Die Jäger des Schicksals » The three-time Masters champion and

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - With the No. 1 player in the world already out of this years Masters, injuries are clearly the top storyline heading into the first major of the season. Tiger Woods, as we all know, had back surgery last Monday and is out of the tournament. If that wasnt enough, three of the next four players in the world rankings are also ailing. Henrik Stenson, the third-ranked player in the world, continues to play with wrist pain that he has been dealing with since last year. No. 4 Jason Day hasnt played since winning the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, while No. 5 Phil Mickelson is battling the newest injury. The three-time Masters champion and reigning British Open champ hurt his oblique at the Texas Open, and withdrew. After some practice at Augusta, he shared 12th at the Houston Open. While those four battle with injuries, the remainder of the field deals with a lack of momentum. Outside of the last two Masters winners, not many players have any momentum heading into Augusta. Reigning champion Adam Scott has six top-25 finishes in six starts this season. However, he did close the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a 76 to lose the title. The man who slipped the green jacket onto Scotts shoulders, 2012 Masters winner Bubba Watson, also has six top-25 finishes in eight starts this season. Watson also has a win and two runner-up finishes in that span. That victory for Watson was his first since donning the green jacket in 2012. Watson already has more top-10s this year than he had all of 2013, so his game is clearly in fine shape. As for the remainder of the field, two of the biggest storylines early in the 2013-14 wrap-around season have been Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed. Walker has three victories and Reed has a pair, making them the only multiple winners of the season. Thats the good news. The bad news for both, this is their first appearance in the Masters. Why is that bad news? Only Fuzzy Zoeller won the Masters in his first appearance. Could one of those players add their name to that short list? Since winning three times in eight events, Walker has cooled with five top-25 finishes, but none better than tied for 16th at the Texas Open. Reeds only start since his second victory ended in a tie for 52nd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. What about the other two reigning major champions? U.S. Open champ Justin Rose has three top-10 finishes in seven starts, but is coming off a missed cut at Bay Hill and he has broken par in four of his last 10 stroke-play rounds. PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner has three top-10s in eight starts and he has been off since the Valspar Championship. Tough to say what to expect from either of them. As you can tell, the seasons first major is wide open with no clear-cut favorite. Will either of last years combatants be in the mix again this year? Scott and the man he beat in the playoff, Angel Cabrera, both are valid picks, but also have question marks. Scott, as mentioned above, blew the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the final round. Cabrera, on the other hand, has missed the cut in six of his seven PGA Tour starts dating to last October. Honestly though, that doesnt mean much when it comes to Cabrera and the Masters. He had two missed cuts and one finish inside the top 30 in seven starts last year before playing his way into the playoff with Scott. In 2011, the Argentine had missed three cuts in six starts, then tied for seventh at Augusta. When Cabrera won in 2009, he was coming off back-to-back missed cuts and hadnt finished better than tied for 13th. There is something about Augusta with Cabrera. Last year, Scott and Cabrera both birdied the final hole of regulation to get into the playoff. Scott made his first as Cabrera stood in the fairway and watched. Cabrera responded by stuffing his approach inside three feet. The 2009 Masters champion kicked that in for birdie to force the extra session. In the playoff, both players spun their approach shots off the front of the green on the first extra hole. Cabrera nearly holed his chip as it skirted the edge of the cup. Scotts chip stopped three feet short of the hole. They both made their par putts, and it was off to the 10th. Cabrera left himself 18 feet for birdie, but failed to convert. Scott drained his 12-footer for birdie and the win. It was a huge turnaround for Scott, who had bogeyed the final four holes of regulation at the 2012 British Open to lose the title. Watson also won his title in a playoff in 2012. Those were the first back-to- back playoffs since 1989-90, when Nick Faldo won consecutive green jackets. There has