Top-ranked Jason Day, defending champion Jordan Spieth, career Grand Slam seeker Rory McIlroy and a host of elite rivals have sparked an exceptional level of excitement for the 80th Masters.
A field of 89 will tee off Thursday morning at Augusta National in quest of the green jacket awarded a Masters champion, but only one will slide their arms inside the sleeves come Sunday.
Australia's Day comes off triumphs at Bay Hill and the WGC Match Play. Northern Ireland's McIlroy has found his form at just the right moment and American Spieth's record-tying wire-to-wire win from last year still resonates in the Georgia pines.
Add Aussie Adam Scott, twice a winner last month, plus fourth-ranked Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champion, 2015 Players winner Rickie Fowler and five-time major winner Phil Mickelson and the stage is set for a showdown on golf's most acclaimed course.
Day has won six of his past 13 events, including his first major title at last year's PGA Championship, to overtake Spieth as world number one.
Day is trying to become only the fifth player to win the PGA one year and the Masters the next to join Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead.
"It's really tough with how everyone is playing," Day said. "Jordan and Rory are young guys, so we're all kind of motivating each other, and Rickie as well."I want the best playing against the best and fighting it out," Day said.
"If I end up not wearing the green jacket at the end of Sunday but have a fantastic competitive match against the best players in the world, that's what I'm there for."
McIlroy is on hand to capture a fifth major title and complete a career Grand Slam at age 26, joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen in having won all four majors at least once.
"It's definitely a motivation to be able to put your name alongside those five guys," McIlroy said. "I haven't been in a situation where I've felt the pressure of it, really, because I didn't have a real chance to win last year."
Spieth will try to become the first back-to-back Masters winner since Tiger Woods in 2002. Woods is skipping this year's event because he has not fully recovered from back surgery.
Spieth happily passes off the favorite role. "Isn't Jason the favorite?" Spieth asked. "He can be the favourite. I'll go ahead and we'll just do our thing."
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