Masters talking points: Tiger's return, McIlroy's missing major and undercooked DeChambeau

A look at some of the biggest storylines heading into the 86th Masters, which tees off at Augusta National on Thursday.

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  Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the eighth hole during practice for The Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 4 2022. EPA

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  Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during practice for The Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club. EPA

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  Tiger Woods and Fred Couples share a joke on the eighth fairway during practice for The Masters. EPA

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  Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Fred Couples during a practice round prior to The Masters. AFP

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  Tiger Woods walks to the ninth tee during a practice round prior to The Masters as hundreds of fans watch behind the ropes. AFP

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  Tiger Woods plays his shot from the ninth tee during a practice round prior to The Masters. Getty

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  Tiger Woods walks off the ninth green during a practice round at Augusta National. Reuters

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  Tiger Woods plays his shot from the ninth tee during a practice round prior to The Masters. Getty

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  Tiger Woods walks off the ninth green during a practice round at Augusta National. Reuters

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  Tiger Woods on the ninth green during a practice round ahead of The Masters. Reuters

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  Tiger Woods walks with his caddie Joe LaCava on the second hole during a practice round prior to The Masters. AFP

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  Tiger Woods walks to the first tee during a practice round at The Masters. EPA

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  Fans watch Tiger Woods tee off on the first tee during a practice round at The Masters. EPA

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  Tiger Woods walks on the eighth fairway during a practice round at Augusta National. Reuters

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  Tiger Woods with Fred Couples and Justin Thomas on the eighth tee during a practice round at Augusta National. EPA

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  Tiger Woods and his caddie Joe LaCava walk onto the second green surrounded by fans. EPA

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  Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the eighth tee during a practice round ahead of The Masters. Reuters

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  Tiger Woods tees off on the seventh hole during a practice round for The Masters. AP

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  Tiger Woods tees off on the sixth hole during a practice round for The Masters. AP

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  Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the fifth tee during a practice round ahead of The Masters. Reuters

Tiger Woods is back, but how well can he compete?

After the hype and the hullabaloo of the past week at Augusta National, finally came the confirmation. Woods, age 46 and not even 14 months since a terrifying car crash threatened to take his right leg, will be playing in the Masters – provided Wednesday’s final nine holes of practice go well.

The 15-time major champion announced at Tuesday’s pre-tournament press conference that he was set to compete, marking his return to competitive golf for the first time since the final round of the 2020 Masters, held in November that year. As if the golf world was not whipped into enough of a frenzy following Woods’ arrival in Augusta last week.

Now, though, attention turns to what sort of performance we can expect from a man with a penchant for the phenomenal. True to form, Woods says he is gunning for Green Jacket No 6 this week and, while that seems somewhat fanciful, he can never really be written off.

Of course, he knows the track better than most, and arguably no one in the history of the game has displayed as much drive and determination. Yet four rounds of competitive golf across Augusta National’s rolling hills will clearly test his leg, and stamina.

Can Rory McIlroy, at eighth time of asking, complete the major set?

When McIlroy landed the Open in 2014, the career grand slam seemed a cert. The Northern Irishman had won three of golf’s four majors, meaning he required only the Masters to become the sixth male in history to have completed the set (the others being Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods).

From the outset, the Masters always felt his surest path to major glory: McIlroy’s game is undoubtedly suited to Augusta, as was evidenced as early as 2011, when he held a four-shot lead heading into the final round but collapsed to finish tied-15th.

However, since claiming the Claret Jug almost eight years ago, McIlroy has had seven attempts to take the final piece of the major jigsaw. In that time, he has finished fourth and tied-5th twice. Yet, last year, McIlroy missed the cut for only the second time at the tournament. Last week, he suffered the same fate at the Valero Texas Open after choosing to skip the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Clearly, he is still searching for answers coming into Augusta. The former world No 1 wasted golden opportunities to win in Dubai earlier this year, and late last year, so questions will remain should he get into contention this week. And his first-round record at the majors since 2015 - 34-over - portrays where the problem lies.

Rory McIlroy is still seeking to become the sixth male player in history to complete golf's Grand Slam. AFP

What will the self-professed below-par Bryson DeChambeau offer?

In a Masters brim-full with juicy storylines, DeChambeau represents one of the most captivating – of course. The marmite American is never too far from the fray, with his 2022 thus far pockmarked by injury and a continued mistrust of the media. On Monday, DeChambeau said he was enjoying a slightly more lowkey presence at Augusta – Woods has, predictably, dominated – but he did cause a stir when claiming he had ignored the advice of his doctor and taken a “huge risk” to play.

Gauging that he was only “around 80 per cent” fit, DeChambeau was sidelined for six weeks with hip and wrist injuries sustained in Saudi Arabia before returning at the recent WGC Match Play and last week's Valero Texas Open. In the former, he won half a point, while in the latter he missed the cut.

The Masters, meanwhile, has not been too kind recently: in 2020, DeChambeau failed to live up to his own billing after describing Augusta as a par-67 for himself – he finished tied-34th – while last year he came home 15 shots off winner Hideki Matsuyama. In fact, the 2020 US Open champion’s best Masters performance arrived on debut, with the T21 in 2016. However he plays, DeChambeau will for sure share some of the spotlight.

Bryson DeChambeau is defying doctors' advice by competing at The Masters. EPA

How will new world No 1 Scottie Scheffler wear the crown?

Without doubt, Scheffler is the hottest player in men’s golf right now. The American has won on three of his past five starts – a remarkable streak considering the first broke his PGA Tour duck - with last week’s victory at the WGC Match Play lifting him to world No 1 for the first time.

At 25, and having really only come to the fore the past two years, Scheffler has limited experience at Augusta; that said, he finished a more than respectable tied-19th on debut in 2020 and then a spot better off upon his return 12 months ago. Following that T18, Scheffler went T8, T7 and T8 in the season’s other three majors and, when factoring in his 4&3 singles success against then world No 1 Jon Rahm at the Ryder Cup in October, he clearly enjoys the marquee events.

However, this week represents fresh territory: new to him, Scheffler arrives at a tournament as the game’s lead light. How he handles that added attention, at the Masters of all places, will be one to keep an eye on, especially since many before him have struggled with their place at the rankings summit.

Even in absentia, has Phil Mickelson cast a shadow on Augusta?

For the first time in almost three decades, Mickelson will not be teeing it up at the Masters. The three-time champion, who last year became the oldest major winner in history by prevailing at the US PGA Championship aged 50, is currently taking a break from the professional game following controversial comments regarding the PGA Tour and the proposed Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway circuit.

Since, rumour has swirled amid a number of blue-chip sponsors distancing themselves from Mickelson: has he in fact been banned by the PGA Tour (the circuit does not, disappointingly, publicise disciplinary measures) or is it really a self-imposed hiatus? There is speculation, too, that the American was encouraged by Masters officials not to compete this week for fear it would provide too much of a distraction from the season’s first major.

Which makes chairman Fred Ridley’s annual press conference on Wednesday all the more intriguing. Either way, Mickelson’s absence - the first time he has missed the Masters in 28 years - has cast a shadow upon the tournament although, as so often has been the case through his Hall of Fame career, he is still playing second fiddle to Woods this week.

Phil Mickelson is missing The Masters for the first time in 28 years. AP