By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Azaleas are blooming which means one thing to golf fans. Masters week is upon us.

So far in 2018 it has been a crazy sports year. I just watched Kentucky lose in the NCAA tourney to continue to throw it into utter chaos.

Ronald Acuna will start the season in Gwinnett, which is all about money and makes no sense at all. So, the theme in sports this year is to expect the unexpected so I ask this question:

Can Tiger Woods win the 2018 Masters? I’ll get back to that in a few paragraphs.

Here are my favorites in the 2018 Masters:

Phil Mickelson: Lefty just won in Mexico for the first time in five years and looked like the old Phil in doing so. The three-time champion loves Augusta and will contend this year.

Sergio Garcia: The defending champ is starting to round into form and has been near the top of leaderboards lately. Look for Sergio to be in one of the final groups on Sunday now that he knows how to win a major.

Rickie Fowler: He is overdue to win a major and his time in nearing if not the Masters then you have to think he will get one in 2018. This kid is just too good not have a green jacket in his closet one day. Fowler is going to be leading this tournament sometime on Sunday, but can he hold on is the question?

Jordan Spieth: Spieth is the best putter in the world and that makes him dangerous in Augusta and he will contend.

Justin Rose: Rose has the all-around game to compete for the green jacket and lost in a playoff to Sergio last year and that will be a huge motivator for Rose in 2018.

Now back to Tiger. Just a few months ago Tiger was ranked about 600 in the world in the World Golf Rankings maybe even higher. The golfing world left him for dead and Woods recovering from another back injury finally got back on the course. Then he started to contend in tournaments and now the Masters is here and Tiger is a betting favorite.

When Tiger contends people tune in and that is great for the game. Tiger will contend and the 2018 Masters will have record viewership.

I like Rose to win, but with all of the madness going on in March with the Loyola- Chicago’s of the world makes you think some special is in the works for Augusta.

Tiger won his first Masters in grand fashion at 21 years of age in 1997 and now 21 years later in 2018 the comeback will be complete as Tiger roars to another Green Jacket.

Better tune in folks because the 2018 Masters will be special.

Tiger Woods your 2018 Masters Champion. That would be great for sports. This would mark a historic comeback of a sports icon that everyone wrote.

I remember when I was a kid the experts wrote off Jack Nicklaus in 1980 and he finished off his career with three more majors with the 1980 US Open, and PGA Championship and of course the 1986 Masters.

Tiger Woods is great for professional golf.