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In-form Tiger one of many reasons to watch this year's Masters

Michael Reaves / Getty Images Sport / Getty

When a patron first arrives at Augusta National, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with choice.

Do you walk - but never run - to Amen Corner to get a prime position for the afternoon drama? Or perhaps zip to the concession stand to get a pimento cheese sandwich and a beer? Or, do you accept that all the traditions you’ve heard so much about will be there for the balance of your 10-or-so hour day and get the merchandise shopping out of the way first?

With Tiger Woods making Augusta National the next stop on his impressive comeback, golf fans sitting at home have the same cornucopia of choice when it comes to this year’s Masters as those who are lucky enough to attend the event itself.

There are so many good choices.

After having his back fused together by doctors approximately 300 days ago, Woods’ return has turned the golf world on its head. Viewership numbers are at an all-time high, or at least, they’re as high as the last time Woods was in contention each week.

And while some people continue to ponder whether Woods is officially "back" or not, the answer seems to be a resounding "yes."

The problem with Woods is his measuring stick is unlike anyone else's in the history of the sport. There are many who are yearning for a return to his early-2000s greatness when he won almost 50 percent of the tournaments he entered and, after the Masters in 2001, held all four major tournaments at the same time.

While Jack Nicklaus is still the greatest winner in the sport, Woods is the most dominant. We’ll probably never see that level of success from him again - or anyone else, for that matter - but through five events on this year’s PGA Tour schedule, Woods has earned enough FedEx Cup points to secure a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Does he need to tighten up a few things? Absolutely. His wayward driver remains a concern and there isn’t an opportunity to attack Augusta’s tricky green complexes with a longer iron in your hand, so he’ll have to get that sorted in the next few weeks.

But, it’s not as though Woods’ competition is lying down and just letting him attack like, well, a tiger on the prowl.

Rory McIlroy, who has sometimes been a victim of a balky putter, needed only 100 putts en route to winning last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, giving him his first victory in two years. He’ll be chasing the career grand slam at Augusta National.

And consider this: 11 of the top-20 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking, McIlroy included, have won already this season. It’s a top-heavy season thus far, but somewhat ironically, the two would-be favorites had you asked someone immediately following last year's event - Sergio Garcia (the defending champion) and Jordan Spieth (who won at Augusta in 2015 and tied for second twice in the past four years) haven’t notched a win yet.

Spieth has had a steady, but underwhelming season, and given the Murderer’s Row of Tour winners thus far in 2018, it’s no surprise the 24-year-old has fallen from the spotlight, as golf is the ultimate “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” sport.

Woods’ return to prominence has given the golf world something big to talk about, as, combined with Phil Mickelson’s win a few weeks ago, a cross-generational battle is something only golf could offer - and it’s what we’re seemingly headed toward at Augusta National.

The course is the kind of place where age is just a number (60-year-old Bernhard Langer made a spirited run up the leaderboard just two years ago), and with how this year’s PGA Tour winner’s list has looked, we could be in for an all-time great edition of the first major of the year.

Woods is as excited as anyone.

“I miss playing there,” said Woods on Sunday. “I've had a lot of success there too, so really looking forward to getting up there and doing a bit of work and getting a feel for the golf course and basically feel for playing that style of golf again.”

And like the Georgia Peach ice cream sandwich or the sweet tea, Woods is one of just a number of very good choices when it comes to Masters favorites in 2018.

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