A Peek Inside The Masters Pairings

   Picking apart some of the first-round pairings:

  -- Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott and Nick Watney: Johnson and Watney are on most short lists as possible winners this year. Watney already has two top-10s at Augusta and Johnson appears to have the full skill set for winnnig a Masters, particularly the power. And there are no waste bunkers at Augusta National. As for Scott, he putts with the long putter. That tells you all  you  need to know.

  -- Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day: Also known as the Masters youth group. McIlroy seems to thrive on the big stage. I really like his chances. Fowler seems destined for big things but I'm not sure he makes the Masters his first PGA Tour victory. Day isn't as flashy as the guys but don't forget about him.

  -- Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Matt Kuchar: If picking a threesome to have the lowest combined score on Thursday, start here. I know Kaymer is 0-for-3 in making Masters cuts but that changes this year.

  -- Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby: Amazing how the vibe has changed around Tiger from a year ago. Now he's not even the highest-ranked player in his pairing. G-Mac has that distinction. I'm saying Tiger finishes in the top five.

  -- Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy and Peter Uihlein: The left-hander is must-see viewing at Augusta but the other guys aren't bad themselves.

  -- Fred Couples, Luke Donald and Steve Stricker: Freddie's back is bothering him again which doesn't bode well but Augusta has a way of taking him back to 1992 again. If you're looking for a sneaky pick to win, it's Luke Donald. Hard to say it's sneaky since he's ranked in the top five in the world but he's doing it quietly. He might make some noise this weekend.