by Cliff Pyron

Even if you are not a golf enthusiast there is just something special about The Masters. This tournament is the unofficial start to the PGA tour season and sets the tone for the year in golf. There are more interesting storylines going into this tournament and the golf year than can be remembered in recent history. I am writing this article on Friday from Augusta, bringing you a firsthand look at the golfers of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Today was the final round at The Masters for two of golf’s most legendary players in Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller. Player, 73, received a standing ovation on almost every hole and is in phenomenal shape. He paved the way for international players to play the game in the United States. The respect for this man in the golf world is shown in his pairing with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in the annual par-three tournament on Wednesday at Augusta. Seeing them together was truly an amazing experience that I will tell my kids about some day. Enough with the sentimental junk, lets break down the actual competitors…

Every golf conversation starts and ends with Tiger Woods. We are witnessing the greatest golfer and perhaps the greatest athlete of all time in Tiger. Fresh off knee surgery and a win at Bay Hill, Tiger looks to prey on his competitors this year and return to his dominant ways. So far through two rounds Tiger is -2 and may be too far from the leaders to make a run but is probably looking at a top-ten finish. When you see him you feel like you are in the presence of someone special and to be honest he doesn’t even look real, but this highly decorated profes-sional is going to return to his winning ways sooner rather than later regardless of how he finishes at Augusta.
Although he may never truly be the rival to Tiger that the media makes him out to be, Phil Mickelson is the underrated player of the people. His sincerity and kindness coupled with his overshadowed accomplishments make him one of the most loved players on tour. Phil obviously has the talent to be dominant it is just his mental game that sometimes hurts him. Already with two wins on the season and competing thus far at The Masters, look for Phil to put together perhaps his greatest year since 2004 (when he won The Masters, finished second at the US Open and second at the British).

Other possible threats for this year include Padraig Harrington who won two majors in Tiger’s absence last year. Current Fed-Ex points leader Geoff Ogilvy will also be in the mix after his hot start. It could also be Sergio Garcia’s year as long as he focuses on his game rather than the ladies that follow him around. But the one player to watch out for is 48-year-old Kenny Perry. He is tied for the lead here at The Masters, has already won this year, and debatably had the best season of any player on tour last year. He’s not flashy but he has such a solid game. The aged Perry is successfully putting off his stint on the Champions Tour and unlike these young guns will not bow to Tiger Woods.

It should be an outstanding year on the PGA Tour. Watch it to witness greatness, watch it to see lasting tradition, and watch it because it is the best sport to watch in HD!