And that brings things to an end. Thanks for all your questions.
funfunfun999 asks:
Ewan – have you played a round at Augusta? If so, how did you get on? Also, if you were to have a round with any player past or present who would it be?
Guardian staff No. I'm still waiting to be drawn out of that magic ballot for the Monday press game.. maybe this year...
Second part... probably Seve in his prime. You would want to see that imagination and ingenuity close up. He really did hit shots that mere mortals couldn't.
Robert OReardon writes:
You mentioned yesterday that Tiger seems to be in a different mindset to recent years. Is that due to a lack of pressure or will there always be pressure on him because of who he is?
Guardian staff There will always be pressure but what was interesting yesterday was that he took the opportunity to put this on himself. He could quite easily and legitimately said "Look, I haven't been playing, I'm here just to try and get into contention and see how that feels again to set me up for the year.. Making the cut would be real progress...."
Instead, he was blunt: I'm here to win. So that approach has never changed over 20+ years even now, at a time when he would have every excuse for it to. That is fascinating in itself.
Yesterday he was relaxed, likeable, loose. Whether this is secretly because he knows this might go horribly wrong on the course or someone is advising him about a different approach is open to debate. Tiger press conferences used to be monotone, dull stuff. Yesterday was the opposite.
Paul Lewis wonders:
How do think Danny Willett’s game will fare in his first visit to Augusta?
Guardian staff Willett is a very good player, I think he has surprised a lot of people. He has more shot shapes and creativity than he was perhaps given credit for when arriving on tour. He has also been injury free for a while now, which has made a big difference.
I'd fully expect him to make the cut. The problem is the same one that all debutants face around the course: there is no substitute for experience. Little things can catch you out when you least expect them.
lebronfromdowntown mails in:
Who has the best short game out of challengers for this year’s Masters? I dont think McIlroy’s putting is good enough to win the Green Jacket just yet.
Guardian staff There are different aspects to this. You need to chip well, especially, at Augusta National and be a very strong lag putter. Kaymer, for example, hasn't historically been a great chipper (he putted everything from off the greens at Pinehurst, which you can't do here)... My own sense is that McIlroy's approach play is more pertinent than his putting.
davidar23 asks:
Patrick Reed or Jordan Spieth – who has the better chance this week?
Guardian staff That's a very good question. Spieth but tough to call. Reed's major record is surprisingly poor (albeit he has only had a year of them).
Pasdabong writes:
Hi Ewan. On the Guardian homepage there’s an article about ‘most loved jobs’ and it mentions PAs, teachers and gardeners. I’m thinking golf correspondent has to be up there too. Do you realise what a jammy sod you are?
Guardian staff I will be thinking that as the Sunday playoff moves to a third hole, with deadlines in the UK only seconds away....
I also have hayfever, wouldn't be much use as a gardener.
daneng asks:
Is Jimmy Walker too dull to win a Masters?
Guardian staff Guardian staff Aha.. the consequences of online betting... So many of these questions relate to likely winners, which is of course great.
I had a strong inkling towards Henrik Stenson until last week, when he was hit with flu. Five days in bed and energy levels not as low as they should be (Henrik, not me) has doused my enthusiasm.
I think the unavoidable point is that if McIlroy clicks, and specifically clicks from 120 yards in, he will be very very hard to beat. If he doesn't, there are a lot of live candidates who have entered this tournament completely under the radar on account of the Woods and Rory stories.
Day, Scott, Walker, Dustin Johnson all fall into this category. Brooks Koepka would be my "live" outsider but no debutant has won here since 1981... which isn't a coincidence.
Updated
Unusually for Augusta there is a lot of rain/wind forecast for most of the tournament so from a betting perspective side with players who cope well with weather conditions and stop/start play … in my humble opinion Jason Day is the one at a working man’s price
Guardian staff The weather is a moveable feast here. Yesterday there was a torrential rain storm and within half an hour there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The latest forecast seems to suggest overnight rain Weds into Thurs.
The sub-air system means they can dry out the greens at a quite incredible rate but you still have to look at guys who would benefit from a softer venue. McIlroy falls directly into that category. I like Day's chances anyway and this would also be case with him.
