The custodians of the US Masters can do nothing about a left-field champion – they have a habit of springing a surprise
The champions' dinner at Augusta National is hailed as one of the most prestigious events in sport, never mind golf. In what represents a metaphor for so much at this club, the proletariat are not really required as guests. It therefore follows that those presiding over the season's first major want only the elite as winners of the Green Jacket.
But despite their best efforts, the custodians of the Masters can do little about left-field or unfancied winners. It is disrespectful to Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 champion, to describe him as an also-ran given the South African's levels of professional consistency. Nonetheless, he had been available at odds of at least 100-1 before a ball was struck a year ago. As Schwartzel served up a South African barbecue on Tuesday evening, he had Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer among his distinguished dining partners.
Phil Mickelson is the most high-profile player to hold the Green Jacket since Tiger Woods last claimed it, in 2005. Schwartzel aside, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Angel Cabrera have been recent Masters champions. Earlier, Mike Weir had halted Woods from claiming three Masters titles in a row.
Nobody at Augusta would ever admit it, but what they seekfrom this prestigious event is the most celebrated winner possible. The manner in which they determine who receives invites, and steps they have taken to toughen up the course, represent tacit admission of that. Spectators – both on course and in armchairs – and the media are just two groups who will crave a Sunday afternoon shootout between Woods and Rory McIlroy. If a player emerges from further down the extensive echelons to win the tournament, the sense of anticlimax may be impossible to ignore.
Adam Scott, ranked at 13, is one of a clutch of players still to win a major but is rightly regarded as one of the best in the game. The Australian views major results as endemic of golf's wider strength. Plenty of others, like Scott, rise through the rankings without major success. "I just think although it's the 'left-field' winners that you speak of, there are just more players playing well enough to win on any given week whereas before there was definitely separation between the top players and people outside of the top 20," Scott explained. "Now it is just so packed. You have just seen Hunter Mahan win twice and look really good. He would have been that left-field player until a month and a half ago yet he goes and wins two tournaments.
"I honestly believe it's just a reflection of how strong and how good everyone is. It doesn't maybe show up as regularly as when Tiger used to play at that level, but all these guys can do it on any given week.
"We are moving into a different era of the game, where it is more bunched up top. No one has separated themselves. Anybody outside of the top 20 could win this week but I think so many of the top, top players are in form that I would be surprised if one doesn't win from there."
There are two schools of thought about surprise major winners. And it must be recognised that the Masters is not alone in producing previously unheralded champions; golf's other three majors have routinely done likewise. One theory about such a chain of events is that majors have been reduced to a lottery, thereby making a mockery of rankings and not affording paying customers the champions they want. It should surely endorse the talent of the finest golfers in the world if they win one of the four main tournaments of the year. The opposing view is that a range of winners is refreshing. Given how predictability kills sport, there is something uplifting about the possibility of any competitor in any given competition coming out on top.
This Masters has its share of quietly rated outsiders. Robert Garrigus will be suited by the soft course given the distance he can hit the ball. His casual approach also highlights the unlikely event of the American being overwhelmed by the Masters occasion. When describing how to play the 13th, Garrigus says: "I could just blow my drive right over the trees on the left and leave myself an eight or a nine iron into the green."
Peter Hanson's consistency and accuracy, added to his rapid adjustment to the American scene, back up the Swede's case. And the South Korean Bae Sang-moon is also blessed with arguably the finest swing on the US PGA Tour; his impressive winning record in Asia means he is another who won't crumble when tension increases. Those in charge would rather such names do not feature as the most prominent. They can no longer bank on that.