2012 Masters, Results And Recap: Bubba Watson Wins A Tournament Filled With Surprises

The second most iconic image from the 2012 Masters may very well be Bubba Watson's white clothes against the backdrop of the golfer stalking out of the trees on the 10th hole, the second hole of his playoff against Louis Oosthuizen. The most iconic image will forever be, as it always is, Watson wearing the green jacket in his first major title win.

You may be excused if you had to look up what a double-eagle was. It was only the fourth in the history of the tournament. For Oosthuizen, it was what vaulted him into contention for the lead.

A triple bogey torpedoed Phil Mickelson's hunt for a fourth Masters win. After a rapid climb up the standings, Mickelson's 6 on the fourth hole Sunday sunk his chances. Mickelson had two triple bogeys in the tournament.

Tiger Woods was a non-factor. Woods never managed to best par in four rounds of play. He finished in a four-way tie for the 40th position, along with Rory McIlory who shot a 76 in the final round. McIlroy at one point sat a single stroke behind the lead.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out Waggle Room and SB Nation's golf page and this StoryStream.

Masters 2012: Outside Of Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar And Jim Furyk, Local Golfers Didn't Fair Too Well

The 2012 Masters completed late Sunday afternoon after a playoff between Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen, with Watson hitting a wonderful shot after shanking his shot off the tee to put him in position to win. Watson hails from Bagdad, Florida in the panhandle.

Some other local Florida golfers had good days as well as Matt Kuchar, who hails from Winter Park, FL, finished up the 2012 Masters shooting an 8-under for the tournament. Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida resident Jim Furyk also had a nice weekend, shooting 3-under in the Masters. Outside of those three players however, it was a rough weekend for the players who are either from Florida or currently reside in Florida.

Here's how the rest of those golfers did:

Keegan Bradley - 2-over

Luke Donald - 3-over

Rickie Fowler - 2-over

Vijah Singh - 2-over

Charles Howell III - even

Zach Johnson - 3-over

Tiger Woods - 5-over

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf page and this StoryStream.

Masters 2012 Purse: Bubba Watson Takes Home Top Prize And Top Winnings

The 2012 Masters featured intense action and ferocious competition. After Louis Oosthuizen was able to hold off for most of the final round on Sunday, Bubba Watson finally caught up to him. Watson matched Oosthuizen's 10-under at the end of 72 holes, forcing a playoff. On the second sudden-death playoff hole, Oosthuizen bogeyed and Watson was able to take his time and make par.

In addition to the green jacket, Watson takes home the largest purse of any competitor in the tournament. He earned over a half-million dollars more than Oosthuizen will receive for his second-place finish. The third-place quartet of Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, Peter Hanson and Matt Kuchar will all take home over a quarter-million dollars each for their 8-under finishes after four round of play.

Here are the unofficial earnings for the top 10 finishers in Augusta.

1st: Bubba Watson, $1,440,000
2nd, Louis Oosthuizen $864,000
T-3rd, Lee Westwood, $284,000
T-3rd, Matt Kuchar, $284,000
T-3rd, Peter Hanson, $284,000
T-3rd, Phil Mickelson, $284,000
7th, Ian Poulter, $268,0000
T-8, Adam Scott, $244,000
T-8, Padraig Harrington, $244,000
T-8, Justin Rose, $244,000

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf page and this StoryStream.

2012 Masters Winner: Bubba Watson Takes Title After 2 Playoff Holes Against Louis Oosthuizen

Following a long four days of exemplary golf, a winner finally slipped on the prestigious green jacket at the 2012 Masters in Augusta. It ultimately required a playoff to determine the winner, as Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson put together fantastic final rounds to finished tied atop the leaderboard at 10-under following 72 holes of golf. It took two playoff holes, but Bubba Watson was able to take home the green jacket.

The sudden-death 18th hole led with Watson teeing off. Both golfers found the fairway on their first shot at the par-4. Watson found the closer approach as both men found the green with their second shots. They both had chances to sink winning birdies, but Oosthuizen went wide right and Watson went wide left.

Watson sliced into the trees off the tee in the second playoff on hole 10, while Oosthuizen wound up on the rough, although in fine position to recover. Amazingly, it was Watson who was able to find the green on his second shot, then sinking the par after Oosthuizen bogeyed to take home the green jacket.

