Michaux: Masters magic is in the cards

More than ever, the possibilities for Masters magic seem endless.

One the eve of the 82nd Masters Tournament, storybook potential lurks in every direction.

Can a 47-year-old Phil Mickelson supplant Jack Nicklaus as the oldest man to ever win a green jacket?

Will Rory McIlroy become the first European to complete the career slam?

Can “a walking miracle” return from physical obsolescence and draft one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports?

“It’s always highly anticipated, but anyone who follows the game knows this is probably the most anticipated Masters that any of us have seen in our lifetimes,” said Jim Nantz, the voice of the Masters who has been working for CBS since “the Bear has come out of hibernation” in his first assignment in 1986. “You look at the superpowers of the sport and almost all of them are peaking at the right time. Everyone seems primed for this very occasion.”

The road to the 2018 Masters has indeed been strewn with accomplishments from the game’s elite.

“This has all the makings of being a fabulous tournament,” said Ben Crenshaw, a retired two-time Masters champion. “You’ve got lots of guys playing really well all over the world and they’re confident. I’m astounded at the level of play, period.”

The level of play this season has been off the charts.

McIlroy made an inspired charge at Bay Hill three weeks before seeking to complete his career Grand Slam portfolio with a green jacket.

Two-time champion Bubba Watson, who had pondered retirement as he struggled with his health and confidence last season, resurrected his game with a pair of wins in the ►l◄past six weeks.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson started 2018 off with a victory while No. 2 Justin Thomas has won twice since his PGA Championship victory to close the gap.

Mickelson snapped a nearly five-year drought in March and is playing the most consistently great golf of his career.

Jordan Spieth found a late spark in Houston as he comes to a place where he’s always been a leaderboard fixture.

Paul Casey ended a long drought of his own and joined fellow world top 15 mates Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Justin Rose and defending champion Sergio Garcia as global winners this season.

Veteran Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter completed a driven quest with a playoff win in Houston on Sunday to return to Augusta with an 11th-hour invitation to bolster Europe’s chances of extending its streak on Masters success.

Add to all that golf’s biggest superpower of the 21st century, Tiger Woods, returning to compete in the Masters for the first time since 2015.

“For me as a golf fan, I love the fact that all the stars of the sport are in peak form and that Tiger has come back and performed close to a level that we saw back in the glory days,” Nantz said. “To me, it’s all of these things coming together. Inside of the sport, the excitement is that we’re coming to a Masters tournament and we’ve never seen so many stars of the sport having their A-game heading to Augusta.”

At 42, Woods has certainly exceeded all expectations having contended on Sunday in each of his past three starts on the Florida swing, creating a new wave of Tigermania a full lifetime removed from the 21-year-old who shocked the world with a 12-stroke victory in his professional major debut.

“Tiger has returned and far surpassed anyone’s loftiest expectations of what he’d be able to do this quickly,” Nantz said. “It’s exciting for the game. It’s indisputable that there’s a greater buzz when he’s in the middle of it.

Woods’ return has made believers out of the men who share the Champions Dinner with him every April at Augusta.

“I must say I never thought Tiger would look this good again and he looks fantastic,” Crenshaw said. “He looks entirely capable.”

“This would be a dream come true for our sport if Tiger Woods were to play well and possibly don another green jacket,” 1998 champion Mark O’Meara said. “But there’s a lot of other good stories. Look at what Sergio did last year. Obviously there’s a lot of young players who have the potential to win here at Augusta National. At the same time it’s nice to see what Phil has accomplished at 47 years old and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s right there come Sunday."

In only a few days, the roars will be shaking the pollen from the pines as someone creates more history at Augusta National.

The chance for something truly epic to emerge on Sunday has never been greater.