Calendar suggests it is Watson’s year as Masters week begins

Star-Telegram golf writer Jimmy Burch handicaps the top 10 players, with odds, to win the 2016 Masters Tournament:

5-1 Bubba Watson The two-time Masters champ (2012, 2014) surfaces in even-numbered years, like the San Francisco Giants. This is 2016.

6-1 Jordan Spieth Defending champ and Dallas resident has all the tangibles and intangibles needed to repeat.

7-1 Jason Day World’s top-ranked golfer won the most recent major (2015 PGA), as well as last month’s WGC-Match Play event in Austin.

8-1 Rory McIlroy McIlroy, 26, lacks only a Masters title to complete a career Grand Slam. He finished fourth in Augusta last year.

10-1 Rickie Fowler Emerging star has been close in multiple majors since 2014. This could be his week to break through.

12-1 Adam Scott Two-time winner in 2016 has thrived since dumping the long putter. He’ll also have caddie Steve Williams on his bag in Augusta.

14-1 Dustin Johnson Power player is ideally suited for this course in weeks when he is in a good groove on the greens.

16-1 Patrick Reed Spring resident leads PGA Tour with seven top-10 finishes this season, including Sunday’s T-10 at Houston Open.

18-1 Phil Mickelson Lefty, 45, is capable of winning a late-career Masters like a 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus in 1986.

20-1 Louis Oosthuizen The 2010 British Open champ has lost three playoffs in majors: two last year (U.S. Open, British Open), plus the 2012 Masters.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Calendar suggests it is Watson’s year as Masters week begins."