Third place in the tournament ended up being a tie between Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, Peter Hanson and Matt Kuchar. Kuchar and Mickelson made big late pushes to match the lead, but both would run out of time and come up short. Hanson faltered badly early on, but was able to salvage a round of even par.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf page and this StoryStream.

2012 Masters: Bubba Watson Ties Louis Oosthuizen Atop Leaderboard

Sunday marks the final round of the 2012 Masters in Augusta. The competition has only intensified as the leaders head into the final few holes on the most prestigious gold course in the United States. The current leader is Louis Oosthuizen, who is trying to hold on and ensure he will receive the green jacket from his longtime friend Charl Schwartzel. Should he win the title, it will make back-to-back years with South African players picking up the win.

Oosthuizen has a score of players hot on his heels and on hole 16 was tied atop the leaderboard at 10-under when Bubba Watson sank a birdie just before Oosthuizen made par.

Phil Mickelson is taking a late run at the leaders, currently at 8-under.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf page and this StoryStream.

2012 Masters Leaderboard: Louis Oosthuizen Clings To 1-Stroke Lead

In Sunday's final round of the 2012 Masters, Louis Oosthuizen is attempting to stay in the lead and take home the green jacket. Oosthuizen is currently at 7-under but there are a score of golfers in hot pursuit.

Oosthuizen is currently 1-under in Sunday's round, but still holds the top of the leaderboard at 8-under in the tournament. There are a healthy number of golfers in hot pursuit. Lee Westwood, Peter Hanson and Matt Kuchar are all at 7-under, while Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson and Ian Watson are each at 6-under.

Favorites to win the whole shebang Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy had things go from bad to worse in their closing round on Sunday. McIlroy went 4-over on the day, while Woods went 2-over in his final 18 holes. Both golfers wrapped things up at 5-over after 72 holes.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf page and this StoryStream.

2012 Masters Leaderboard: Louis Oosthuizen Moves Into the lead, Bubba Watson moves into close pursuit

If you believe that the Masters doesn't truly start until the back nine on Sunday, then things are closer than ever to getting started. The final pairings have teed off, and Louis Oosthuizen made a quick move up the standings, sinking a double eagle two on the par five second hole. That was good enough to put him at 10-under on the tournament and in the lead. He's since slid to 9-under with a bogey on hole four, but he's still holding on to the lead.

Bubba Watson has also moved up the ranks, with a pair of birdies on holes two and five bumping him to 7-under overall, tied with Peter Hanson for second. A double bogey on hole four has cost Phil Mickleson dearly, as he is now shooting 3-over on the day. He stands tied for sixth with Lee Westwood. The leaders are not yet past the really challenging holes, though, so there's still a lot of action left to happen.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's dedicated golf hub and this StoryStream.

Masters Golf 2012: Florida Pros At The Masters Tournament

Tournament leader Peter Hanson may hail from Sweden, but a fair number of the golfers at the Masters who were either born in Florida or call Florida home. There are some hanging in the top ten, some in the middle of the pack, and some lost in the woods. Their scores and standings:

• Tiger Woods - Woods has had a couple of ugly rounds this weekend, made especially ugly by the expectations and celebrity that surround him. He sits tied for 39th place at 4-over on the tournament.
• Luke Donald - Donald also had his best day on Sunday, posting a 4-under after entering the round at 7-over. He finishes at 3-over, currently in 36th place.
• Keegan Bradley - Bradley sits with Donald at 36th place and 3-over, hurt by a couple of double bogeys in rounds one and three.
• Rickie Fowler - Fowler started out rough, going 2-over in each of the first two rounds. He managed par in round three and is having his best round yet on Sunday, but his effort comes a little too late. He's currently tied for 34th place.
• Charles Howell III - Currently tied for 29th place, Howell entered Sunday at 1-over for the tournament, and through the first eight holes is 1-over for his final round. He's had an up and down tournament, exemplified in round three when he posted six bogeys to four birdies.
• Vijay Singh - Singh was hurt by shooting 4-over in the third round, leaving him with a lot of ground to make up. So far in the final round he's 2-under in the final round, leaving him even for the tournament. That's currently good enough for 22nd place.
• Jim Furyk - Furyk entered round four at 1-under, and is 1-over through 7 holes, leaving him even in total and tied for 21st place.
• Matt Kuchar - Kuchar finished round three at 5-under and has just started his fourth round. That's good enough to be tied for fourth, and a strong round today could mean big things for the man from Winter Park.
• Bubba Watson - Watson stands at fourth place with Kuchar, but a bogey on the first hole doesn't bode well for his chances in the fourth round.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's dedicated golf hub and this StoryStream.

