Interview: Britain's Paul Casey

By Ken Brown BBC Sport at the Masters

Woods and Mickelson have won five of the last six Masters

There's nothing quite like the magic of the Masters.

Maybe it's just the marvellous Augusta atmosphere, the familiarity with the venue, or the fact that it's spring and in Britain the clocks have just gone forward, but it feels like the beginning of the golf season.

Whatever makes you tune in for the Masters, get ready for another action-packed tournament.

It's 10 years since Tiger Woods burst onto the scene with his 12-shot victory and the four-time winner is still hot favourite. His impact on golf has been quite breathtaking and he has revolutionised the game, both commercially and in terms of forcing the rest to shape up.

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Woods has so many exceptional attributes to his game. He loves Augusta and has the perfect game for it - hitting the ball long and high.

He's physically very strong, mentally he's got the hex on most players, he possesses tremendous determination and has a perfect approach to the game.

Mickelson probably needs to have a few more cards in his favour if he is to beat Woods

I don't think anything much will get in his way as he pursues Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles.

Having a family might change his schedule a bit (his wife Elin is expecting their first child) but I think Tiger's aim is to go scampering past Nicklaus.

Woods and defending champion Phil Mickelson have won five of the last six Masters between them, and the left-handed Mickelson's record at Augusta is also breathtaking.

He's regularly in contention and has been in the top 10 at his last eight Masters, including two wins and three thirds.

He probably needs to have a few more cards in his favour if he is to beat Woods, such as driving it in the fairway, but on the upside he's a wonderful touch putter and a brilliantly inventive chipper around the greens. He'll be there or thereabouts because he always is.

Stenson has won in Dubai and America in 2007

Of the chasing pack, you've got to look at people like Vijay Singh. He's a consistent performer with six top 10s in his last seven Masters, including victory in 2000.

He hits it long and straight and is still playing fantastic golf into his mid 40s, with two titles already this season. He would dearly like to win a couple more majors before he's past it, and if he putts reasonably well and holes out from inside six feet he's going to be in contention every week.

Someone else playing with a lot of confidence is Sweden's Henrik Stenson. He's only playing in his second Masters so he hasn't had a tremendous amount of experience at Augusta.

But he is a most spectacular driver of the ball - long and consistently straight - and has won in Dubai and America this year.

Els hasn't come back from injury with the confidence he disappeared with

Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are both still fantastic players, but I feel that Retief chases around the world more often than most of the leading players and is not as focused as, say, Tiger Woods, at peaking for those special weeks.

He's a wonderful putter on fast greens but I'd say he's not going in with as much chance as in the past.

Els is trying to refocus after a quiet 18 months after a knee injury and I don't think he's come back with the confidence he disappeared with.

But he's also had half a dozen top 10s at Augusta and definitely has the game to win if the driving and putting come together in the same week.

Then you've got the likes of the Australians - world number three Adam Scott and US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.

Scott had a pretty good year in the majors last year. It was the first time he looked like a top-10 player, and he is looking to step up to the plate and prove to himself that he can do it in the majors consistently.

Casey (left) and Donald will spearhead Britain's Masters chances

Ogilvy is a long hitter with a lot of confidence and a classy game. He proved to himself last year that he can win but he, too, hasn't logged much time at Augusta, which could count against him.

Of the Brits, Paul Casey loves Augusta and thinks the Masters is his best chance of a major.

After a blip in his career, he is a majestic player on his day and may go in as one of the favourites to break Europe's seven-year major drought, together with Luke Donald, who is a very steady and consistent player.

You can't ignore Padraig Harrington either. If determination, grit, hard work and sweat got you a major, the Irishman would have a couple by now.

He's got the drive and got the game, it's just a question of whether he can get amongst them and stand the pressure of the back nine on Sunday.