Lee Tant of The Times and Democrat will be providing daily insight from Augusta National during the Masters Tournament.

The headlines are numerous heading into perhaps the most anticipated Masters in recent memory.

Tiger is back at a major, seemingly at full strength. Padraig Harrington is trying to join Woods in the exclusive fraternity of winning three majors in a row. Greg Norman is back at Augusta National while the iconic Gary Player is bidding farewell to the azaleas and dogwoods after five decades.

* Who looks good other than Tiger?

One might say Phil Mickelson, although Lefty put up a less-than-stellar performance in missing the cut at Houston this past weekend. But the odds and history suggest he’ll be a factor come Sunday.

2006 U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy has the distance and short game to conquer Augusta’s unforgiving length and lightning-fast greens.

Looking for an up-and-comer to don the Green Jacket? Bank on Nick Watney. He’s second on the tour in scoring average in 2009 and already has a win and two recent top 5s to his credit.

* Tiger’s fifth Green Jacket?

Any remaining questions about Woods’ knee were resoundingly answered at the 72nd hole at Bay Hill. He’s back and with a vengeance. It’s been four years since his last Masters triumph, but each time during that stretch he’s been tantalizingly close to adding to his wardrobe. Given the considerable expectations attached to Tiger, he’s overdue.

* Return of the Shark

Few thought that Norman would ever play again at the Masters. However, a tie for third at the 2008 British Open gave him one more opportunity to exorcise his demons. Nobody in Masters history has come close so many times yet never sealed the deal. He’s 13 years removed from the Sports Illustrated headline “Agony in Augusta” that described his cataclysmic collapse to eventual champion Nick Faldo. Could this be the year the headlines read “The Shark bites back”?

 

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