2012 Masters: TV Coverage, How To Watch Online And More

Sweden's Peter Hanson enters Sunday's final round at the 2012 Masters with a one shot lead over three-time green jacket winner Phil Mickelson. Hanson stands at 9-under for the tournament, with Mickelson a shot off the pace and three golfers, Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen, and Matt Kuchar, within four shots of the lead.

The final pairing of Mickelson and Hanson tees off at 2:40 p.m. ET.

Full list of television and online coverage for Sunday at Augusta:

Live Online Coverage At Masters.com

11:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Amen Corner live video coverage

12:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Featured Group 1 live video coverage
Featured Group 2 live video coverage

12:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Holes No. 15, No. 16 live video coverage

TV Broadcast Coverage

2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Live Coverage on CBS

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's dedicated golf hub and this StoryStream.

Masters 2012 Tee Times And Pairings: Sunday's Final Round At Augusta

The final pairing on Sunday at the 2012 Masters will see a three-time green jacket recipient look to overcome a one shot deficit to a player looking to win his first major in just his second Masters appearance. Peter Hanson, after a brilliant 7-under round of 65 on Saturday, leads the tournament at 9-under, with Phil Mickelson just one shot off the pace.

Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar lurk just a few shots off the lead, looking to perhaps match Hanson's Saturday brilliance and walk away 2012 Masters champion.

Tiger Woods, 12 shots behind Hanson, tees off at 11:30 a.m. ET and will play with Vijay Singh.

Full list of tee times below. All times are ET.

9:20 AM	Kelly Kraft (a)	Stewart Cink
9:30 AM	Robert Karlsson	Edoardo Molinari
9:40 AM	Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano	Trevor Immelman
9:50 AM	Bo Van Pelt	Scott Verplank
10:00 AM	Thomas Bjorn	Luke Donald
10:10 AM	Bill Haas	Patrick Cantlay (a)
10:20 AM	Martin Kaymer	Charl Schwartzel
10:30 AM	David Toms	Martin Laird
10:40 AM	Ross Fisher	Anders Hansen
10:50 AM	Rickie Fowler	Keegan Bradley
11:00 AM	Angel Cabrera	Steve Stricker
11:20 AM	Aaron Baddeley	Zach Johnson
11:30 AM	Vijay Singh	Tiger Woods
11:40 AM	Adam Scott	Y.E. Yang
11:50 AM	Kevin Chappell	Kevin Na
12:00 PM	Rory McIlroy	Graeme McDowell
12:10 PM	Miguel A. Jimenez	Hideki Matsuyama (a)
12:20 PM	Geoff Ogilvy	Scott Stallings
12:30 PM	Charles Howell III	Justin Rose
12:40 PM	Sergio Garcia	Webb Simpson
12:50 PM	Jonathan Byrd	Jim Furyk
1:10 PM	Sang-Moon Bae	Brandt Snedeker
1:20 PM	Fred Couples	Jason Dufner
1:30 PM	Ben Crane	Nick Watney
1:40 PM	Fredrik Jacobson	Sean O'Hair
1:50 PM	Francesco Molinari	Ian Poulter
2:00 PM	Lee Westwood	Paul Lawrie
2:10 PM	Padraig Harrington	Henrik Stenson
2:20 PM	Matt Kuchar	Hunter Mahan
2:30 PM	Louis Oosthuizen	Bubba Watson
2:40 PM	Peter Hanson	Phil Mickelson

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's dedicated golf hub and this StoryStream.

Masters 2012 Tee Times And Pairings: For Sunday

Now that an exciting "Moving Day" is officially in the books, the pairings and tee times for the final round of the 2012 Masters are set. With numerous players within striking distance of Peter Hanson, the leader in the clubhouse after the third round, it is shaping up to be another close finish Sunday at Augusta National.

Hanson and Phil Mickelson are the final group, going off at 2:40 p.m. ET. Having played the first two round together, Hanson will be one of many players trying to stop Mickelson's quest for his fourth green jacket.

