Finally, the golf season will be in full swing with 2011's first major: this week brings the 2011 Masters Tournament, and the world's best chance so far this year to gape at Tiger Woods being underwhelming on a golf course. Defending champion Phil Mickelson roars into Augusta after winning the Shell Houston Open, but he'll have to fend off a talented .
Time: The first group of the 2011 Masters Tournament starts on Thursday at 8 a.m. Eastern, but the Masters' venerated Par 3 Contest starts on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
TV schedule: ESPN, Masters.com, and CBS will handle broadcast duties at various points: ESPN will have most of the coverage of Thursday and Friday's first and second rounds, CBS is the longtime weekend broadcast partner of the Masters, and Masters.com and official Masters apps will be your chance to see the action at Amen Corner and around Augusta from your laptop, iPhone, iPad, or other device.
Location: Augusta National Golf Club, opened in 1933, has hosted the Masters annually since 1934. This year, for the first time, Augusta National and the Masters are playable in EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12.
Field: The Masters' 70-person field is usually one of the finest and most selective fields in golf each year, thanks to the Masters' strict list of qualifications, and this year is no different: the entire top ten of the World Golf Rankings will be hunting for a green jacket in Augusta.
Tee times and pairings: 2011 Masters tee times and pairings will be announced Tuesday.
Defending champion: Mickelson pulled away to win the 2010 Masters with a Sunday 67 that left him three shots clear of Lee Westwood.
Prediction: Mickelson enters the Masters on a roll after playing fantastic golf on the weekend at the Shell Houston Open, and it's hard to pick against the defending champion repeating for his fourth green jacket. He'll have to fend off a deep field led by world No. 1 Martin Kaymer to do it, but no one else in the world of golf has Mickelson's shot-making ability, and if his short game is hitch-free, he's likely to be ahead of the field. Our prediction is that Mickelson will win the 2011 Masters, tie Woods and Arnold Palmer for the second-most Masters titles, and join Jack Nicklaus, Woods, and Nick Faldo as the Masters' fourth repeat champion.
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