Padraig Harrington is 150-1 with some bookies. Worth a punt? Seems a huge price for someone who won just a few weeks ago.
Guardian staff I'm not so sure. He has played an awful lot of golf recently, honouring commitments made before winning the Honda Classic (initially made with the aim of getting into the Masters). Also has a patchy record here: T5 the best and the last one of them was back in 2008.
What is in Padraig's favour is the motivation gleamed from missing out last year. He has a point to prove to an extent.
Though the American media seem very keen to talk Jordan Spieth up as the next Rory, my impression is that he is still a little too petulant and suspect under pressure to make the step up to a major win at this point. Am I very wrong?
Guardian staff Spieth is great but I agree- he has a long way to go. I think the American narrative wants (needs?!) a "Rory version" and Spieth fits the bill. He can indeed be petulant (albeit that has improved a lot in 12 months) and he can also be jumpy/edgy under pressure (see Houston on Sunday).
My feeling is that perhaps all the discussion around Spieth points towards him not contending this week. He has been so prominent for so long this year, that can have an impact on a young player.
What do you think Tiger might have been working on to justify such confidence? Also, Rickie Fowler’s chances this year? I think he will be there or thereabouts.
Guardian staff His short game.. specifically his chipping. The other areas of his game which have been problematic were never as glaring as the chipping woes which have upset him recently. And if you cannot chip around Augusta... you have a serious problem!
When Tiger goes to hit a chip shot, it is still interesting that there is a pause or "think time".. which maybe isn't good news. The natural element has been diluted, which points towards a problem.
He doesn't hit the ball further than others anymore. He doesn't putt better than others anymore. If there is a deep-rooted chipping problem, it becomes very very difficult for him to compete.
On Fowler.. we keep waiting for his season to kick-start. It hasn't been great at all so far. His danger is that Spieth and Reed lap him as the USA's up and coming players: basically because they have shown what it takes to win.
Ewan, the big question as ever, will Sandy make the cut again this year?
Guardian staff Sandy still hits the ball a long way and has an all-round game which can be competitive at a certain, decent level. It's about whether or not he dedicates himself enough to that challenge.
I'd probably fall on the side of him missing the cut but the number of 50-somethings who do well here (not Langer, Jimenez last year, Couples) isn't coincidence: course and distance specialism is very important.
And we’re off …
Other than McIlroy, which three players from the UK & Ireland do you think have the most realistic chance to win?
Guardian staff Hi Paul,
I find it interesting that the "golden generation" of Donald, Westwood, Rose, Poulter have returned just a single major between them: which being blunt about it is poor return. This week, you'd have to think Westwood will be prominent again - he is playing well - but I wonder if his time has passed to win here.
To answer your question.. I'm not sure they can or will win but I'd pick Casey, Poulter, Westwood.
Ewan will be online from 1.15pm BST to answer your questions
In the meantime, here are some of our latest reports from Augusta:
As illogical, as incredible, as inconceivable as a Tiger Woods victory at the Masters may appear, the man himself has left onlookers with no doubt as to his aspirations. It took until the final question of a half-hour media conference on Tuesday for Woods to be pressed as to his motivation. The answer was immediate: “Winning. I quite like it.” The subsequent smile did not disguise sentiment.
The stage on which that ever-expanding narrative is played out: Augusta National. The prettiest course in the world, and not just because of the azaleas: they bury the television cables, dye the lakes blue, and colour the burger wrappers green in case anyone drops them. Construction began in 1932 when local hero Bobby Jones – the US Open and Open phenomenon of the 1920s – decided he’d like to have somewhere quiet to play without the world and their caddy scrutinising every click of his niblick. His investment banker pal Clifford Roberts suggested acting upon Jones’s long-held desire to build a US Open championship course in the Deep South. Why not back home in Georgia? Plans for the Augusta National Golf Club were hatched.
Folks, thanks for all these questions and comments... going to revert to preview duties here but by all means keep posting and I will return to answer (what I can!) later in the day.
Hope everyone enjoys the tournament. One of the most keenly anticipated in years, I reckon.