Who Can Beat Tiger?

The world's No. 1 golfer is generating a lot of Grand Slam talk heading into the 2008 Masters, but these guys might have something to say about that

April 2, 2008

By Jason Brough
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

The 2008 Masters tees off on Thursday, April 10, and the big story isn't simply whether or not Tiger Woods can win his fifth green jacket; it's whether he can do that and then add three more majors for the season sweep, aka the Grand Slam. Oddsmakers are giving him a pretty decent shot: 1/1 odds to win the year's first major and 9/1 to capture all four.

No golfer has ever pulled off a modern-day Grand Slam, though Woods did win four consecutive majors at the turn of the millennium, starting with the 2000 U.S. Open and ending with the 2001 Masters. Granted, there's a reason nobody's ever done it in one season  – it's really, really hard. Even Woods admits as much, and he’s a pretty confident guy.

"Most of my career, I've won four tournaments in a year plus," he said. "You just have to win the right four. The whole idea is to have your game peak four times a year, but you might also need to be lucky because you might have your game peak and somebody just outplays you."

With that in mind, who are some likely candidates to derail Woods' Grand Slam attempt before the wheels even start turning? Here are a few contenders headed to Augusta National:

Phil Mickelson
Odds to win the Masters: 8/1

Woods might be the hottest golfer on the tour, but nobody's done better than Mickelson at Augusta since 2004, the year the latter won his first green jacket. Lefty added another in 2006. Meanwhile, Woods has just one Masters victory (2005) in his last five attempts.

Phil Mickelson has already won twice at Augusta. (AI Wire photo)

Mickelson's not playing too badly this year, either. He won the Northern Trust Open in mid-February and has three top-10 finishes overall. His last three events haven't been quite as successful, his best being a 17th place finish at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. Of course, he hasn't had any blowups either. And that's a good thing.

As per usual, Mickelson will be playing the tournament the week before the Masters. It used to be the AT&T Classic, which he won three times and takes place in May these days. Now, it's the Shell Houston Open that's in the warm-up slot.

Erratic as he may be – Mickelson can easily burn it up one week and collapse the next – bettors will still want to note his form at Redstone Golf Club before backing him at Augusta.

Padraig Harrington
Odds to win the Masters: 28/1

He's never been a huge factor at Augusta with just two career top-10 finishes, including last year's tie for seventh. But ever since winning the British Open in 2007, Harrington has earned a permanent spot in the minds of North American golf fans.

Padraig Harrington is a proven major contender. (AI Wire photo)

The Irishman is off to a solid start in 2008 with high finishes all around the world. Most recently, he managed a tie for fourth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The result was even more promising for his Masters' chances, considering he played the weekend in seven-under after a so-so first two rounds.

"As I got more into contention my focus got sharper, and that's pleasing," he said. "Only another four rounds of golf to make sure it's sharp the first day in Augusta."

As you might have already surmised, Harrington will also try his luck at the Shell Houston Open.

Geoff Ogilvy
Odds to win the Masters: 33/1

The 2008 PGA Tour season started horrendously for the 2006 U.S. Open champ. Ogilvy missed the cut in his first three events before steadily improving over the next four. In fact, he improved all the way to winning the WGC-CA Championship at Doral.

Perhaps he was inspired by his reconnaissance trip to Augusta National on the way to Florida.

Geoff Ogilvy started slow but found his game at Doral. (AI Wire photo)

"It's just such an exciting place to visit and it's like having your own little playground for the day," Ogilvy told his native Australia's Herald Sun. "The last three years I've been there a week before the tournament. This year was a little more in advance than normal. You would probably prefer it a little closer to the tournament to see the conditions, how they're going to be. But it was nice to have a look and it just gets you back in that Augusta mode."

Lee Westwood
Odds to win the Masters: 5/2 (Field)

The 34-year-old Englishman has fallen slightly off the radar since playing his best golf between 1998 and 2001, but 2008 has seen a return to form for Europe's five-time Ryder Cup member.

On Sunday, he finished third in the Andalucian Open in Spain. That put him second on the European Tour's Order of Merit behind Sweden's Henrik Stenson.

"I wanted to experience getting into contention before going to Augusta and I did," said Westwood. "I'm playing well... and my confidence is high going into the Masters."

TOP PHOTO: Tiger Woods has plenty of competition at the 2008 Masters. (AP Images)