With West Coast swing done, who is Masters favorite?

Eight events, eight different winners. Established stars with impressive performances, and some surprising first-time winners.

That’s about the best way I can describe the PGA Tour’s West Coast swing, which ended Sunday with the WGC-Match Play Championship. The winner, Matt Kuchar, has a history of doing well at Augusta National and should be a factor in the first major.

With only six more weeks before the Masters, what does it all mean? Here are my thoughts as the PGA Tour heads for Florida, then a brief stop in Texas, before arriving in Augusta.

No one player is a clear-cut favorite. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have already won, which is usually a good indicator of Masters success for them.
What is wrong with Rory McIlroy? Since switching to new Nike equipment, he has missed the cut in his first event and was eliminated in the first round of the Match Play. Too talented to play this way for long, one would think.
There’s plenty of fresh talent. Russell Henley was impressive in his Masters-qualifying win at Hawaii, and veterans Brian Gay and John Merrick played their way into the field with solid wins.

As in recent years, it looks like the door is wide open at the Masters. A number of players can make good cases for being favorites. And that should lead to another fun week.

Who is your pick to slip into the green jacket this year? Join the discussion on our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/MastersNews