Masters 2012: First Round Begins Thursday Morning At Augusta National

Denny Hamlin made his reputation as a driver. Bubba Watson made his reputation with his driver.

But Watson, one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, left his driver in the bag during Wednesday’s traditional Par-3 Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, a day before competition in The Masters starts in earnest at the vaunted club in eastern Georgia.

The 2012 Masters Par 3 Contest has been cancelled due to thunderstorms. Padraig Harrington and Jonathan Byrd were tied atop the leaderboard at 5-under when the play was initially suspended, and will share the Par 3 title as a result.

Byrd’s birdie putt on the ninth and final hole rolled in the cup as sirens sounded signalling the end of play to give him a share of the lead. Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Jerry Pate finished in a three-way tied for second one stroke behind Byrd and Harrington. Pate may have rightful reason to be upset by the early decision. His 4-under came with four holes still left to play.

Padraig Harrington holds a one-stroke lead over the field after completing the nine-hole course at the 2012 Masters Par 3 Contest. Behind him is a large group of talented challengers. Adam Scott, Jonathan Byrd and Webb Simpson all sit one stroke behind at 4-under through nine, eight and seven holes, respectively. Phil Mickelson and Kelly Kraft finished two shots off the lead.

Several players could challenge for Harrington’s spot atop the leaderboard. Jerry Pate is already at 4-under after four holes. Rory Sabbatini and Brandon Steele are at 1-under with six holes left to play. Edoardo Molinari has played just one hole but is already at 1-under.

Although the first round of the 2012 Masters in Augusta does not tee off until Thursday, many players are spending Wednesday participating in the annual warm-up event, the Masters Par 3 Contest.

Tournament invitees, former champions and other special invitees are playing nine holes of golf at the most famous course in the world. About midway through the contest, Padraig Harrington and Adam Scott are atop the leaderboard, with each player currently sitting at 3-under.

The 2012 Masters is set to tee off on Thursday beginning at 7:50 a.m. ET. The first pairing that will tee include Americans Craig Stadler, Brendan Steele, and Tim Clark of South Africa. There are a total of 32 different groups that tee off for the 2012 Masters, with the final group teeing off at 1:53 p.m. ET, which includes the likes of Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, and Peter Hanson.

Some of the more notable players tee times include Tiger Woods, who’s paired with Sang-Moon Bae and Miguel Angel Jimenez, tee off at 10:35 a.m. ET. The No. 1 ranked player in the world, Luke Donald, tees off just after Woods group at 10:46 a.m. ET while Rory McIlroy will tee off in the same group as Bubba Watson later in the day at 1:42 p.m. ET.

Even when Tiger Woods’ golf game was in the dumps, he was still turning in solid performances at the Masters, so there’s bound to be plenty of excitement this week about his chances of winning at Augusta. And about paying off in Vegas, where tons of Masters prop odds have Tiger’s fingerprints on them.

Although Woods hasn’t won he Masters since 2005, he’s been in contention at the major tournament every single year. And after his win two weeks ago, bettors immediately hopped on his 7/1 Masters odds and quickly bet it down to 4/1. And given his success at Augusta, maybe that’s with good reason. Woods’ last seven results at the Masters:

A signature of the Augusta National Golf Club will be missing from the 2012 Masters Tournament. The red, pink and white azaleas have lost their bloom due to an early arrival of Spring, The Associated Press reports.

The par 5 13th hole, named “Azalea” for the 1,600 azalea bushes that line the left side of the hole from tee to green, has only a dozen or so bushes in bloom behind the green. The lack of flowers for this year’s tournament figures to dispel the myth that Augusta National packs the flowers in ice or keeps them in a greenhouse until Masters week, but they will be missed by fans and broadcast crews alike.

After battling injuries for most of the last two years, Tiger Woods told reporters that he doesn’t expect to be bothered by any physical ailments in the 2012 Masters:

Since his infamous car accident in 2009 that began a tabloid circus around his personal life, Woods has dealt with knee and back injuries that have left the golfer a shell of his former dominant self.

The field for the 2012 Masters is nearly set, but there is still one last chance to qualify for the annual Tournament by winning the Shell Houston Open, which is currently in progress.

One notable player who could miss the Masters is long time pro Ernie Els. The only way Els can qualify is to win the Shell Houston open, but he’s currently tied for 34th place at five-under. If Els misses out on the Masters, it will be the first time he’s done so sine 1994.