The old saying across the golf world in regards to the Masters Tournament is “the Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday.” However, for the 2022 Masters, that ultimately didn’t turn out to be the case. This years’ Masters began on Monday afternoon when Tiger Woods arrived at the course and went through a short warmup session. He then headed to the first tee with Justin Thomas and Fred Couples and was met by a crowd surrounding that tee that will likely rival the crowd that will surround the 18th green Sunday evening.

Woods, who was still at that time a “game-time decision” for this years’ tournament, put all speculation and suspense to bed when he announced at his Tuesday press conference that he has all intentions to play in the Masters this year. For a man who almost lost his right leg in a horrific car accident 14 months ago, this is quite the accomplishment and a true testament to his perseverance and sheer will.

However, Tiger is not the only player in the field this year. In my eyes, this is the most wide-open Masters in recent memory and I truly believe there are multiple different guys who have a great chance to win this week. Let’s break it all down.

First things first, we need to talk about the element that will impact this tournament the most: the weather. After dealing with rainy conditions Tuesday and Wednesday, the skies will begin to dry out and the rest of the week should be relatively sunny. However, the wind machine will be cranked up Thursday and Friday and cooler temperatures should set in on Saturday. So while the course may be soft from the rain, I wouldn’t be surprised if scores will be a little bit higher than average on Thursday and Friday. Sunday will be the best weather the players will have all week and will set the stage for what should be an entertaining final round.

Some changes have been made to the course as well, most notably the 11th hole and the 15th hole. Starting with 11, the first leg of Amen Corner, the tee has been moved back a few yards, but the major changes have been made around the green surface. For starters, the pond that sits to the left of the green has been extended by another 10 yards back towards the tee and the mounds and slopes around the green have been made more drastic. Any miss hit or awry approach shot is much more likely too bound into the water now. The changes that occurred to the 15th hole is that the tee box was moved back 20 yards, which is about as far back as it can go. Outside of those two holes, there really hasn’t been any other changes other than re-contouring the green surfaces. But that happens very frequently.

On to the golfers now. Like I said, this might be the most wide-open Masters in recent memory. So many players have really good chances to win here this week I believe. The hottest player on TOUR right now is Scottie Scheffler, who recently overtook the number one player in the world spot from Jon Rahm. Scheffler has three wins in his PGA TOUR career, and all three of them have come this year with the most recent win coming at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play tournament. All of this alone makes Scheffler a good and popular pick this week.

Other good choices are players like Rahm, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. Keep an eye out for Patrick Cantlay as well if he can put together four solid ball-striking days. Another safe bet is Jordan Spieth. Spieth has had a slow start to his 2022 season, however a switch always gets flipped internally for him when he drives up magnolia lane. Excluding the Covid Masters in November of 2020, Spieth has finished no worse than T21 in seven starts at the Masters.

One sleeper pick in the field this week is Will Zalatoris. After dazzling in his Masters debut in 2021, Zalatoris is looking for a repeat performance. The ball-striking is there for Will. The question is will he be able to hole enough putts to win or contend. Another sleeper is Xander Schauffele. For how big of a name Xander has on TOUR, it seems as if he is a sleeper for every single major. However, he always plays well at Augusta. He has finished no worse than T17 in his last three Masters appearances. Don’t be surprised to see Xander in the mix come Sunday.

This brings us back to Tiger Woods. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his breakthrough victory at the 1997 Masters, Tiger would be the first to tell you that he is thankful and extremely lucky to be here given what happened a little over a year ago. But let’s talk about his chances this week. Woods has said multiple times that the problem for him won’t be ball-striking or hitting shots. It will be walking on the hilly terrain that is Augusta National. Woods said on Tuesday that he truly believes that he can compete this week and possibly win this tournament. And if you watched his practice rounds and practice sessions you wouldn’t even think about calling his bluff. He has looked phenomenal hitting the ball and around the greens.

I am hedging my bets on Tiger this week however. Do I think he can win? Sure. I’ve never doubted him and what he can do. Will he win? More signs point to “no” than “yes.” My hesitancy comes from knowing how grueling of a walk Augusta National is for someone with two good legs, much less someone with one good leg and another that is practically robotic. Another reason why I am so hesitant, is that Tiger hasn’t played competitive golf, outside of the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, in December, since the 2020 Masters. That is a very long time off coupled with the fact that he is walking on a robotic leg. I just think there will be some signs of major rust that could hinder the big cat. However, this is Tiger Woods. He has defied expectations time and time again and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he did it again this week.

All in all though, it should be a very entertaining Masters. Whether Tiger wins or misses the cut, the fact that he is back playing again has golf fans around the world excited. And if he is out of contention on Sunday, there are so many other great storylines throughout the rest of the field. This Masters will bring all kinds of drama and won’t disappoint. But then again, it never disappoints. Enjoy the 86th Masters.