Tiger Woods, after an even-par 72 in his third round, will again tee off early at 11:30 a.m. ET. One of the other favorites going into the Masters was Rory Mcllroy, who shot a disappointing 77 in the third round.

Some notable tee times and pairings below:

11:30 a.m. ET - Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh

12:00 p.m. ET - Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell

12:40 p.m. ET - Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson

1:20 p.m. ET - Fred Couples, Jason Dufner

2:00 p.m. ET - Lee Westwood, Paul Lawrie

2:20 p.m. ET - Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan

2:30 p.m. ET - Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen

2:40 p.m. ET - Phil Mickelson, Peter Hanson

You can view the complete list of Sunday tee times and pairings here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's dedicated golf hub and this StoryStream.

Masters Leaderboard Update: Peter Hanson In The Lead, Phil Mickelson Making A Move

As the 2012 Masters continues on Day 3 of the tournament, there is a new leader in the clubhouse in Peter Hanson. Hanson rebounded from shooting a 74 in the second round of the Masters on Friday to shoot a 65 on Saturday, with a 7-under and giving himself a 9-under so far overall.

Phil Mickelson is hot on his trail however, as Mickelson also made a great run on Saturday shooting 6-under on the day, giving him 8-under on the tournament so far which has him tied for second place. Mickelson is following up his great second round after struggling on the first day of the Masters.

Louis Oosthuizen is right there with Mickelson with a 7-under so far in the tournament, shooting a 3-under on Saturday. Oosthuizen is rebounding from shooting a 72 on Friday. Bubba Watson rounds out the top three on the leaderboard shooting a 2-under on the day, bringing his combined tournament total to 6-under.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's dedicated golf hub and this StoryStream.

2012 Masters Odds: Rory McIlroy Favored To Win Tournament

Entering the third round of the 2012 Masters, 52-year-old Fred Couples and Jason Dufner share the lead at 5-under, but are not the oddsmakers' favorites to win the tournmanet despite their perch atop the leaderboard. Via @RJinVegas and @GolfOdds:

Masters odds: McIlroy 3-1, Westwood 6-1, Mickelson 8-1, Watson 12-1, Garcia 12-1, Dufner 15-1, Couples 20-1, Woods 40-1 (via @GolfOdds)

— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) April 7, 2012

The 52-year-old Couples, a fan favorite, falls behind some stiff competition. McIrloy is one of the game's up-and-comers, with a recent U.S. Open championship to his name. Westwood, a perennial bridesmaid, is bound to win a major sooner or later. Dufner, the runner-up at the 2011 PGA Championship, is even garnering more favor currently with oddsmakers than Couples.

Tiger Woods, eight back of the leaders, is only listed at 40-1 because his name is Tiger Woods.

For the full 2012 Masters leaderboard, check out Sports Illustrated.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf hub and golf blog Waggle Room.

2012 Masters: TV Coverage, How To Watch Online And More

The weekend starts at Augusta National Golf Club with lots of intrigue on "moving day" at the 2012 Masters. The final hour or so of tee times should provide a full afternoon of excitement with an array of superstars teeing off just an hour or so before CBS breaks in with coverage at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Tiger Woods will tee off at 10:45 a.m. ET and his round will either be concluded or close to finishing the second nine when CBS comes on the air. But Masters.com will continue to offer a variety of live-streaming options, with coverage of two featured groups and five of the second nine holes at Amen Corner and Nos. 15 and 16.

Complete broadcast information below:

LIVE COVERAGE ON MASTERS.COM
11:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Amen Corner live video coverage
12:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Featured Group 1 live video coverage
Featured Group 2 live video coverage
12:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Hole Nos. 15 and 16 live video coverage
3:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Masters In-Depth live video coverage highlights

MASTERS RADIO
2:00 p.m.
Masters Radio live audio

TV BROADCAST COVERAGE
3:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Live Coverage on CBS

For the full leaderboard, check out Sports Illustrated.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf hub and golf blog Waggle Room.

Masters 2012 Tee Times And Pairings: Large Field Set For Plenty Of Third-Round Drama

Saturday of Masters' week is known as "moving day" around Augusta National Golf Club. After two rounds, the top of the leaderboard is stocked with superstar talents, young and old, who should provide plenty of drama over the final 36 holes.

