noise on Sunday.
5. Steve Stricker
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Speaking of comebacks, Steve Stricker is your poster child for unlikely turnaround.
Stricker went through an amazing downward spiral. He suffered through a terrible spout with the driver, duck hooking it into the woods.
In 2004, he lost his card and had to rely on sponsors exemptions to climb his way back to the PGA Tour.
Now he has become a fixture in the top 10. He has nine career wins, six coming after the fall from grace.
However, Stricker still is seeking his first major. At age 41, it is either now or never.
Finishing sixth at Augusta last year, his best finish in a major in 2010, Stricker could be poised to don the green jacket.
It has been 13 years since his close call at the PGA Championship, finishing second to Vijay Singh.
Stricker is one of the best on the greens. In order to win, he will need to make birdies. Can he hit the ball long enough to put him in position?
4. Rory McIlroy
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We all know that confidence is a big factor.
You have to believe you can win a major in order to actually do it.
Well, McIlroy certainly does not lack confidence. He infamously called out Tiger Woods before the Ryder Cup and may be the biggest young superstar in the sport.
McIlroy has the publicity; now he needs the major.
Despite being just 21 years old, the young Scot has finished third in the past two majors. He already has four top-10 finishes in the past two years.
However, the Masters has not been his cup of tea.
McIlroy still awaits his first top 10 at Augusta. In fact, last year he did not even make the cut.
Still, his propensity for low scores and big drives must make him a contender.
With some experience in majors under his belt, he will not wilt under the pressure.
The large hype is only matched by the potential, something that could come to fruition this weekend.
3. Anthony Kim
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While everyone has been paying attention to the troubles of Tiger Woods, Anthony Kim also had a season to forget in 2010.
Injuries plagued the budding superstar, but he was able to take home the Shell Houston Open in April 2010 before he took nearly the entire summer off.
Kim returned to form this weekend, going 10 under as the defending champion. His health is returning, and so is his game.
Having won three times already, Kim has what it takes to become the next face of golf.
His big belt buckles match his big personality. He knows he has the talent to beat anyone, and with some maturity, he could hone the practice routine to make him the best in the world.
The only person who could stop Kim is himself, but I think he looks at this season with a new-found determination and passion.
This is his comeback tour, a chance to reclaim the golf headlines abandoned by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
What better place than the Masters?
The biggest tournament in golf has been kind to Kim, who finished in the top five last year. Can he top that in 2011?
2. Lee Westwood
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It's official.
Like it or not, Lee Westwood has officially been crowned the new best player to have never won a major.
Last year at Augusta, it looked like that would all change.
Westwood had led both the second and third rounds, holding a one-shot edge going into Sunday.
Despite shooting one under on Sunday, he could not compete with Mickelson's 67 and he was on the outside looking in yet again.
In a scene reminiscent of the 1999 U.S. Open, this time it was Mickelson taking the role of Payne Stewart, consoling Westwood by telling him he had a much greater title to his name: being a father.
It took Lefty five more years after that close call at Pinehurst No. 2 to finally capture a major. Westwood may not be so patient.
Four out of the last five majors he has played in, Westwood has finished in the top three. He continues to knock at the door, waiting for his time.
Westwood has 33 career wins and he is now 37 years old. He is in the prime of his career and knows that he can win at any time.
Westwood's putter has let him down in clutch situations, but he made some big ones in 2010.
Can he finally string it together and win?
1. Dustin Johnson
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If you built a prototypical player for the Masters, it would have to be Dustin Johnson.
Hits it a million yards? Check.
Fearless? Check.
Borderline reckless? Double check.
Hungry for redemption? You better believe it.
Johnson was twice embarrassed by the majors last season.
First, he fell apart in the U.S. Open, throwing away a three-stroke lead on the final day. In fact, his 82 barely kept him in the top 10.
Then Johnson appeared on the verge of a playoff in the PGA Championship. However, the infamous bunker that Johnson had no clue was a bunker cost him a stroke and a chance at his first major.
In one major, Johnson looked like a choker. In the other one he just looked dumb.
Well, the Masters can offer him a chance to prove everyone wrong.
His length gives him a big edge. He is third on the tour in driving distance, second in birdies and 20th in greens-in-regulation percentage.
That is a recipe for success on any golf course, but particularly Augusta.
Johnson is angry, and if he can channel that energy, he will be a difficult opponent to beat.
Win or lose, we know one thing. He will certainly be entertaining.
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