2015 Masters Tournament Preview

Aaron P.
Apr 8, 2015
7 min read

When it comes to professional golf, there are few events as exciting as the ever so popular Masters Tournament. Occurring every year at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club, located in Augusta Georgia, the Masters is one of, if not the most, anticipated events of the PGA season.

All of the four Major Tournaments provide their winners with an extravagant trophy to tangibly award them of their accomplishments. But, out of all of these “trophies”, none are as coveted as the illustrious “green jacket” that is given to the winner of The Masters. Cut from green Georgia cloth, this distinguished jacket is a respected symbol of success amongst current and former players of the Professional Golf Association. To dawn one of these over your shoulders is not only a great achievement, but also a sought after milestone in many professional golfers' careers.

In order to wear the green jacket, one must first compete and succeed in the tournament itself. Spanning over four days and 72 holes, the Masters tournament is seen as one of toughest competitions on the PGA tour. Augusta National Golf Club is the home to some of the most difficult holes in golf, most notably the “Amen Corner”. The “Amen Corner” consists of holes 11, 12, and 13, and depending on the hole locations, are typically the hardest holes on the course – if not all of the PGA courses.

The gentleman who will be partaking in this event, are the best golfers in the world. In the field of men expected to compete in this year’s 2015 Masters Tournament, 19 of them own green jackets. Those players being:

Angel Cabrera

Fred Couples

Ben Crenshaw

Trevor Immelman

Zach Johnson

Bernhard Langer

Sandy Lyle

Phil Mickelson

Larry Mize

Mark O’Meara

Jose Maria Olazabal

Charl Schwartzel

Adam Scott

Vijay Singh

Bubba Watson

Tom Watson

Mike Weir

Tiger Woods

Ian Woosnam

The name Bubba Watson has been synonymous with the Masters tournament over the past few years, mainly because he has won 2 of the last 3 tournaments. Watson has been playing good golf in 2015 as well. Leading up to this tournament Watson has finished second at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, and another second place finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The power that Bubba Watson has, and the creativity he approaches every shot with, gives him a chance to win at every tournament that he competes in. Also, being a left-handed shot gives him a slight advantage against the field with the way this tough Augusta National course is laid out.

Another lefty with multiple Masters wins is the man that the golf world has officially nicknamed “Lefty”: Phil Mickelson. The first thing I have to say is, NEVER count lefty out. Phil Mickelson has been dominant at the sport of golf longer than most, and he always finds a way to be in the thick of things. He is one of the most cunning golfers, and at one point he was always considered a potential champion in any tournament he played in. That being said, Phil has not been playing his best golf this season. Up until this tournament, Phil has placed 17th in both the Honda Classic and the Shell Houston Open; and he placed 31st in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Though he has made the cut and placed in multiple tournaments, there is more to be expected of someone who has played the caliber of golf that Phil has in his career. But like I said, NEVER count lefty out.

A right-handed player, who knows what it takes to win The Masters, is Adam Scott. Over the past few years Scott has been playing very good golf. And though his play so far this year hasn’t been eye popping, he surely hasn’t been slacking either. Scott’s best finish this year was a 4th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. During that tournament he shot the fields best score in Day two, but he ultimately saw the battle of J.B. Holmes and Dustin Johnson pass him on the leaderboard. There is no doubt about Scott’s raw ability and skill. After wielding what has come to be his signature long-putter over the past few years, Scott came into this year using the short stick. He has not seen as much success in his transition of tools, and he has stated that The Masters will be the last tournament this season in which he will use it. Like every golfer, Scott has his ups and downs in this sport; but keep him in mind as a dark horse candidate to win another jacket.

