FAVORITES
Jordan Spieth
Age: 22
Country: USA
PGA Tour record: Won the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open, his first major titles. Has seven total victories and $21.8 million in earnings.
Masters record: Won in 2015 and tied for second in 2014
Last year: Won by four shots over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose
The skinny: After a blowout win in the year-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, another Year of Spieth looked to be in the making. But world travels by the world No. 1 caught up with him, and he hasn’t caught the same wave of momentum he found in last year’s five-win season. Sometimes his putting has been off; other times it’s been his wedge play or driving. But he’s the reigning champion, and in two years only one player has beaten him at Augusta. And who’s a better putter?
Bubba Watson
Age: 37
Country: USA
PGA Tour record: Nine victories, including the 2012 and 2014 Masters. Has $34.5 million in earnings.
Masters record: Has not missed the cut in seven starts and won in 2012 and 2014.
Last year: Tied for 38th
The skinny: The course is tailor-made for Watson, who has as much firepower as anyone and great hands on and around the greens. His ability to cut the ball with his driver gives him a huge advantage on holes such as 5, 10, 13 and 17. Won at Riviera and finished second at Doral this year. Doesn’t come in as the defending champ, which dims the spotlight, much to his liking. Even after Adam Scott won two events in a row and was asked if he was the Masters favorite, he said no. He immediately pointed to Watson.
Rory McIlroy
Age: 26
Country: Northern Ireland
PGA Tour record: Has 11wins and 47 top-10 finishes. Has $29 million in earnings and won the 2014 British Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship and 2011 U.S. Open.
Masters record: Has made the cut in six of his seven starts. Held a four-shot 54-hole lead in 2011 before a final-round 80 crushed him.
Last year: Fourth
The skinny: A weekend of 68-66 last year has McIlroy feeling good heading to Augusta, where only a green jacket stands in the way of a career Grand Slam. Last year he finally took care of the par-5s, which had cost him in the past, he said. This year he hopes to take care of the dreadful 9; the former Boy Wonder has been stung by nine-hole scores in the 40s nearly every year in the Masters. If he takes care of that bugaboo, watch out.
Phil Mickelson
Age: 45
Country: USA
PGA Tour record: Has 42career victories and $79 million in earnings. Has won five majors: the 2005 PGA Championship, the 2013 British Open and the Masters three times.
Masters record: Won in 2004, 2006 and 2010. Has made the cut in 21 of his 23 starts and has 15 top-10 finishes.
Last year: Tied for second
The skinny: “Lefty” feels right at home from the moment he turns on to Magnolia Lane. He knows the treacherous Augusta National greens as well as anyone and has more than enough firepower to shorten the course, especially hitting as a left-hander. His imagination plays well at Augusta, too. Armed with a new swing after switching to coach Andrew Getson, Mickelson has been close to putting his entire game together this year; he was runner-up in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Adam Scott
Age: 35
Country: Australia
PGA Tour record: 13 victories and 76 top-10 finishes. He has $42.9 million in earnings.
Masters record: Won in 2013. Has four top-10 finishes and made the cut in 12 of his 14 starts.
Last year: Tied for 38th
The skinny: One of the game’s best ball strikers, he’s now confidently striking the ball with his putter after complying with the rule banning anchoring. He was in form — six top-10s in eight starts around the world — when he showed up for the Honda Classic. Two weeks later, he had two wins, beating Sergio Garcia by one in the Honda and Watson by one in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Will reunite with caddie Stevie Williams, who was on the bag when Scott won his green jacket in 2013.
Jason Day
Age: 28
Country: Australia
PGA Tour record: Won the 2015 PGA Championship, his first win in a major tournament. Has eight victories and $28.5 million in earnings.
Masters record: Five starts with two top-three finishes, including second in 2011 and third in 2013.
Last year: Tied for 28th
The skinny: Not much was going right this year for Day after winning five times last year. Illness and injury held him back. Then he became Day again in winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC-Dell Match Play Championship in back-to-back weeks. The world No. 1 can handle the big stage and Augusta National with his power.
TOP CONTENDERS
Rickie Fowler
Age: 27
Country: USA
PGA Tour record: Three victories and 44 top-10 finishes. Has $22.5 million in earnings.
