Warmth in the forecast

Golf's version comes this week, when 96 players - young and old, professional and amateur, from all corners of the globe, boasting unforgettable past glory and undeniable future promise - converge at the Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters, which was born 75 years ago during the Great Depression and resumes today, with times similarly tough.

Escaping through sport is a popular pasttime, and with the return of Tiger Woods, the flair of Phil Mickelson, the re-emergence of Greg Norman, and the possibility of a former Irish accountant producing numbers that add up to a place in history, it seems the planets are aligning for a special week.

But that's only on paper. It's the unexpected, like Trevor Immelman winning last year while ranked 29th in the world, or Zach Johnson the year before that or Larry Mize in 1987, which helps elevate this tournament over most others. Well, that and the tradition, history, and beauty, all reasons more than 200 countries will broadcast the festivities.

It's usually quite a show. While not as thrilling as Sunday's final nine might be, here's nine reasons why this year's Masters might be the most exciting in years.

Tiger's back. Woods took eight months off after winning the US Open last year and underwent reconstructive knee surgery, returning to the tour in February.

He wasted little time finding his form, winning the Bay Hill Invitational two weeks ago with a final-hole birdie. He's a four-time champion here, but last won in 2005. Since turning pro in 1996, he's never gone four years between Masters victories.

"I think the whole idea is to handle your own business, and on Sunday, see where you are," Woods said. "Your concentration, your energy, everything comes down to one moment. It's been a crescendo. For our sport, it takes four days to get to that moment."

Here comes Phil. Mickelson is a two-time champion here and has won twice already this year, and with Woods's layoff has jumped to No. 2 in the world rankings, within shouting distance of the top spot, a place he's never been. They've rarely been paired together in the final round of a major, and much of the golf world is salivating at the possibility of a late Sunday duel between the two.

"I would love to be in the same group as him and walk down together on Sunday, if we are in the final group," said Mickelson. "I think he's playing some great golf and I think he's going to be there. I think that I've been playing some of the best golf of my career and I believe I'm going to be there, too."

Hello, Shark. Norman, some would say, is cursed at Augusta, coming close time after time without winning. At 54, he's surprisingly back for the first time in seven years, and promises to be one of the sentimental story lines the first two days. If he makes the cut and inches his way up the leaderboard, expect the encouragement of the fans and the hopes of Australia to pack quite a bite.

Goodbye Gary. Did we say sentimental? Gary Player is saying goodbye to the Masters after playing 52 times. The Black Knight won three green jackets, and all but guaranteed that as he climbed toward the 18th green one final time, he'd "start blubbering. I'm a big baby," Player said. "It'll be a cry of appreciation and enjoyment, a cry of gratitude."

More roars. Those resounding echoes emanating the past few years haven't been in response to birdies and come-from-behind charges. They've been from players and Masters followers who feel lengthening Augusta National has taken the fun away, making the year's first major sometimes resembling the second, with a US Open-like survival of the fittest. Johnson's winning score of 289 two years ago matched the highest in Masters history.

Tournament officials have been quick to blame the unpredictable weather, which the past few years has included cold, windy days and affected scoring conditions, especially on the weekend. They're hoping, with a good forecast and possibly moving some tee boxes up on a few holes, to bring back the noise that so often defined this event.

More teens. No, Rory McIlroy, Danny Lee, and Ryo Ishikawa aren't golf's version of the Jonas Brothers. But the teenagers certainly have a youthful buzz about them, not only because of the novelty (never before have three teenagers played in a single Masters), but because they've all won professional events. McIlroy is one of the hottest players in the field, and fully expects to be in contention, despite the fact that no first-timer has won the Masters in 30 years.

Finally green. Is now the time for Sergio Garcia to win his first major? The swashbuckling Spaniard has been knocking on the door, with at least one top-5 finish in a major in each of the past five years. Or how about Anthony Kim or Camilo Villegas, two of the new, young faces of the PGA Tour who have secured multiple tour wins but no majors? Is it their time? Kim has never played in the Masters, while Villegas has missed the cut in both of his appearances.

Amateur hour. Lee isn't the only non-professional in the field, just the most accomplished. The Masters awards up to five berths for amateurs, and this year's group includes two college students (Michigan State's Jack Newman and Florida State's Drew Kittleson), a 21-year-old from Holland (Reinier Saxton), and Steve Wilson, a 39-year-old from Ocean Springs, Miss., who owns a gas station. He earned his spot by winning the US Mid-Amateur.

Paddy Slam. Lee Westwood jokingly wondered if it was a wrestling move, but Padraig Harrington, his European Ryder Cup teammate, has a chance to enter rare air by winning his third consecutive major. Harrington won the British Open and PGA Championship last year, when Woods was injured. He can join Woods and Ben Hogan as the only men to win three straight. Elite company, indeed.