The azaleas are in full bloom. You know what that means…? It’s time for professional golf’s marquee event, The Masters Tournament. The Masters is the first of the four majors to be played each year. Unlike the other major championships, the Masters is held each year at the same location, Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in the city of Augusta, Georgia, USA. While it may not have the largest purse of all the majors, this tournament is the most prestigious.

Chad Campbell was your leader after the first round, and through 16 holes as I write this post, he is still your leader at -9. Where in the world is Tiger Woods you ask? He’s at a comfortable -2 through 11. Tiger was the hands down favorite to win this event… I saw several sports books listing him at less than 2-1 odds. That’s insane! Tiger will have a tough time winning 2009 Masters Tournament if he’s still at -2 by the end of Friday’s round. He’ll need to be around -5 to stay competitive.

The projected cut is at +1 right now. Some notables projected to miss the cut include Fred Couples, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, and Justin Rose. Phil Mickelson is at +1 right now, but he’s only through 1 hole today… so as long as he posts an Even score or better he’ll be fine.

Are you a big golf fan? Who do you think will win the masters? Tiger or the field?