What: The 72nd Masters.
When: Thursday-Sunday.
Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga., 7,445 yards, par 72.
Field: 93 players (three amateurs)
Defending: Zach Johnson.
TV: Thursday-Friday, 4 p.m., ESPN; Saturday, 3:30 p.m., KDKA; Sunday, 2:30 p.m., KDKA.
Online: www.masters.org. One hour of coverage each day before the telecast. Live video of Amen Corner starting at 10:45 a.m. Thursday and Friday, 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Live video of the 15th and 16th holes starting at 11 a.m. Thursday and Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Gary Player will compete in his 51st Masters, breaking the record he shared with Arnold Palmer.
Over the past 25 years, the average winning score at the Masters has been the highest of the four majors.
Is there another Zach Johnson in this year's field -- a player who has never won a major who could surprise Tiger Woods or even Phil Mickelson, the two favorites? Here's a look at five possible candidates:
Aaron Baddeley: A two-time PGA Tour winner who has all the physical skills to be an upper-tier player. Baddeley, though, tends to get derailed by one bad round. A major would yank him from countryman Adam Scott's shadow.
K.J. Choi: Has elevated his game and won a couple times in big-field events. Has three wins and a second-place finish in his past 17 starts on the PGA Tour. Hits a lot of greens, but needs to be a more consistent putter.
Stewart Cink: Tends to play well until the final round, something he will have to avoid at Augusta National. Has eliminated his putting problems and controls his ball pace very well, something needed at this course.
Sean O'Hair: Sneaky long to handle Augusta's length and a decent putter to handle the sloping greens. Bold and determined like Johnson. Won PODS Championship and was third the following week at Bay Hill in his past three starts.
Steve Stricker: Has ascended to No. 4 in the world rankings and tends to play well in big events. Has finished sixth, seventh, eighth and 13th in past six major tournaments. Missed the cut in each of his past two Masters.
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Early odds |
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Favorites to win the 72nd Masters as set by World Features Syndicate (with world ranking): |
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Player |
Odds |
Rk. |
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Tiger Woods |
1-1 |
1 |
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Phil Mickelson |
9-1 |
2 |
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Ernie Els |
22-1 |
3 |
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Vijay Singh |
25-1 |
9 |
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Padraig Harrington |
28-1 |
12 |
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Retief Goosen |
30-1 |
28 |
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Adam Scott |
30-1 |
5 |
|
Jim Furyk |
35-1 |
8 |
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Geoff Ogilvy |
35-1 |
11 |
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Justin Rose |
35-1 |
6 |
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K.J. Choi |
40-1 |
7 |
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Luke Donald |
45-1 |
16 |
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Sergio Garcia |
50-1 |
14 |
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Henrik Stenson |
50-1 |
13 |
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Steve Stricker |
50-1 |
4 |
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Angel Cabrera |
65-1 |
17 |
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Zach Johnson |
65-1 |
20 |
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Rory Sabbatini |
65-1 |
10 |
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Mike Weir |
65-1 |
40 |