Masters 2015 picks and predictions: Can Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy add to their legends?

There have been some incredible Masters in recent years, but few have had the pre-tournament hype of Masters 2015. There’s the return of Tiger Woods, the four-time green jacket winner who may or may not be able to chip a golf ball anymore. There’s Rory McIlroy, the “next Tiger,” who is trying to become just the sixth player to complete the career grand slam. And then there’s the ascendant crop of talent that’s fighting for elbow room and the most important tournament in the game.

The SB Nation golf crew -- Brendan Porath, Trevor Reaske, Emily Kay and Mark Sandritter -- bat around some picks and predictions for the next four days at Augusta National.

Trevor: A lot of people are on the Paul Casey or Brooks Koepka bandwagon, but in terms of a darkhorse, I like Russell Henley. He played very well at the Houston Open last week, a course that tries to mimic the conditions at Augusta. He’s also averaging nearly 300 yards off the tee and is 16th on Tour in strokes gained putting. Plus he is a Georgia guy, so he’s got that mojo working for him.

Emily: Billy Horschel. Because $10 million in FedEx Cup currency. Also, octopus pants would go so well with a green jacket. Hey, he’s a long shot for a reason.

Brendan: So I am going with a name that most casual golf fans tuning into the biggest tournament of the year have probably never heard of: Ryan Palmer. The Texan can go on those birdie streaks that are available out at Augusta, and post one real low number and hang on through three other rounds. He plays the ball right to left, which is generally accepted as the preferred ball flight at ANGC. And he’s been a machine in recent years, consistently playing his way onto the first page of the leaderboard (seven top 25s in eight events so far this season). At 75/1, go with Palmer.

Mark: The pick there has to be Angel Cabrera at 80/1. He’s proven capable of coming out of nowhere to contend at Augusta.

Mark: Keegan Bradley has never had much success at Augusta with a T27 finish his best in three tries. He missed the cut last year and outside of a T5 finish in Houston last week, he hasn’t been in great form recently. He’d be my pick to head home early.

Brendan: Is Martin Kaymer a big name? The reigning U.S. Open and Players champion has never done well at Augusta and has been unimpressive since blowing that astronomical 10-shot lead in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year. Kaymer hits a fade and notoriously tried to change that to improve his chances at Augusta. It did not go well and his entire game went away. He doesn’t have much of a chance.

Another guy I might be worried about is Patrick Reed, who has a knee injury and has said he’s not 100 percent. Reed would have been one of the trendy picks, and still may be, but that injury is not ideal.

Trevor: I think the easy answer is Tiger Woods. Honestly if you asked me last week, I would have said no way he makes the cut. Even after the feel good moments of Monday through Wednesday this week, I am still concerned about Tiger. He was just so bad earlier this year, I can’t confidently say he will make the cut.

Emily: Rickie Fowler. He has all those top-five finishes in the majors last year, but he’s struggling coming in (71 in Houston) and 146th on tour in strokes gained-putting. Just not feeling it for the leader of the flat-billed brigade.

Henrik Stenson. Tough to climb those Augusta mountains when you’re battling the flu.

Adam Scott’s having major issues with his putting, and after three experiments and two lousy starts with a shorty, he’s swept his beloved broomstick back into the bag. Plus, no Stevie. Indecision plus tricky Augusta greens minus Stevie equals trouble.

Brendan: Corey Conners, currently the 20th-ranked amateur in the world, earned his spot in the field as the U.S. Amateur runner-up. With Mike Weir injured and likely missing the cut, it would be nice for Conners to move through and represent Canada on the weekend. There’s no obvious Matt Fitzpatrick this year, or 14-year-old Guan Tianlang. Conners is my pick to earn low amateur honors, but I’m not sure any of the seven are making it to the weekend.

Trevor: Gunn Yang. Yes, he will make the cut. Only because of his bad-ass name.

Mark: I’ll go with Byron Meth and say yes, by a stroke.

Trevor: Many have proclaimed this as the year of Brooks Koepka and I am no exception. I think he will play well in his first Masters. Much like Jordan Spieth last year, he will impress but won’t have quite enough to get it done (apologies to Soly and Kyle Porter).

