PREVIEW: Woods in a chasing role in a Masters too tight to call

By Peter Auf der Heyde Apr 6, 2011, 5:04 GMT

Augusta, Georgia - Even though Tiger Woods has not won a golf tournament since November 2009, he still went into last years majors as favourite.

Not so this time around at the Masters, which begin in Augusta on Thursday.

In his place Phil Mickelson is the bookies favourite to successfully defend the title he won by three strokes from Lee Westwood last year.

For Lefty, however, the importance of the Masters make it impossible to call. 'Guys gear their game for this event and it can be one of the toughest events to win, because so many guys are playing well.

'I would never discount any single player that's in this field.'

Woods, who finished one-three-two-two-six-four in the last six Masters' tournaments, is adamant that he still has what it takes to win a fifth title and close in on Jack Nicklaus' 18 major championships.

'I absolutely want to do it. The benchmark and standard in this sport is 18 and I want to achieve that,' the winner of 14 majors said.

But needless to say, it is not only Mickelson and Woods who are in the swing of things.

World number one Martin Kaymer, who missed the cut the three previous times he played in the tournament, believes the majority of players in the 99-man field have a chance to win.

'In the past there were only 10, 15 or 20 players who could win the tournament, now there are 60 or 70 players who have a chance to win the Masters.'

There is, once again, a strong South African contingent with major winners Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman and Louis Oosthuizen.

Waiting in the wings are Rory Sabatini, Tim Clark and Charl Schwartzel, who without doubt have the potential to lift a major and one of them could well challenge this time around.

Many of the fans will be rooting for Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa, who is playing in his third Masters.

He announced last week that he would be donating all his golf earnings of the season to relief efforts for the devastating earthquake and resultant tsunami and the higher-placed he finishes, the more money goes to a worthwhile cause.

England's best bet is probably Luke Donald, who is considered the strongest short-course player in the world and is the current leader in the Race to Dubai.

Surprisingly his best-ever performance at a major was at the Masters in 2005 and at the PGA Championship a year later when he finished third.

The current world number three won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this year and is looking strong for a good place finish in Augusta.

But if all of this opposition is not enough for Mickelson to worry about, history is also against him, as only three players have managed to win back-to-back Masters titles.

In 1965 and 1966 Jack Nicklaus triumphed in Augusta, in 1989 and 1990 it was Nick Faldo who successfully defended his title. In 2000 and 2001 Tiger Woods won back-to-back titles.

For Mickelson victory this time around would be the fourth time that he has been able to pull over the Green Jacket.

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