But anyone who makes the cut at The Masters has a chance to make a run and contend, but they have to catch fire early on Saturday. Tiger Woods finds himself in that position, teeing off at 10:45 a.m. ET and looking to make a move up the board so he has a shot standing on No. 10 tee come Sunday.

The last hour of tee times will provide a full afternoon of excitement on CBS. It starts with Phil Mickelson going off at 1:45 p.m ET with fellow past champion and veteran Vijay Singh. Mickelson rebounded nicely from his rough first round with a 68 on Friday that puts him in prime position heading into the weekend.

Rounding out the day will be co-leaders Fred Couples and Jason Dufner. Couples made a charge up the board on Friday, moving up 28 spots with a throwback 67 at his favorite course. They'll have plenty in front of them, however, with Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Bubba Watson just some of the talents who can instantly put the pressure on and go low early.

A complete list of tee times and pairings below:

9:15 AM	Kelly Kraft (a)
9:25 AM	Angel Cabrera	Trevor Immelman
9:35 AM	Thomas Bjorn	Patrick Cantlay (a)
9:45 AM	Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano	Edoardo Molinari
9:55 AM	Keegan Bradley	Luke Donald
10:05 AM	Rickie Fowler	Steve Stricker
10:15 AM	Robert Karlsson	Bo Van Pelt
10:25 AM	Ross Fisher	Anders Hansen
10:35 AM	Martin Laird	Scott Verplank
10:45 AM	Charl Schwartzel	Tiger Woods
10:55 AM	Martin Kaymer	Scott Stallings
11:15 AM	Graeme McDowell	Brandt Snedeker
11:25 AM	Sang-Moon Bae	Kevin Chappell
11:35 AM	Bill Haas	Geoff Ogilvy
11:45 AM	Stewart Cink	David Toms
11:55 AM	Kevin Na	Webb Simpson
12:05 PM	Hideki Matsuyama (a)	Adam Scott
12:15 PM	Francesco Molinari	Justin Rose
12:25 PM	Padraig Harrington	Hunter Mahan
12:35 PM	Fredrik Jacobson	Ian Poulter
12:45 PM	Gary Woodland	Zach Johnson
12:55 PM	Jim Furyk	Y.E. Yang
1:15 PM	Jonathan Byrd	Sean O'Hair
1:25 PM	Henrik Stenson	Nick Watney
1:35 PM	Aaron Baddeley	Peter Hanson
1:45 PM	Phil Mickelson	Vijay Singh
1:55 PM	Ben Crane	Charles Howell III
2:05 PM	Miguel A. Jimenez	Matt Kuchar
2:15 PM	Bubba Watson	Paul Lawrie
2:25 PM	Sergio Garcia	Rory McIlroy
2:35 PM	Louis Oosthuizen	Lee Westwood
2:45 PM	Fred Couples	Jason Dufner

For the full leaderboard, check out Sports Illustrated.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf hub and golf blog Waggle Room.

Masters Leaderboard: Fred Couples And Jason Dufner Lead After Two Rounds

We're at the halfway point of the 2012 Masters, and it's absolutely wide open. 63 players made the cut, the largest group to make it since 63 made it in 1992. Fred Couples and Jason Dufner lead at 5-under par. The 52 year-old Couples, who knows Augusta National as well as anyone in the field, lit it up on first nine with five birdies and then added two more on the par-five 15th hole and par-three 16th hole. The round shot him up 28 spots on the leaderboard, as Augusta is known for yielding big runs and charges up the board like that. Dufner, who was T3 yesterday, was steady as every with six birdies and a 2-under round of 72. Both Couples and Dufner played if the tougher, colder conditions of the morning tee times.

One shot back is a group of some of the best young talents in the game. Rory McIlroy had an excellent early morning round, shooting 69 to finish 4-under. Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Bubba Watson are three superstars who have matched Rory and are just one shot back.

Phil Mickelson had a great round to bounce back from yesterday's debacle at No. 10 and shot a 68 in the second round. He's in solid position at 2-under heading into the weekend.

Tiger Woods had his second-worst round at Augusta, shooting a 75 and falling back to 3-over. Woods struggled with his swing all day, and could not save anything on the greens.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf hub and golf blog Waggle Room.