never been three straight playoffs at the Masters. How the scoring plays out depends on the condition of the course and the weather. Augusta was hit with several ice storms over the winter, and the biggest result of those storms was the loss of the Eisenhower tree that framed the tee shot on No. 17. The long range weather outlook shows dry conditions for the four tournament rounds after some rain earlier in the week. That sets up perfectly for how the tournament tends to play out. As the week goes on, the course gets firmer and faster making it harder to score. You will hear over those first few days that the tournament doesnt really start until the back nine on Sunday. Well, the last two years, the combatants were determined on that final nine, but settled in a playoff. Will it take another playoff this year? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure - this Masters is as wide open as any in recent memory. Custom Wholesale NFL Jerseys . With Van Osch out with a flu bug that has been rampaging through the tournament, Knezevic stepped in to lead B.C. (4-3) to a pair of victories on Tuesday before 1,131 at the Maurice Richard Arena. Wholesale NFL Jerseys 2018 . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Bulls 99-70 on Monday night. http://www.nflfanaticshop.com/. - Skiing far more aggressively than in her season debut a day earlier, Lindsey Vonn was in provisional 10th place after the first 45 skiers in a World Cup downhill on Saturday. Youth Wholesale NFL Jerseys .com) - Nino Williams posted 18 points and seven rebounds, as Kansas State edged No. Wholesale NFL Jerseys .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad.At 7-foot-1, Marc Gasol isnt a little anything.Hes surely not playing like Paus little brother.For the first time since the Gasols have been in the NBA its the younger one putting up the better numbers, and thats a big reason why the Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the leagues pleasant surprises this season. After never averaging even 15 points per game, Marc Gasol is averaging 20.2 through his first 30 games of the 2014-15 campaign.Pau Gasol, by the way, isnt exactly slouching, averaging 17.8 points so far this season with the Chicago Bulls.But its little bro with the better average.I really dislike the word scorer, Marc Gasol said after the Grizzlies won in Miami on Saturday night. I dont think youre a scorer. I think (if) youre looking and youre more aggressive ... more on-the-go mode, your teammates look for you more.He says he doesnt see a big difference in his game this year.Maybe he should look at those numbers again.Hes scored at least 22 points in four consecutive games, the first time thats happened in his NBA career. Hes scored at least 20 points in 17 of Memphis first 30 games, after doing it only eight times in 59 regular-season games a year ago. Hes shooting just over 50 per cent, averaging nearly four assists, and getting to the foul line more than ever.What the game gives you, Marc Gasol said, youve got to take it.Right now, it seems like the game is giving him plenty.___Heres some of what to watch for in the NBA this week:WIZARDS TESTS: Good luck finding a tougher week for any team this season than what awwaits Washington, which should learn plenty about itself over the next seven days.dddddddddddd The Wizards play at Houston on Monday, Dallas on Tuesday, Oklahoma City on Friday and San Antonio on Saturday.RONDO RETURNS: There will likely be a serious ovation in Boston on Friday night when the Dallas Mavericks come to visit. Itll be Rajon Rondos first trip to Boston as an opponent following the trade earlier this month that got the Mavericks one of the games elite point guards.BOSH BACK: After missing eight games with a strained left calf, Chris Bosh expects to return to the Miami Heat lineup this week, possibly as early as Monday night at home against the Orlando Magic.DURANTS AVERAGE: Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant is averaging 32.3 points in regular-season games in 2014, and will finish with easily the highest average during the calendar year — about five points per game better than LeBron James. Durants will be the highest one-year average in regular-season play since Kobe Bryant averaged 34.0 points for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006.DUNCAN MILESTONE: San Antonios Tim Duncan enters the week with 14,230 rebounds. That puts him within 11 of Walt Bellamy (14,241) for No. 10 on the NBAs all-time rebounding list.___STAT LINE OF THE WEEKKenneth Faried, Denver: This is why the guy is called Manimal. Faried had a 26-point, 25-rebound night against Minnesota on Friday, shooting 11 for 15 from the floor. It was only the sixth instance in the last five seasons of someone finishing with at least 25 points and 25 boards. ' ' '