With less than a week before the world's best tee it up in the first Major of the year at the Masters Tournament, europeantour.com's Jamie Kennedy has crunched the numbers and whittled the field down to a Baker's Dozen of potential guys who just might pick up that coveted Green Jacket...
The Masters is of course the only Major Championship that takes place at the same venue and a look at the statistics from recent editions suggests a few trends that appear to aid success at Augusta.
Ok, let's start looking at who could win the Green Jacket this year?
Total field size: 91
Our first cut comes with the rookies. No one has won the Masters in their first appearance since Fuzzy Zoeller did so 37 years ago.
There are 19 first-timers in the field this year, including the likes of Andy Sullivan, Russell Knox, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Rafa Cabrera-Bello. Sadly, statistics suggest it won't be a dream debut for any of these players.
Possible winners: 72
Augusta has been lengthened in recent years and the course is now one of the longest layouts on Tour with six par fours measuring more than 450 yards. For that reason, the recent trend has favoured power players and a new generation of Masters champions. The last winner aged 40 or older was Mark O'Meara who was 41 when he took home the Green Jacket in 1998.
There are 21 players in the field this year aged 40 or older. At this stage, we wave goodbye to the likes of Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Zach Johnson.
Possible winners: 51
Perhaps the most interesting statistic from our research showed a strong correlation between recent form and success at Augusta. Amazingly, 12 of the last 15 Masters were won by a player who had won at least one of his previous ten events before heading down Magnolia Lane.
Whilst the Masters brings together one of the strongest fields of the year, 33 players in the field this year have not won in their last ten starts. Many top names leave the pool of potential winners here including Henrik Stenson, Shane Lowry, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed.
Possible winners: 18
With the Masters taking place at Augusta National each year, many players have developed course form and clearly have a game suited to winning a Green Jacket. In fact, 19 of the last 26 Masters were won by players who had previously finished in the top ten at Augusta.
Of the 18 players remaining, five have never finished in the top ten at the Masters. They are Danny Willett, Graeme McDowell, Branden Grace, Victor Dubuisson and Jason Dufner.
Possible winners: 13
So there we have it. From 91 players to 13 in just four statistical cuts. Here's a look at the 13 players that our statistics suggest may do well this year at Augusta:
Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Marc Leishman, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen, Justin Rose, Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson.
So whether your picking yourFantasy Race to Dubaiteam, or simply having a wager with friends, stick to these names and history suggests you'll be in good hands.
