Jordan Spieth:
Can the young man repeat last year's heroics? Potentially, ranked 2nd in the world, Jordan hasn't quite repeated his heroics of last year, winning just the one of the 8 tournaments played so far, however, with his ability to shine at Majors and his sensational putting he is always going to be up there. Having said he has one just the one tournament, he has made the top 20 in 3 of his last 4 tournaments, and with a game designed for Augusta you can guarantee that he'll be in the running. He hasn't quite been firing on all cylinders though, but in the one tournament he did win this year - the Hyundai Tournament of Champions - he obliterated the field, finishing on -30 on a 72 hole course. The 8 stroke victory was a gentle reminder that the reigning champion has the quality to repeat last year's feat, and we think he'll be right up there this time around too.
Jason Day:
The world number 1 Jason Day comes into The Masters off the back of two tournament wins in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the World Golf Champions Match Play, and he'll be looking to build on his good form of late and his brilliant US Open championship where he finished on -20. With his mixture of great putting and being able to hit it long off the tee, he will be able to compete in any tournament he's in. He has performed well here in the past, and the number one in the world is seemingly overdue his green jacket. He's everyone's favourite going in to the tournament, and rightly so, Jason Day looks primed to take win the tournament the way that he has been playing lately and the smart money goes on the Australian.
Rory McIlroy:
Chasing the one Major that his evaded him, Rory comes in looking ok, but occasionally making a few errors and some pretty bad holes. He's had a week off to prepare for Augusta, and the 3rd in the world will be entirely focused on the task at hand, avenging his 2011 final round meltdown. It's a question of when Rory will win, not if, but as he can't string 4 decent rounds of golf together right now it is not looking likely, especially considering the form of other contenders.
Matt Kuchar:
At 65/1, Matt Kuchar is a bit of a long shot, but we'll be keeping a close eye on him, having got a top 3 Masters finish in 2012, he is clearly capable of performing at Augusta, and with good performances at the Valspar Championship and the World Golf Championships going into the tournament, he may have a bit of confidence, in spite of being cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. When he's hot he's hot, able to notch up continuous streaks of birdies, and if he gets going this week he is certainly one to watch out for.
Sergio Garcia:
Please. Please can we all let Sergio win it this year. A consistently good performer at Augusta, he needs 4 good, solid rounds here to be in with a shout, and it's certainly a possibility. His one top 10 finish this year came at the Honda Classic, where a good performance saw him finish in 2nd. A brilliant GIR percentage will help him on his way at this year's opening major, and we will all be hoping that he raises his game to the next level to take the green jacket.
Our favourite for the tournament is - surprise, surprise - Jason Day, but we will think McIlroy and Spieth will push him well, hopefully keeping it interesting until the final round, unlike last year. With the two longer shots, in Garcia and Kuchar, the heart says Sergio but the brain says Kuchar, we're hoping for solid performances from both, but a major at last for Garcia would delight the whole golfing world.
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