CBSSports –  With an 87-man field featuring generational talent going head-to-head at Augusta National, rarely has such a call ever been more difficult.

All eyes are on Rory McIlroy this year as The Ulsterman looks to complete his career grand slam, but there’s some stiff competition throughout the field, namely from many of his young contemporaries like Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler. Of course, we would be remiss without mentioning Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, both of whom are among a litany of names looking to add another green jacket to their respective collections.

That time of year again indeed. Golf’s most important and most blowhardy tournament kicks off in Augusta to see who wins the Green Jacket. You have the best of the world on the links, pimento cheese sandwiches, and Jim Nantz engaging in acts of self-oral copulation the likes of which the world has never seen before.

As a casual but steady golf fan I have to say this season has so far gone by….quietly. Normally by this time I am FIRED up for tournaments like this but this year I am barely getting into the swing of things (pun unintended). I think it is a mixture of 2019 sort of crawling along, the weather sucking, feting Red in Vegas sucking the soul out of me, and not having made it out onto the course myself that has made this season a bit more inconspicuous than normal.

The odds-on for this one, as I’ve listened and read the past week or so, is Rory McIlroy. He hasn’t finished outside of the top ten this year, or in the last few tournaments, or something and has always done exceptionally at Augusta historically. Although to a casual observer it may have seemed like Rory fell off the past couple of years, he actually has finished pretty well. I also think he was a bit banged up here and there whereas he now appears to be 100%.

Justin “The new breed of hating fun” Thomas is also a name to watch. He’s just been riding a hot hand for awhile now so you can never really count him out. Same goes for ‘Cesco Molinari who won the British last year and another big one earlier this year, I forget which.

In terms of dark horse names to watch, I’ll toss you a couple. Cameron Smith has seemingly come out of nowhere to be a pain in the ass in the past few tournaments. He’s faded down the stretch also but should start pretty hot. Old Eldrick Woods is definitely going to come out gunning although we’ll see for how long. A few other old names like Schwartzel, DJ, and Adam Scott could also make a run at this. And you can’t forget about the most talented receding hairline of all-time, Jordan Spieth.

So sit back, crack a beer, avoid any and all contact with Patrick Reed and his family, and enjoy. Let’s hope it’s a nail-biter to the end and we get some fun golf. Otherwise the tournament will be boring and we’ll never hear the end of Patty Blackout’s bitching.

See you out there.

-Joey B.