The Masters

Fantasy Fix

We discuss a possible battle between golf's two biggest figures, identify some great Masters value bets and uncover Augusta National's true best sandwich

Will we finally see an actual duel between Tiger and Phil at a major? We hope so.

The Masters

Where: Augusta, Ga.

Course: Augusta National GC

Defending champion: Phil Mickelson won by three shots to claim his third green jacket.

Purse: $7,500,000

This Week's Fix Six

1. Tiger Woods
2. Phil Mickelson
3. Nick Watney
4. Paul Casey
5. Hunter Mahan
6. Anthony Kim

By Alex Myers

Follow: @AlexMyers3

Photos by Getty Images

April 5, 2011

Welcome to a Masters edition of Fantasy Fix, where we plan on wearing our own green jacket if we predict the winner -- or even come close. The first major championship of the year is finally here and we can't wait for it to get underway. Let's get right to our thoughts.

ON TAP

Ahh, the Masters. The only sporting event that features blades of grass so perfect that you feel bad stepping on them. One of the most exciting tournaments on the golf calendar despite the bevy of tiresome pimento cheese jokes (I'll take the spicy chicken sandwich any day), this year's edition seems even more wide open than usual. Considered a bomber's course with all the tweaks over the years, a forecast of plenty of heat and not much rain should have the course playing firm and fast, giving shorter hitters like Jim Furyk and Zach Johnson a good chance of competing. In fact, out of a larger-than-usual field of 99, probably 98 have a chance of winning. Sorry, Larry Mize.

Random tournament fact: Horton Smith won the inaugural Masters in 1934. He's also the only non-Dr. Seuss character to have the first name Horton.

THE DEFENDER

Phil Mickelson. Lefty arrived here last year with little confidence in his game and even less momentum. It appeared that would be the case again this time around until his brilliant performance over the weekend in Houston. Having finished outside the top 10 only once in the past 12 Masters, it seems like Mickelson could break par at Augusta in the dark. Sure, it's an obvious choice, but that doesn't make it a dumb one. Which leads me to this next guy you just may have heard of before...

ELDRICK TONT "TIGER" WOODS

Is it finally time for Tiger Woods to step into a phone booth and morph back into one of the most dominant athletes of all time? This could be the place, especially since Augusta is one of the few places that still has pay phones. Tiger's struggles in the past year have been well documented, but he's only been out of the top 10 in this event three times since turning pro. If he could finish T-4 last year despite just returning from a self-imposed five-month layoff, there's no reason to think he won't be in contention again come Sunday. So will we finally be treated to the back-nine duel between Tiger and Phil that we've always dreamed of? In the words of Verne Lundquist, "Yes sir!" Why? Because the sports gods owe us after putting us through that dreadful NCAA championship game between UConn and Butler.

STUDS OF THE WEEK (NOT NAMED PHIL OR TIGER)

Hunter Mahan. With top-10 finishes in this event the last two years, Mahan looks poised for a major breakthrough. Yes, chipping under pressure has been a problem, but of all the major championship venues, this is the one where his superb ball-striking can mask that flaw the most.

Nick Watney. It's tough to forget about that disastrous final-round 81 at Whistling Straits when he was in the final group of the PGA Championship last year, but the guy is a player. Watney won at Doral earlier in the year, and he has been in the top six in four of six events in 2011. His high ball flight comes in handy at Augusta, where he's improved every year, including a solo seventh last year. Oh, and he has a connection with Masters co-founder Bobby Jones, having picked up the golfing legend to play a round of golf. So what if it was a Lexus commercial?

FAN MAIL BREAK

"Hey, Alex. Thanks for comparing me to your crumpled up NCAA bracket in the trash can last week. I kept thinking of you as I made birdie after birdie during my second-round 64 in Houston. I was struggling a little, but now I'm as ready as ever for Augusta. Sincerely, Anthony Kim.

My pleasure, AK. I was down on you, but it was for your own good. Now I might break my leg jumping on your bandwagon, so save me some room on there. No, Tony Kim didn't really write me, but he probably would have if he'd seen last week's column. Seriously, though, please feel free to e-mail me with comments, questions or just to make fun of my picks. And of course, you can follow me on Twitter.