Pro Golf Now
Fansided

The Masters Power Rankings: Top ten picks to don the green jacket

By Mike Randleman

AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 02: Way finding signs are pictured during a practice round prior to the start of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 2, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 02: Way finding signs are pictured during a practice round prior to the start of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 2, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 11
Next
Masters
AUGUSTA, GA – APRIL 02: Bubba Watson of the United States plays a tee shot on the tenth hole during a practice round prior to the start of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 2, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /

Could Bubba win on an even year at Augusta for the third time in the 2010s? He couldn’t go back-to-back in 2016 (T37 finish), but is a favorite here, nonetheless.

Watson, 39, took a step back in 2017 playing a Volvik colored golf ball. As of this February, Watson wouldn’t have sniffed this top-ten list, two green jackets be damned.

He’s now back to his trusty white Titleist and is swinging a confident stick. Watson won again at Riviera in February and stormed through the WGC-Match Play bracket for win No. 2 of 2018.

Watson was in jovial spirits at his Monday press conference, as he should be. More attention is back in his corner due to his hot play, but he’s still basking in the lack of a spotlight due to the focus on the likes of Tiger, Phil or Rory. He jokingly implored the media to give more attention to the rest of the field.

"“The storylines are amazing. There’s so many people who are playing well right now. It’s a challenge and we all know that everybody else is playing well so we’ve got to be on top of our game to force a Sunday charge to put on a jacket,” Watson said. “Tiger, I’m hoping everybody gets the media attention and I just kind of sneak through the back nine roars there and somehow pull out a victory. Talk to them and not me this week, this is my last time talking.”"

Lefties like Watson have an inherent advantage at Augusta’s plentiful right to left and have won six of the last 14 Masters. Plus, Watson’s wayward driving isn’t as penal here. If anything, he thrives on the creativity needed to make par, or even birdie from the pine straw.

Home/Golf Power Rankings