ESPN Golf

Updated: April 4, 2006, 7:43 PM ET

Masters field: From 1 to 90

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By Jason Sobel
ESPN.com
Archive

It's an annual rite of spring, a sign that the season truly has sprung. Not the initial rusty swings on the driving range, or even the first above-50-degree round of golf. We're talking about the yearly Masters office pool. To help with those nerve-racking selections, we've broken down the field from A (Allenby) to Z (Zoeller) and 1 (Woods) to 90 (Ogden), with extra notes on 15 of your favorites (those with photos below). You may now swing away.

Masters Field: From 1 to 90
Player	Best Finish	The Skinny
1. Tiger Woods	Won	One for the thumb? The Drive for Five begins in earnest this week, as Woods seeks his fifth green jacket at age 30. One interesting question to ponder: Who would you take this week -- Woods or the field? The world's top-ranked player has won three of the last five Masters titles and only seems hungrier for more, as Nicklaus' record of six Augusta victories looks like it's in serious jeopardy. Consider it a shocker if Tiger isn't on or near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon.
2. Retief Goosen	2	Nothing fazes this guy; two U.S. Open victories prove he's patient enough to win.
3. Phil Mickelson	Won	Obliterated the field at BellSouth, winning by 13 in his Masters tune-up. Speaking of Masters, his results: Nine top-10s in the past 11 years, including that momentous win in '04.
4. Chris DiMarco	2	Does this guy like Augusta National or what? In four completed Masters (he also had a WD in '03), DiMarco owns four top-12 finishes and has played in the final pairing each of the last two years. Perhaps even more encouraging than his results last year -- when he led the event through 2½ rounds and took Woods to a playoff -- was his giddy attitude afterwards. "I will be ready to win next year," he said then. "I certainly will feel like I can, for sure."
5. Ernie Els	2	Persisting knee problems (from last year's surgery) may keep the two-time runner-up from finally capturing a green jacket.
6. Darren Clarke	T-8	Looking for the feel-good story of the week? Clarke's wife, Heather, has been battling cancer for quite some time, and his green jacket ceremony would certainly be an emotional one. Unlike most players who will spend hours each day preparing for this event, Clarke reportedly didn't even arrive in Augusta until Tuesday after a vacation of bonefishing in the Bahamas. "That's my Masters preparation," he told the AP. "And probably a few beers." We like his style.
7. Luke Donald	T-3	Finishing T-3 in his first Masters last year was impressive; could be Europe's best current shot at a major win.
8. Vijay Singh	Won	Singh has always been known as a solid closer, often climbing leaderboards on the weekends at big events. But that final-round 5-over 77 at the Players -- after being only one stroke off the lead entering Sunday -- has us concerned. Now 43, Singh has already spoken about how recent golf trips to the Middle East left him worn down and the ensuing results have not been great. Nobody works harder on the range, but will it pay off once again?
9. Adam Scott	T-9	Too much talent for such an apathetic Masters record (1 top-10, 1 MC in four starts).
10. Jim Furyk	4	Innate ability to adapt to any course should keep him in the mix despite not being a bomber off the tee.
11. K.J. Choi	3	Never finished below 33rd in three appearances. Solid dark-horse pick to win.
12. David Toms	T-6	Less-than-stellar Masters record won't be aided by course's added distance, but he's good enough to overcome.
13. Trevor Immelman	T-5	Dream finish last year included a third-round 65 and an ace at 16, just the 18th hole-in-one in Masters history.
14. Lucas Glover	--	How can we rank a first-time competitor this high on the list? Consider these factors: A South Carolina native and Clemson University product, Glover knows all about putting on bentgrass greens like those that occupy Augusta National. He's got plenty of length off the tee, ranking 12th in PGA Tour driving distance last season. And he always seems to have a little luck on his side, as evidenced by the bunker hole-out to win Disney and the ace to win a Mercedes at Kapalua.
15. Henrik Stenson	--	Another Masters rookie, this Swede has plenty of game. Finished T-3 at the Players two weeks ago, despite what he deemed a "struggle" from tee to green.
16. Fred Couples	Won	All you need to know: 21 starts, 21 made cuts, nine top-10s, one win (back in '92). Freddie and Augusta National get along very well.
17. David Howell	T-11	Sturdy stance makes it seem like he's riding an imaginary horse. Could ride it all the way onto the Masters leaderboard once again.