Brendan: It’s got to be Brooks. This is not a particularly strong rookie class. Shane Lowry might be another contender here. Koepka absolutely hammers the ball off the tee, which we know has become the best path to success on the modern Augusta National layout. If not for a nagging rib injury, Koepka would be a very legitimate pick to contend. Those big numbers will lurk out there and inevitably make their way onto his card, but Koepka is the clear cream of the rookie group.

Mark: Coming off the win at the Phoenix Open, Koepka has the game and is in form for a good first showing at Augusta.

Brendan: It’s supposed to be hot, which means the ball should fly. It’s supposed to be wet, which means the ball will stick close to those flags. It dumped a bit on Tuesday and it looks like there will be plenty of rain on Thursday. Augusta has that sub-air, but there will definitely be some low scores this week. I think the winning number moves to 14-under.

Mark: It’s been at least 8-under in each of the last seven years, so 9-under feels like a good number.

Emily: Tiger goes old school, rolling back the years to 1997 to post a ridiculous 17-under 263. Man, this guy can play when his glutes are firing on all cylinders.

Trevor: 12-under.

Trevor: As I noted above, I am concerned. That being said, he certainly can contend. He has done so many things in this game that astound and surprise us all. Why couldn’t he come out of nowhere to contend this year?

Emily: Okay, I’ll bite and pick Tiger to win it all -- and if someone has a bridge to sell me, I’m on eBay. It’s wicked unlikely (OK, preposterous) to believe that a happy, dancing, warm and fuzzy No. 111 who’s hugging everyone in sight and has his “two littles” on the bag for the par-3 contest and just 47 ugly holes on the card for all of 2015 can grab a fifth green jacket. But if wishing will make it so -- I mean, who doesn’t want to see that? Besides, he’ll win the week whether he contends or not, so there’s that.

Brendan: Tiger has owned the week at the Masters, but he’s going to fade by the weekend. I think we all got a little caught up in those Twitter reports of that practice front nine he had on Monday. The chipping on the range certainly looked better than the embarrassing wreck from earlier this season. That made me more hesitant to say he’s going to miss the cut than I was a week ago, when I thought he had no chance to get to the weekend. I now think he’ll make the cut, thanks to his familiarity with the place and being able to sneak around, cover up his flaws and post a respectable number. But he’ll have early tee times on the weekend and not be a factor. It’s odd to say, but that is an improvement!

Mark: The metrics, recent history and common sense all seem to come to the obvious conclusion of no, but for whatever reason, I tend to think Tiger is about to pull some wold class form out of thin air. He looked so amateurish the last time he played competitively and seemed to have no idea where the ball was going, especially with those wedges (or bump and run 4-irons!). Augusta National brutalizes golfers for a lack of precision.

Outside of some solid practice earlier in the week, there is nothing that indicates Woods is likely to be in form. Yet not only do I think he’s going to make the cut, but he’ll open the final round within three strokes of the lead. I don’t think he wins -- the rust will bite him at some point -- but I’m expecting a top-15, maybe even top-10, finish.

Mark: Like last year, one bad round kills his chances. Plays well on Sunday out of contention for a respectable top-25 finish.

Mark: Augusta wasn’t kind the last two years. I don’t think he’s a factor this week. Makes the cut but finishes well off the lead.

Mark: He’s been off, then on, then off, then on the last four years, bookending a pair of wins with a T38 and a T50. The course suits him perfectly if he’s on, but I’ll roll with history and say he finishes 35th or worse.

Mark: Despite being just 21, I’m picking Jordan Spieth to break through and win his first major. He finished tied for second last season and is in unbelievable form. A win and two second-place finishes in his last three indicate his game is right where it needs to be. He’s still so young, but has already been in the mix in big events and I think he has the mindset to breakthrough.

I don’t think it will be a runaway, but I have him winning at 9-under by two strokes.

But this is Bubba’s place and, as I wrote last year, he’s got such an advantage as a lefty who bombs it off the tee. After he won his first green jacket in 2012, he took it all in and (understandably) enjoyed himself for a bit. He had his focus back last year, posting a win and a series of top results in the first quarter of the season before the Masters. He’s done that again this year and there’s no reason to think he won’t be near the top of the leaderboard with 18 holes to play. Given his natural advantage, track record at Augusta and form coming into the event, there’s no better pick to win.