One of the most intriguing entrants in the tournament, and one of the most talked about is – you guessed it – Tiger Woods. Tiger is coming off a hiatus in golf, that he took due to his poor play and string of injuries. Over the past few seasons Tiger Woods has been under the watchful eye of golf fans everywhere. Every move he made, and every shot he took, was being analyzed and evaluated. This constant pressure has turned a man that was the face of the entire sport of golf, into what seems to be a shell of a man that once was. There is no doubt that Tiger possesses the ability to win professional golf tournaments, but the question is can the man with four green jackets hone his skills and keep the right state of mind to do so?

Owning a green jacket doesn’t automatically get you a trip to the top of the leader board, nor does it make sure you safely make the cut.

Coming into this tournament, one of the hottest golfers right now has to be the young man from Texas, Jordan Spieth. Spieth has placed in the top 3, in three of the four tournaments leading up to the Masters. He received a win at the Valspar Championship, a second in the Valero Texas Open, and a third at the Shell Houston Open. During the final two days of the Shell Houston Open, Spieth was leading the field for 54 holes, making very wise shot decisions and dominating the greens with his brilliant putting. But, his fantastic play eventually halted and allowed the likes of J.B. Holmes and Johnson Wagner to bring the match to a playoff. Spieth ended up missing a par put in the first hole of the playoff, cementing him in third for the tournament. Though he did not come away with his second win, three top 3 finishes are nothing to shake your head at. Spieth has been playing very well, and the way he has been commanding his puts makes him an intriguing option to bet on winning the Masters.

Another hot golfer coming into the Masters is the aforementioned J.B. Holmes. Holmes has also been playing some very good golf. As previously stated, he took home the championship at the Shell Houston Open, and he also took a second at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship where he spectacularly battled with the eventual winner in Dustin Johnson. They were matching the play of each other throughout the tournament. So well, that they both even scored a hole-in-one on the course’s 4th hole – three groups apart. Holmes has been showing tremendous accuracy with his irons lately, and great iron-play is a trait that every Masters champion needs to have.

Not to miss the chance of another great segue – the play of Dustin Johnson has been something to note as well. Coming off a 2014 season filled with scrutiny of his off-the-course actions that were closely covered by the media, Johnson put all of his focus on getting his game back together and being in the form all fans of golf know he is capable of. His efforts have shown some adequate results so far this season, with Johnson winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship, and placing 6th at the Valero Texas Open. Though he hasn’t put together a 2015 resume so far - like Spieth or Holmes have - Johnson has all the skills and is very capable of having everything click to put himself at the top of the Masters scoreboard.

Last, but absolutely not least, is Rory McIlroy. What is there to say that hasn’t already been said about the world’s number 1 golfer? Rory knows how to play. He has a well-rounded skill set that has received him comparisons to Tiger Woods in his prime. At this point in his career (at the ripe age of 25) he already has 40 top ten finishes, including 9 first places and 5 second place finishes. He has also already won 3 of the 4 golf majors. A win at Augusta would be all he needs to complete the extremely rare “Grand Slam”. In 2011 Rory could nearly taste his first Masters win. During the final day of the tournament he was leading the field going into the 11th hole, when an array tee-shot changed his day for the worse. Next thing he knew, he was playing his second shot amongst a line of houses, just looking to get his ball back into play. From there on, the golfer that was leading the field fell apart completely and the green jacket slipped out of his grasp. This experience did nothing but fuel the fire in a young boys heart to play better golf and got him where he is today, as the world’s number one golfer. On the course there isn’t much Rory can’t do. Though he is struggling this year with his scores on par 5’s, I believe he comes into this tournament with a chip on his shoulder and a Grand Slam in mind.

My honorable mention: Patrick Reed. Reed, like Spieth, is a young and up-and-coming golfer with great potential. He has the strength to hit the ball for miles, great accuracy, and at times he is a spectacular putter. Reed just needs to figure out how to put it all together. Reed has placed in a number of tournaments this year. He placed 40th in the Waste Management Open, 7th in the Honda Classic, 23rd in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, 2nd in the Valspar Championship, and 17th in the Shell Houston Open. He has been playing consistently good golf all season long and I could definitely see him showing up at Augusta with something to prove.