Masters 2015: Who has the Edge?
Thursday, April 9th will mark the start of the 81st annual Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Top golfers from around the world will battle it out on the famed course in order to win the coveted “Green Jacket” and take their place among the best golfers of all time. According to the Masters official website, the tournament itself was first held on March 22, 1934 and then in 1940 it was declared that the tournament commenced on the first complete week in the month of April. Ever since the first tournament the Masters has always been marked on golf fans’; even sports fans’ calendars as well.
This year’s Masters is sure to excite many fans throughout the days of play. Per Rob Bolton of PGATOUR.com, Bubba Watson is the front runner in this year’s power rankings going into the Masters. Jimmy Walker, Jordan Speith, and Jason Day are the next top three golfers that follow Watson in the power rankings. However, according to the PGA’s official rankings, Rory McIlroy is the man to beat for this year’s outing. McIlroy ranks number one among all golfers in the world and he now has the chance to complete golf’s Grand Slam which means he will have won all of golf’s major championships in the same calendar year.
McIlroy turned pro in 2007 and has not disappointed ever since he came onto the golf circuit. He has nine tournament wins on the PGA Tour and 10 on the European Tour as well. McIlroy won the U.S. Open in 2011, the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014, and the Open Championship in 2014. All that remains to add to his repertoire is winning the Masters.
Some of the notable golfers that will give McIlroy a run for his money are no strangers to the spotlight. As mentioned before, Watson, Speith, Walker, and Day are all behind McIlroy in the rankings. The numbers don’t lie though because they all trail McIlroy a lot based off of the PGA’s point system. According to the PGA’s website, McIlroy currently has a total of 531.23 points with the closest golfer, Henrik Stenson, behind him with 398.38 points. The gap between McIlroy and the competition is a big one and it can only be made bigger if McIlroy wins the Green Jacket.
This year’s Masters Tournament is sure to be one for the books just like all the others. The world’s top golfers will compete at Augusta starting Thursday, April 9th and continue to battle until the last hole is played. Rory McIlroy will be the one with the biggest spotlight on him as he pursues golf’s ultimate prize.
