The Masters Fantasy Preview

No need for a fancy introduction here, it’s Masters week so I am going to keep it simple. The media is trying to build up the Rory vs Tiger rivalry but let’s be honest: The Masters is still all about Tiger vs. Phil. It’s one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, and definitely in Golf. It’s one of the few rivalries where I actually take a side. I am pro-Tiger, by the way. The next closest rivalry in golf would have to be Happy vs Shooter. I am definitely pro-Happy in that one.

I am taking a break from the usual format of making Yahoo! Group recommendations, and am going to provide you with some Masters Trends, instead. It’s really to cherry-pick golfers you like this week from each Yahoo! group. The hard part comes in knowing which round to play them. I will let you deal with that stress, but I will provide a Top 50 Rankings that may help you with overall selections.

Trend 1: Fade the defending champion but back the golfer that won two years ago.
Of the last 12 defending champs, only three have finished in the Top 10 the following year. Give them an extra year to alleviate the pressure that comes with defending their Green Jacket and you get much better results. 7 of the last 11 winners have finished in the Top 10 (two years after winning the Green Jacket). In fact, only two of the last eleven have finished outside of the Top 15. This bodes well for Charl Schwartzel who won in 2011.

Trend 2: The last 15 Masters Champions all made the cut the previous year.
This isn’t exactly news, but its good to confirm. Past success often leads to future success at a course like Augusta National. The average finish of these 15 golfers the year before they won the Masters is 21st. 9 of the 15 actually finished outside the Top 20 the year before winning. So, while past success is important, a top 5 or 10 finish the year before isn’t vital. What this means… don’t get crazy and pick Nicolas Colsaerts, Thorbjorn Olesen, Scott Piercy, Russell Henley, Branden Grace or Jason Day.

Trend 3: Tiger or Phil have won 6 of the last 12 Masters.
That’s a 50% success rate for those of you have failed math class. Phil has nine top five finishes since 2000 (9/13) with the other four finishes being 7th, 10th, 27th and 24th. It’s safe to say he’s a horse for the course. Tiger is right behind Phil with 10 finishes inside the top ten since 2000, with nine of those being top five finishes, as well.

Keepers

Sleepers

Rankings the Field: Top 50 for the 2013 Masters

1. Tiger Woods
2. Keegan Bradley
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Charl Schwartzel
5. Adam Scott
6. Lee Westwood
7. Steve Stricker
8. Brandt Snedeker
9. Justin Rose
10. Rory McIlroy
11. Hunter Mahan
12. Bubba Watson
13. Jason Day
14. Luke Donald
15. Bill Haas
16. Peter Hanson
17. Sergio Garcia
18. Jim Furyk
19. Jason Dufner
20. Dustin Johnson
21. Angel Cabrera
22. Louis Oosthuizen
23. Fredrik Jacobson
24. Ian Poulter
25. Matt Kuchar
26. Fred Couples
27. Bo Van Pelt
28. Rickie Fowler
29. Nick Watney
30. Trevor Immelman
31. K.J. Choi
32. Thomas Bjorn
33. Graeme McDowell
34. Henrik Stenson
35. Francesco Molinari
36. Webb Simpson
37. Padraig Harrington
38. Ryan Moore
39. David Toms
40. Matteo Manassero
41. Stewart Cink
42. Y.E. Yang
43. Paul Lawrie
44. Kevin Na
45. John Senden
46. Zach Johnson
47. Vijay Singh
48. Kevin Streelman
49. Carl Pettersson
50. Ernie Els