2012 Masters Tee Times: Tiger Woods Gets Late Afternoon Start On Friday

We are one fourth of the way through the 2012 Masters, and the pairings for Friday will be the same as they were for Thursday. But the tee times have been flopped, which means that the players you were unable to watch in the narrow window of coverage on Thursday will spend the afternoon on TV on Friday.

That unfortunately means that the guys who teed off in the afternoon on Thursday will be playing in obscurity on Friday morning. That includes Lee Westwood, the leader after Round 1, who will tee off at 9:40 am on Friday with his partners Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk.

We only got to see a little bit of Tiger Woods' round yesterday as he was just wrapping up when coverage began, but we should be able to see most of his round on Friday because he is in the penultimate group, scheduled to tee off at 1:42 pm.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf hub and golf blog Waggle Room.

2012 Masters Leaderboard: Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood Pace The Field

The World's No. 3 golfer Lee Westwood, one of the best players to never win a major and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, who has never made the cut at Augusta National, are the co-leaders late in the afternoon at the 2012 Masters. Oosthuizen has completed his round, while Westwood has recently completed Amen Corner and is currently on the 15th hole. Both players currently sit at 4-under par.

A big pack of players are just behind them at 3-under par, including Florida native Bubba Watson, who has played 12 holes. Another Florida native, Matt Kuchar, is currently 1-under par and has completed his round. Favorites Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are even, while Phil Mickelson is having a bad day at 4-over par. Henrik Stenson was having a terrific day and was 6-under at one point, but closed his day with a snowman.

You can view the live Masters leaderboard here.

For more on the 2012 Masters, check out SB Nation's golf hub and golf blog Waggle Room.

Masters 2012 Weather Update: Afternoon Rain Could Threaten Play On Thursday

The 2012 Masters is already underway at Augusta National, but there is some weather on the horizon that could threaten play later in the afternoon on Thursday. According to SB Nation, there might be some serious thunderstorms on the horizon.

The threat of showers and thunderstorms increases during the afternoon when we get into the heat of the day. Any storms that form could be strong and potentially severe with heavy rain, gusty winds and frequent lightning. High temperatures by the afternoon could reach the low 80s with winds out of the south-southwest between 5 to 15 mph. Rain showers and scattered thunderstorms should continue into the evening and overnight.

If there is one thing that Augusta National is known for, it's getting the course ready to play no matter what the conditions are. Even if there is a significant amount of rain tonight, the course should be back to almost normal tomorrow. But a wet course should open up the field for everybody, making it much easier to score.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golfhub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

2012 Masters: TV Coverage, How To Watch Online And More

This is it guys, the 2012 Masters tournament is finally upon us. The tournament gets started on Thursday, and as long as the weather allows it, we'll have a full day of entertaining golf on one of the most beautiful courses in the World. Unfortunately there isn't nearly as much coverage of the tournament in the first two days as die-hards would like to see. Liver Coverage doesn't begin until 3 pm on ESPN. If you're at work and would like to watch though, you can get a free stream on Masters.com, although that coverage is not complete.

That means you won't be able to see any of Tiger Woods' round live, unless the tournament is delayed some by rain during the mid day, because Woods tees off at 10:35 am. The flip side of that of course is that you'll be able to watch most of his round tomorrow when the tee times are flipped. There are still plenty of good golfers who will be playing during that time, and you can imagine that ESPN will have a pretty good coverage of Tiger's first round.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golfhub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

2012 Masters Golf: Tiger Woods Is Ready To Compete

The Masters begins on Thursday, and right now the player with the highest odds of winning the tournament is Tiger Woods. Tiger has only once in the past three years on the PGA Tour, and I don't think that any other player with that recent performance would have the highest odds; but Tiger is a special case. According to ESPN via SB Nation, Woods is ready for primetime this week.

"I certainly am excited about playing and really looking forward to getting out there and playing," Woods said Tuesday after a nine-hole practice round with Fred Couples and Sean O'Hair. "I feel like I'm driving the ball much better than I have. I've got some heat behind it, and it's very straight.

"My iron game is improving. So everything is headed in the right direction at the right time."

If Tiger hits the ball straight of the tee, he certainly has to be considered one of the favorites. Even when he was at his most dominant wasn't always the most consistent driver of the golf ball. Of course, it comes down to putting, and Tiger probably knows every break on this course. Should be a fun week.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golf hub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

2012 Masters Golf: Dustin Johnson Withdraws Due To Back Injury

The Masters are just about 24 hours away from getting underway, but one of the potential favorites has already withdrawn due to an injury. During the press conferences on Tuesday, the assembled media received word that Dustin Johnson was pulling out of the tournament due to a tweaked back.

