Golfers are well prepared for Masters battle

Luke Donald then wins revisit the top of the rankings and will it in a play-off much like he did to dethrone Lee Westwood last May.

Throw in a Phil Mickelson victory, two for Hunter Mahan, the first world championship for Justin Rose as well as the extra spice of McIlroy's rivalry with Lee Westwood and many types of the components exist for any Masters to savour.

Augusta National is an ideal Callaway Diablo Edge Driver stage for a real clash of the titans and when the drama comes remotely all-around what happened a year ago this will probably be gripping from beginning to end.

McIlroy is back about the course where he led to the first 72 hrs last April, then imploded which has a nightmare 80 that took him from four ahead to 10 behind.

For your 22-year-old to recovery from by investing in an eight-stroke victory at the US Open only two months later also defied belief, but it was clearly no fluke in their past 13 tournaments rediscovering the reassurance of last September he has just once finished outside the hourly caregivers.

Experience with playing at Augusta happens to be seen as an integral ingredient for fulfillment inside opening Major of year.

All things considered, the one first-timer to win since Gene Sarazen took only the second tournament in 1935 was Fuzzy Zoeller 33 years back.

McIlroy is playing only his fourth discount golf clubs Masters, while Woods, almost not a veteran at 36, is definitely around 18 once he tees off today.

Yet, Mickelson, looking to join Woods (and Arnold Palmer) as a four-time winner from the title, is of the opinion that experience might not count at as up to usual this year due to the thunderstorms which were surrounding this week.

Portion of McIlroy's record-breaking 16 under par total in the US Open was attributable to the soft conditions at Congressional, therefore the rain could be good news for him and not such great news for Donald.

Not just one in the game's big-hitters, but brilliant in so many the rest of his game, the 34-year-old admits he prefers the course to be hot and fast.

Donald came fourth recently and third on his 2005 debut, as he literally last eight holes in six under.

McIlroy's 80 showed what Augusta National was able to perform with a player.

But on the day that Charl Schwartzel showed exactly what a player could do today to the course.

The South African chipped looking TaylorMade R11S Driver for birdie in the first, pitched set for eagle on the third and birdied a final four holes to get a 66 as well as a two-stroke victory.

Not only that, though the past seven have got all won their first Majors.

That makes wanting to predict what will happen in the next four days impossible, yet it's Woods and McIlroy that are centre stage entering the tournament.