Woods adds extra element

Just so we have this straight:

Phil Mickelson heads to Augusta National having won for the first time in five years. Rory McIlroy arrives in search of the career Grand Slam after a final-round 64 at Bay Hill. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson has won twice since Valentine’s Day. Jason Day chopped down the field at Torrey Pines. Dustin Johnson last week uncorked a drive of 489 yards. Justin Thomas came within a few swings of supplanting Johnson as the world No. 1.

And golf’s most popular player — the most intriguing person in all of sports, arguably — is among the betting favorites less than a year after spinal fusion surgery and rehab for prescription painkillers.

“I’ve never seen so many stars of the sport Tiger Woods warms up before the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month in Orlando, Fla. having their A-games going into Augusta,” Jim Nantz said. “This is the probably the most anticipated Masters any of us has seen in our lifetime.”

Nantz, calling his 33rd straight Masters, noted that of the five players to complete the career Grand Slam, only Gene Sarazen did it at Augusta National, in 1935, so McIlroy could break ground. But that story, Nantz said, would be 1A.

Numero uno? Tiger Woods. Late last year his odds were 100-1 to win the Masters, which would be his first major victory since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Now books are taking action at 10-1, about even with McIlroy, Thomas and Johnson. (Defending champion Sergio Garcia is around 25-1.)

“If he wins, it would be one of the epic moments in the history of the sport,” Masters Tournament

When: Thursday-next Sunday

Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-7:30 p.m., ESPN; Saturday, 3-7 p.m., CBS (Ch. 10); Sunday, 2-7 p.m., CBS (Ch. 10) Nantz said. “To have him back in Butler Cabin would truly be one of the all-time scripts. And this is an event that has an amazing ability to produce these Hollywood-quality stories, including Sergio winning on Seve (Ballesteros’) 60th birthday. You walk away most years with your head spinning: How in the world did this happen? How did serendipity present itself again at Augusta National?

“This would be as grand a scale as Jack (Nicklaus) in ’86, I really believe that.”