Whoa. Announcement in press room: "Dustin Johnson will not be competing due to injury." Didn't see that one coming. Cross him off your list.

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGC) April 3, 2012

Johnson is one of the best young players in the World and his length off the tee enables him to play a different golf course than almost any other golfer. He might not have been one of the presumptive favorites, but I don't think anyone would have been surprised to see him win his first Green Jacket this week. The field definitely just lost one of it's most entertaining players.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golfhub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

2012 Masters Golf: Tiger Woods Receives Early Thursday Tee Time

The 2012 Masters Tournament is now less than 24 hours away, and it's time to start slaving over the tee-times, figuring out how you're going to be able to follow your favorite players while you try to work. Live coverage of the event starts at 3 pm on ESPN, which means that there won't be any live coverage of some of the morning tee times, an unfortunately that means no Tiger Woods.

Tiger tees off at 10:35 am on Thursday with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sang-Moon Bae. That means he should probably wrap up his round right around 2:40, right before live coverage starts. Two of the other big stars in the tournament, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, tee off in the final two groups of the afternoon, so you can expect them to dominate the coverage on Thursday. You can find all of the pairings of the Masters here.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golfhub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

Masters Golf Tournament 2012: Telecast Could Be Without Azaleas

There are a few weeks that help set the Masters apart from any other Golf Tournament in the world. The Course, the stakes but perhaps more than anything else, the scenery. The flowers around the golf course and the fact that fans aren't really allowed to be a part of some of the most beautiful places on the course help make the telecast so memorable. This year, that may not be the case, as an abnormally warm Spring has caused the flower to bloom just a little bit too early, according to the Associated Press via SB Nation.

"I saw them, but it was last week," defending champion Charl Schwartzel said. "I was here a week ago last Thursday, and they were beautiful. But the first thing I thought was, 'They're all going to be gone.' I thought Augusta would be able to do something -- get the fans on them or something. It's weird."

It certainly won't be the same kind of feel as the tournament normally has, but as long as the weather is nice, the tournament and the course still figures to be one of the most unique we'll see on tour this year.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golfhub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

Masters 2012: Tiger Woods Feels Healthy As Masters Week Arrives

Tiger Woods has had a lot of issues over the last couple of years, but his physical issues and injuries are an often overlooked source of his troubles. He has had various ailments all over his body, specifically in his legs, but as the Masters approaches he is feeling good, according to USA Today via SB Nation.

"Physically I'm fine, I feel great, no aches and pains," Woods, who walked off the course at the Cadillac Championship last month with an Achilles issue, told Masters.com.

"The whole idea is to get your game together and have it going the way you want at the time you want," he said. "There are four times a year (the four majors) you want to be playing your best, and this is one of them."

We know what kind of player Tiger can be when he is healthy, so if he is feeling physically able he should be listed among the favorites as he is. His healthy has been the biggest roadblock in getting back to form lately and the Masters should test him physically as well as mentally.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golfhub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

2012 Masters Odds: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy Have Best Odds

The 2012 Masters is just over the horizon, and before you know it the jump suited caddies and beautiful azaleas will be gracing your television once again. But before the tournament can begin, it's time to place some bets, which means we need to know what the odds are. Here are some of the notable entrants, according to Bovada.

As expected, the two favorites of the tournament are Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. McIlroy is the No. 1 player in the world right now and is playing as good and consistently as anyone on the planet. Tiger regained his form two weeks ago and is the hopeful favorite of golf fans who want to see a compelling tournament this year. Tiger actually has the best odds at 4/1, while McIlroy comes in at 5/1.

Despite some struggle recently Phil Mickelson is a 12/1 favorite, while Lee Westwood and Luke Donald both come up just behind him at 14/1. Hunter Mahan, who won the Shell Houston Open this past weekend, jumps up to 25/1.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Masters Tournament head over to the SB Nation golf hub page, or SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

The Masters 2012 Preview: Can Tiger Woods Contend?

Tiger Woods entered the conversation two weeks ago with his win at the Arnold Palmer, can he win his first Major Tournament in over two years at Augusta this week?