18. Sergio Garcia	T-4	Think the world's sixth-ranked player is located too low on this list? The numbers don't lie. He ranks 120th on the PGA Tour in driving distance, 148th in putting average (and has recently switched to a left-hand-low style) and, most alarmingly, his final-round scoring average of 75 is 165th on tour. Toss in the fact that he owns only two top-20 finishes in seven Masters starts and you get the feeling that it could be another long week for Sergio.
19. Ben Crane	--	If he's fully recovered from recent back problems, expect Crane to make noise in his first Masters appearance.
20. Charles Howell III	T-13	Augusta, Ga., native will have plenty of hometown support, but he is undergoing some major changes in his game, having recently hired a new swing coach.
21. Stuart Appleby	T-21	Dreadful Masters record (no top-20s, five MCs in nine starts) has to end someday, right?
22. Davis Love III	2	At TPC, showed he can still play, with opening-round 65. Also showed his game has holes, with second-round 83 that left him missing the cut.
23. Bernhard Langer	Won	Always a factor because he concentrates on every single shot and won't let emotions get the best of him.
24. Geoff Ogilvy	--	Finally started to reach his potential with Match Play victory in February. Does everything well. He'll win a major someday.
25. Tom Lehman	2	Placed in the top three in each of his first two Masters starts ('93 and '94) but since has failed to reach such heights. Always a grinder, Lehman seems to be getting better with age and has an underlying motive for a big week: With a top-10 finish, he'll earn valuable points toward making this year's Ryder Cup team, for which he could become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. His T-13 result last year shows that is well within reach.
26. Michael Campbell	MC	Five missed cuts in five starts? Yikes ... reigning U.S. Open champ needs to do better.
27. Stephen Ames	T-45	Cut short the family vacation to native Trinidad after earning an invitation for his Players victory. Will need same fairways-and-greens mentality he showed at Sawgrass.
28. Padraig Harrington	T-5	Plays poorly in odd-numbered years, plays well in even-numbered years, so this could be his turn for a solid result; but he has struggled with his swing lately.
29. Jose Maria Olazabal	Won	Two-time champ always has a chance, but course now plays some 500 yards longer than for his last win in '99.
30. Tim Clark	T-13	Has fared well in recent majors, but longer course will be tough for the short-hitting 5-foot-7, 150-pounder.
31. Mike Weir	Won	Weir is now fully recovered from a neck injury that affected his entire '05 season. And he's playing well, having contended for the Players before blowing up with a final-round 79 that left him in a share of 22nd place. So why such a low ranking for a guy just three years removed from slipping on the green jacket? For the same reason as Olazabal and Clark; Weir, who ranks 172nd on tour in driving distance, won't be able to hang with the boomers.
32. Vaughn Taylor	--	Another hometown hero (he attended Hephzibah H.S. and Augusta State), Taylor could get by on pure adrenaline this week.
33. Robert Allenby	T-29	Winner of the Aussie Triple Crown in December; he's sneaky long off the tee -- certainly long enough to contend this week.
34. Nick O'Hern	T-45	Widely known as the man who knocked off Woods at last year's Match Play, he's also one of the world's top putters.
35. Justin Leonard	T-7	Always seems to play well enough at Augusta to earn a decent check, but he hasn't made the top-10 since '98.
36. Carl Pettersson	--	Competing in first Masters shouldn't rattle this vet, who's better than most people realize (no MCs in nine starts this season).
37. Chad Campbell	T-17	Big Texan has a swing that's been compared with Ben Hogan, but we won't buy that until he has two green jackets.
38. Thongchai Jaidee	--	Hootie and Co. didn't give him a special exemption because they liked his name. This guy can flat-out play.
39. Nick Faldo	Won	Never underestimate the power of a former champion, especially one with the wily talents and nerve of Faldo. A three-time Masters winner ('89, '90, '96), the Englishman was forced to WD after only eight holes last year due to a back injury, but he's still got plenty of game, as evidenced by his subsequent T-11 finish at the British Open. The romantic notion of a 48-year-old Faldo in contention on Sunday might not conjure images of Nicklaus in '86, but it'll come close.
40. Arron Oberholser	--	Big-time player, who has made the cut in each of five previous major starts, including a T-9 in his first U.S. Open last year.
