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They have surveyed the green, examined the breaks and calculated the grain, speed and dimensions. Here's how CBSSports.com staffers Steve Elling, Ross Devonport and Dan Lubin are handicapping this week's Masters.
| No-Brainer: Who's head of the class, king of the hill, top of the heap? | ||
| Steve Elling CBSSports.com Senior Writer | Ross Devonport CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer | Dan Lubin CBSSports.com Golf Producer |
 Tiger Woods As for our picks, the top row of photos this week had better look like the winning readout on a slot machine -- three matching mug shots of Eldrick T. Woods. For the past few weeks, I have been refusing to drink the Kool-Aid, deferring several times to the firepower elsewhere in the field when Woods has played. But no longer. Even when the guy plays poorly, he's in the mix, like when he finished fifth at Doral three weeks ago to snap his six-month winning streak. If Woods says he's ready to rock this week, then consider my ears open for the aria. |  Vijay Singh I said I would pick Tiger Woods until he lost, so with his failure to win at the CA Championship, I am going to ignore him this week -- probably at my peril. Instead, I’m going to go with everyone’s favorite Fijian golfer, Vijay Singh. He always seems to be in the mix at Augusta -- he has only finished outside of the top 25 once since 1996 -- and is playing some very solid golf at the moment, with back-to-back top three finishes. | Tiger Woods One of the reasons Tiger has won four green jackets (as opposed to only two U.S. Opens) is that Augusta National isn't a particularly tough driving track. Fairways are relatively commodious and rough isn't that penal. So Tiger's errant driver has never been an issue, and in his 13 appearances at the Masters, he has consistently recorded among the top percentages in greens in regulation. In 2008, Tiger is hitting the green at a tour-leading rate of 74.54 percent (almost 2 percent better than second). Add to that the third-best putting average (1.696) and second-best scrambling percentage (74.55 percent) and you have the perfect formula to an outright romp a la 1997. |
| Late for his Tee Time: Who's playing well and ready for a breakthrough? | ||
| Steve Elling CBSSports.com Senior Writer | Ross Devonport CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer | Dan Lubin CBSSports.com Golf Producer |
 Retief Goosen Here's a name that has fallen out of favor, and for good reason. The Goose has been going through some swing changes for the past year and fell off the face of the earth. But while he hasn’t won at Augusta, he has finished third or better in four of the past six Masters. In the two other years, he finished T13. Besides, after a few months of forgettable results, his runner-up finish at Doral three weeks ago was a sign that he's nearing is familiar form. |  Stewart Cink If Stewart Cink manages to avoid disqualifying himself this week in Augusta, I think he has a solid chance at being somewhere near the lead on Sunday afternoon. He has five straight top 25s at the Masters and is fifth in the all-around ranking and 10th in GIR this season. OK, so he hasn’t closed events out that well recently, but that’s not going to stop me from picking him. |  K.J. Choi Choi won back in January at the Sony Open, but the immensely talented Korean, who holds seven PGA Tour titles, goes to the top of my list of players ripe for a major championship. He has expressed his keen desire to become the first Asian player to win a major. It was at the 2004 Masters -- when he took third -- that Choi had his best shot so far. In 2008, he has been rock solid, finishing within the top 25 six times in eight starts. Choi remains one of the best iron players in the world, while his putting -- which has always been his weak point -- has been getting better since 2007. |
| One in a 100: Who could surprise us with a great performance? | ||
| Steve Elling CBSSports.com Senior Writer | Ross Devonport CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer | Dan Lubin CBSSports.com Golf Producer |
 Geoff Ogilvy Speaking of hot hands, maybe we've been touting the wrong Aussie for the past few years. Let's set Adam Scott and his streaky putter aside for the moment and concentrate on Geoff Ogilvy, who in his past two starts has finished first and second. In his past four outings, his worst finish is 14th. A student of the game like few other tour players, Ogilvy loves the nuances and strategies at Augusta and has the confidence to win his second major championship. Confidence is ever-elusive, so why not pick a guy who's "feeling it," as the players like to say? |  Mark Calcavecchia Mark Calcavecchia has played very well this season, and is seventh on tour in greens in regulation. That’s always a huge stat at Augusta, and Calc has played there often enough in his long career to know his way around the course. Avoiding the big mistake is a must in the Masters, and if Calc can somehow get his putter going, I think he has what it takes to put together at least a top 10 finish. |  Robert Allenby Allenby is still mired in one of the most inexplicable winless streaks in all of pro golf. He hasn't won a tournament since 2001 despite being a top-notch performer over the past seven years. Allenby is having another solid season with two top 10s and six top 25s. He hasn't missed a cut since January and ranks fourth in greens in regulation on tour. Although he has never contended at the Masters, he has a wealth of experience at Augusta National to draw from -- this week is his ninth career appearance. |
