Drive for the Putt, Putt for the Dough

By Guest Blogger Kyle Howard:

This weekend marks the super bowl of the golfing world, The Masters. The Masters is one of the most prestigeous and traditional tournments in the sporting world. Many questions surround this years Masters, but the most important one any golfing activist is asking themselves is Can Tiger win again? Tiger is going through the longest slump of his professional career, having not won a tournment in the past 16 months. Swing changes, bad publicity, and problems on the home front have put Tiger Woods in unfamiliar territory. Tiger Woods is currently the 7th ranked golfer in the world, but really hasnt shown us much promise with his performances this year. Tiger would tell you its going to take just one great round to get him back on track, but is Augusta National the place to do it? Golf has taken a hit over the past year and half with its superstar not performing up to his standards. Golf needs Tiger and would love nothing better than for him to pull through and get one step closer to closing in on Jack Nicklaus’s Major Record of 18. I will be the first one to admit, as an avid golfer, I love when Tiger Woods is dominating and would like nothing more than for him to get back on track here at Augusta. Unfortunately, I dont see him pulling through this week. Here are my 3 picks to win the Masters this weekend:

1) Dustin Johnson; Dustin Johnson is a rising star on the PGA Tour and is quickly moving up the rankings. With his long drives and subpurb putting it would not shock me if Johnson makes a run for the jacket this year. Johnson hasn’t had much success in major championships when in contention as evidence to last years US Open breakdown. Look for Johnson to contend for most the weekend.

2) Luke Donald; Luke Donald is having arguably his best year on tour this year. Already has a win under the belt with a WGC Match Play championship and couple of top 10 finishes. Luke is arguably the best putter on the tour this year and ranks in the top 5 in all putting categories. Donald isnt as long as some of the others which causes for concern on this long course. Look for Donald to stay in contention this weekend and riding momentum gained into Sunday.

3) Phil Michelson; The favorite coming into the tournment, Phil looks to add to his collection of Green Jackets by possibly winning his 4th Masters. Phil is riding the momentum train coming off a win at the Shell Houston open while shooting 18 under par over 36 holes during the weekend rounds. Phil has always loved Augusta and Augusta has loved him. If Phil can contain his drives and putt reasonably, look for him to be a top the leader board going