41. Rod Pampling	T-5	Proof positive that a first-timer can succeed at Augusta; he finished T-5 in his initial appearance last year.
42. Billy Mayfair	T-12	Spotty record in this tournament (five MCs in nine starts), but he looks rejuvenated with second life on tour.
43. Angel Cabrera	T-9	Big-hitting Argentinian has the long game to stack up to the world's best but needs to get hot with the flat stick.
44. Mark Hensby	T-5	Has an ongoing feud with fellow Aussie Greg Norman; think he'd like to show off a green jacket to the Shark?
45. Colin Montgomerie	T-8	Will Monty finally claim the elusive major title this week? It's highly doubtful. The great Scot has now competed in 57 career major championships, yet still doesn't have a victory to his name. He's fared worse at The Masters than the other three; it's the only major in which he does not own a runner-up finish. In addition, he's failed to reach the weekend in three of his last four Augusta starts. That said, you never know when Monty could become a major story line.
46. Scott Verplank	T-8	One of the PGA Tour's putting leaders, Verplank missed the cut in each of his first five Masters but has finished 43rd or better in four starts since then.
47. Sean O'Hair	--	Making first Masters start, but remember, in his first trip to Europe last year, he earned a T-15 result at the British Open.
48. Tim Herron	T-11	In eight starts this season, has four MCs and four finishes between 27th and 31st. Expect a similar fate this week.
49. Thomas Bjorn	T-18	Solid performer in past Masters, but nothing to write home to Denmark about.
50. Zach Johnson	MC	Hasn't fared well in limited previous major experience, with five MCs in eight starts (T-17 at last year's U.S. Open being the best result). Coming off T-2 at BellSouth.
51. John Daly	T-3	Who says Hootie and Hooters don't mix? Just imagine this champions dinner: buffalo wings, beer and giant tubs of Diet Coke for everyone. Hooters waitresses serving food to the other green jackets. An oversized trailer parked just outside of Butler Cabin, hawking "Masters Blaster" T-shirts, clubhead covers and keychains. Might sound like fun to most of us, but we can bet Hootie and the gang have a decidedly different idea of a good time. Don't worry, fellas; that T-3 back in '93 was a long, long time ago.
52. a-Edoardo Molinari	--	Someone has to be low amateur. Why not the Italian, who is the reigning U.S. Amateur champion?
53. Lee Westwood	T-6	Recently very critical of Augusta National's new setup; sounds like he's already resigned to the fact that it may play too long for him to compete.
54. Mark Calcavecchia	2	Reached the weekend in 12 of 15 Masters starts; has a top-five finish in both the 1980s (2nd in '88) and this decade (T-4 in '01).
55. Olin Browne	T-52	Rejuvenated career means first Masters start since '99. Just happy to be here or pushing for a solid result?
56. Miguel Angel Jimenez	T-9	Victory stogies for all? Not likely, but Jimenez has shown he can play well at Augusta, with two top-10s in the last five years.
57. Rory Sabbatini	MC	Talk about a culture clash. Sabbatini might be the most brash, type-A personality on tour, which doesn't exactly fit in with the demure attitude of the officials and patrons at Augusta National. Wife Amy has a knack for wearing outspoken T-shirts -- recently donning a "Keep Up" number that was, supposedly, in reference to Faldo at the Players (though Faldo had other ideas about the outfit) -- but a "Who's Hootie?" blouse may not go over too well.
58. Stewart Cink	T-17	It was once thought the question of Cink's winning a major was one of "when" rather than "if," but he's slipped from the spotlight recently.
59. Tom Watson	Won	From '77 through '91, Watson had two wins and no finishes below T-14 at this event. Wow.
60. Ted Purdy	MC	Didn't reach the weekend in only Masters start, but has had a Todd Hamilton-like journeyman career. We know how that story turned out.
61. Jason Bohn	--	One of the tour's nice guys, Bohn will have a big smile on his face no matter what happens this week.
62. Brandt Jobe	T-14	Has yet to miss a cut in four Masters starts. Hits the ball long enough to be a factor.
63. Thomas Levet	T-13	Plays his best golf in big events, including twice contending for the British Open title.
64. Shigeki Maruyama	T-14	Underwhelming record at Masters (five MCs in eight starts), with little recent evidence to suggest that will change (best finish this season is T-17).