Masters record: Has made the cut in all five starts and tied for fifth in 2014.
Last year: Tied for 12th
The skinny: Two years ago Fowler didn’t win a tournament but became one of only four players to finish in the top five in every major in a single season. Last year he won three times worldwide but tied for 12th, missed the cut and tied for 30th twice in the majors. He’s looking to buck that trend. He has a win this year in the Middle East and lost in a playoff in Phoenix.
Justin Rose
Age: 35
Country: England
PGA Tour record: Seven wins, including 2013 U.S. Open, as well as 70 top-10 finishes. He has $35.4 million in earnings.
Masters record: Has made the cut in all 10 starts and has three top-10 finishes.
Last year: Tied for second
The skinny: Rose couldn’t match Spieth last year, but the great ball striker with solid power is a threat in all four majors.
Henrik Stenson
Age: 40
Country: Sweden
PGA Tour record: Four wins and $21.8 million in earnings.
Masters record: Has made seven cuts in 10 starts. Best finish is a tie for 14th in 2014.
Last year: Tied for 19th
The skinny: If he ever matches his putting with his ball striking, look out. He has won big events — The Players, a WGC event, a FedExCup event, The Tour Championship. But he hasn’t won a major. After four top-fours in 2013 and 2014, his best finish in the 2015 majors was a tie for 19th.
Brandt Snedeker
Age: 35
Country: USA
PGA Tour record: Eight wins and $29.1 million in earnings.
Masters record: Has made six cuts in eight starts. Has finished in the top 10 twice, including in 2008 when he tied for third.
Last year: Missed cut
The skinny: Form was great earlier in the year, which included a win in the Farmers Insurance Open. But he was forced to withdraw at Doral with sore ribs. If his body holds up, his putter can get him into contention.
Dustin Johnson
Age: 31
Country: USA
PGA Tour record: Nine wins and 57 top-10 finishes. Has $30.6million in earnings.
Masters record: Has made five cuts in six starts. Best finish is a tie for sixth last year.
Last year: Tied for sixth
The skinny: He’s going to win a major sometime, isn’t he? One of the game’s longest hitters has 10 top-10s in majors, including three last year. But he has had plenty of heartbreak in the majors, including a tie for second in the U.S. Open last year when he three-putted the final green to lose by a stroke.
Hideki Matsuyama
Age: 24
Country: Japan
PGA Tour record: He has two victories, 18 top-10s and $9.2million in earnings.
Masters record: Has made the cut in three of his four starts.
Last year: Fifth
The skinny: The Japanese star, who has six wins on the Japan tour, has plenty of power and is a solid ball striker. His confidence grows as he gains experience. Beat Fowler in a playoff in this year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. Was bothered by a sore hip.
Louis Oosthuizen
Age: 33
Country: South Africa
PGA Tour record: Has one win and 18 top-10 finishes. He has $10.5 million in earnings.
Masters record: Has made the cut three times in seven starts. Best finish is second in 2012 when he went to a playoff with Watson.
Last year: Tied for 19th
The skinny: No one has a better swing. Was huge for the Internationals in the 2015 Presidents Cup, going 4-0-1. Won his eighth career title this year on the European Tour.
Charl Schwartzel
Age: 31
Country: South Africa
PGA Tour record: Has two wins, 23 top-10s and $11.6 million in earnings.
Masters record: Six starts and one top-10 — his win in 2011.
Last year: Tied for 38th
The skinny: Schwartzel has 15 worldwide wins, the last coming in the Valspar Championship in March. That victory ended a dry spell on the PGA Tour dating to his Masters title and washed away doubts about him winning again on the Tour. Including Schwartzel’s two European Tour wins, he has three victories since November.
Patrick Reed
Age: 25
Country: USA
PGA Tour record: He has four victories and $11.4 million in earnings.
Masters record: Made the cut in one of his two starts.
Last year: Tied for 22nd
The skinny: Reed’s last victory came in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions more than a year ago, but he has finished runner-
up four times in worldwide events since then. Reed has played well on the sport’s big stage, including in the 2014 Ryder Cup and 2015 Presidents Cup.
GALLERY: FAMILY FUN AT THE MASTERS
