Again, cue the music.

OK, we’ve been waiting long enough. Winter has come and gone. The azaleas, magnolias, and dogwoods are in bloom all over Augusta National, and there’s really no point in speculating any more about Tiger Woods and everything else that has been speculated over a thousand times. The Masters tournament is here and it’s time to simply sit back and enjoy the spectacle for what it is. A few links to whet the appetite one last time.

What is it like to spend a day at Augusta? This is awesome – you really get a feel for the place and the event.

Is Tiger back? It seems Phil thinks so, but we’ll only know once dude gets in the thick of a tournament. My take: considering he hasn’t played a PGA Tour event for nine weeks I think it would be a lot to expect him to be in the thick of things come Sunday, but it’s also not unreasonable to imagine that come Sunday night everyone will be saying Tiger is back and ready to resume his pursuit of Jack’s 18 majors, and could be a threat at the U.S. Open come June. On the other hand, it’s also not unreasonable to imagine a scenario where regular play and walking a hard, hilly course triggers more than speculation of another health issue that could potentially sink another year. At this point, with Tiger anything is possible.

I’m sticking with my circle of five players with the best chance of winning – Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Speith, Adam Scott, and Sergio Garcia. I would love to see Sergio win but if I were forced to make a pick I gotta go with Speith – he’s red-hot right now. Outside of this circle, I’d be willing to consider Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, and Jimmy Walker. Then again, why not Brandt Snedeker?