65. Paul McGinley	T-18	Only one career Masters appearance? Doesn't seem like enough for talented player who's been around awhile.
66. Shingo Katayama	T-33	Made the cut in three of four career starts at this tournament. Wonder if that cowboy hat comes in green, too.
67. Rich Beem	T-15	Has missed the cut in nine of 12 majors since winning the PGA in '02. Game beginning to round into form after poor '05 season.
68. Joe Ogilvie	T-25	Solid player has failed to reach the weekend in four of his last six tour starts. Putting average has dropped from 12th in '05 to 82nd this year.
69. Fred Funk	T-17	Prior thoughts that tournament officials were lengthening the course in efforts to "Tiger-proof" it have given way to feelings that it's been more "Funk-proofed" than anything else. With the course at 7,445 total yards, Funk is going to be hitting a lot of second shot fairway woods and long irons where longer-hitting player will have mid- to short-irons. Hitting fairways is never a problem for Funk, who has won seven career driving accuracy titles on tour, but he'll need a blazing-hot putter to go with it.
70. Peter Lonard	MC	Three straight Masters appearances. Three straight missed cuts. We see a pattern.
71. Rocco Mediate	T-15	Seven made cuts in eight Masters starts bodes well for Rocco, who's shown signs of being on the verge of a major comeback.
72. Bart Bryant	--	Twenty years after turning pro, Bryant finally gets to try his hand at Augusta National. Has good vibes in Georgia; won the Tour Championship at East Lake in '05.
73. Craig Stadler	Won	Has it really been 24 years since Stadler defeated Dan Pohl on the first hole of a playoff, back in 1982?
74. Shaun Micheel	T-22	Like Beem, has struggled since PGA victory; missed the cut in all four majors last year.
75. Ben Curtis	MC	Needs to get off to a better start than last year's opening-round 8-over 80.
76. Larry Mize	Won	Has there ever been a greater hole-out to win a major than Mize's 140-foot chip-in to beat Norman in '87?
77. a-Brian McElhinney	--	How can you not root for the British Amateur champion at a place like Augusta?
78. Ian Woosnam	Won	The European Ryder Cup captain had a great run at The Masters, with seven top-20 finishes between '89 and '99.
79. Todd Hamilton	T-39	His game has fallen on hard times lately, with seven MCs in nine PGA Tour starts this season and no results better than T-62.
80. David Duval	2	Here are Duval's Masters results from '98 through '01: T-2, T-6, T-3, 2. The man seemed destined to one day slide on a green jacket and sit in front of the Butler Cabin fireplace, discussing his victory. Now he's simply an afterthought, as we wonder whether he can get things going enough to simply make the cut this week. Last year, with his game in utter disarray, he shot 75-77 and missed the cut. But hey, if Karrie Webb can win another major, why not Duval?
81. Mark O'Meara	Won	Thought for the day: Which was the better 72nd hole putt -- Mickelson's in '04 or O'Meara's in '98? Hmmm...
82. Ben Crenshaw	Won	Gentle Ben always had that great touch around the greens, but it could get ugly watching him plod through the lengthened course.
83. a-Dillon Dougherty	--	Last year's U.S. Amateur runner-up, this Northwestern product is about to embark on the rounds of a lifetime. What a cool feeling that must be.
84. Sandy Lyle	Won	Finished T-37 just two years ago, so making the cut isn't out of the question.
85. Gary Player	Won	If a sit-up contest breaks out in the champions locker room, our money's on Player.
86. a-Kevin Marsh	--	Former golf pro and Pepperdine coach won last year's U.S. Mid-Am, 10 and 9.
87. Fuzzy Zoeller	Won	Hasn't made the cut since '98, but we can bet Daly's buddy will have a good ol' time no matter what.
88. Raymond Floyd	Won	Making 42nd Masters start; began the run with a T-8 finish back in '66.
89. Charles Coody	Won	Coody defeated Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus by two strokes back in 1971, but he hasn't made the cut since '93.
90. a-Clay Ogden	--	This year's first major will already receive plenty of attention for the changes to Augusta National and Woods' attempt to win his fifth green jacket. But it could have been an absolute media circus if not for Ogden. That's because the BYU golfer defeated Michelle Wie in the quarterfinals of last year's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, in effect thwarting the teen's attempt to become the first female to compete in the Masters. No doubt he'll receive a few pats on the back in the clubhouse for that this week.