The Masters: Who's hot and who's not!

Post by Golf Journalist, Nick Bonfield

Everything is bubbling up quite nicely in the world of professional golf as we approach what, for many, is the unofficial start of the golfing season, and a tournament that enthralls people like no other: The Masters. In less than a month, Augusta National’s blooming azaleas, carpet-like fairways and verdant greenery will appear on our television screens as the top professionals head to Georgia for the first major of the year. But what have the first couple of months of the season taught us about who might contend? Who is in good form? Who is trending in the right direction? And, by contrast, who looks like they don’t have a chance of putting both arms through the coveted Green Jacket come Sunday evening?

Who’s hot…

Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth cemented his burgeoning reputation with an enthralling play-off victory at the Valspar Championship. On the third play-off hole, he drained a 28-footer to defeat Sean O’Hair and fellow youngster Patrick Reed and land his second PGA Tour victory - in doing so reaffirming his position as one of the favourites at Augusta. He’s moved to world number six after a sublime series of finishes – including three victories and three further top 10s in his last eight starts – and we already know he’s capable of winning the Masters following a sterling debut last year. 

Henrik Stenson

Henrk Stenson was off the boil for a decent portion of 2014, but he’s now not far off the form that saw him win both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same season (2013). After a victory at last year’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Stenson has recorded two top-13s on the European circuit and two back-to-back top-5s over the last two weeks on the PGA Tour. He’s a player with the attributes to succeed at Augusta – a high ball flight, length and course experience – and someone with a good record there, so this could be the year he breaks his major duck.

Jason Day

Jason Day is a player who seems to relish the big occasion and brings his best golf to the most significant events. He won the 2014 WGC-Accenture Matchplay – something everyone though would be a genuine springboard towards superstardom – but persistent injuries hampered the rest of his year. He’s now injury free, and looking back to his very best. So far in 2015, he’s only finished outside the top 17 on one occasion and he’s taken his PGA Tour victory tally to three with a triumph at the Farmers Insurance Open. He came second at The Masters in 2011 and third in 2013, he’s playing well and his attributes are a great match for Augusta. It’s his time, and he knows it.  

Lee Westwood

You might not have seen too much of Lee Westwood at the very top of recent leaderboards, but he’s made a very steady start to 2015, particularly on American shores. He followed a top-25 at the Honda Classic with top-17s at both the WGC-Cadillac Championship and last week’s Valspar Championship, so he’s clearly comfortable with his game. Encouragingly, he also ranks 17th in Strokes Gained: Putting, something that’s been a perennial Achilles Heel throughout his career. If he can hole more six-footers and continue to make strides around the greens, 2015 could be the year for major glory. If it’s going to be anywhere, you feel it will happen at Augusta, where he’s only finished outside the top 11 once since 2008.

Dustin Johnson

It’s taken Dustin Johnson a while to get accustomed to Augusta National, and you can’t help but feel his lackluster short-game over past years has inhibited him from making a sustained challenge for the Green Jacket. That said, he’s much improved with a wedge in his hand, he came 13th in 2013 and his ball striking this season has been imperious. Allow me to elaborate: he currently ranks first in Driving Distance, second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, third in Scoring Average, fifth in Birdie Average and seventh in Strokes Gained: Total. He has the power to reach all of Augusta’s par 5s in two and he’ll have so many wedges in his hand for second shots that it’s hard to think he won’t feature in some capacity. Plus, his clutch putting down the stretch at the WGC-Cadillac en route to his second World Golf Championship title was mightily impressive.

And who’s not…

Justin Rose

Justin Rose has made an uncharacteristically poor start to the PGA Tour season. After a couple of decent results during the European Tour’s Desert Swing, the Englishman has missed three out of four cuts on the American circuit (the only other event was the WGC-Cadillac Championship – a tournament without a cut). To put that figure into context, he only missed a combined four cuts in the 2013 and 2014 PGA Tour seasons. He’s currently outside the top 200 in Driving Accuracy – a traditional strength – Strokes Gained: Putting and Scrambling and 207th in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s a class act with major-winning pedigree, so his start to the season has been very unexpected.

Tiger Woods

Who knows if Tiger Woods will even tee it up at The Masters? He announced before the Honda Classic his intention to take a hiatus until he felt his game was good enough to compete. Earlier this week, he declared his intention to miss the Arnold Palmer Invitational because he still didn’t believe he could compete. Woods is a master at Augusta – as he showed in 2011 when he came close to winning while in a spell of dreadful form – but only a delusional person would give him any chance of winning next month.

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson slammed his putting as ‘pathetic’ following back-to-back missed cuts at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and Farmers Insurance Open. He’s yet to record a top 10 all season and currently sits outside the top 150 on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings. He’s not hitting many fairway or greens and, when he does, he’s not converting the putts. That’s not a combination that’s going to yield success at Augusta, even if you’re a three-time Masters champion.