Featured Group: Westwood, Kaymer and Kuchar

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Apr. 6, 2011
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM�Site Producer

At each PGA TOUR event this season, a featured pairing will be highlighted prior to the first round. Here is the featured group for Thursday and Friday at the Masters.
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Lee WESTWOOD, Phil MICKELSON and Anthony KIM RD. 1 tee time (No. 1): 10:19 a.m. ET RD. 2 tee time (No. 1): 1:26 p.m. ET ESPN

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- In the grouping of Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Matt Kuchar, you have the current No. 1 player in the world, the former No. 1 and last year's leading money winner on the PGA TOUR.
You also have a player in Westwood who has come so agonizingly close to winning a major championship on more than one occasion, including last year when he finished second to Phil Mickelson here at the Masters.
What did Westwood learn from the experience?
"Patience, really," Westwood said. "I've always been fairly aggressive and gone at a lot of flags, probably more than I should have done in the past. And it is a golf course you have to be very strategic on and play patiently."
Just as important at Augusta National is the ability to hit a draw, which is something Kaymer, who's missed the cut in all three of his appearances at the Masters, has struggled with over the years.

Kaymer

But Kaymer thinks there's a way around that.
"You can play well if you hit the ball straight," Kaymer continued. "I think my problem was always that I was not sharp enough in my short game. I missed a lot of short putts the last few years. I didn't make a lot of up and downs."
It also helps that Kuchar has won a major championship before, having captured last year's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
"Obviously the biggest part from the PGA is the confidence that you get," Kaymer said. "Obviously I have struggled here, but still, you know, there's a reason why I am No. 1 in the world. So we'll see what happens this week."
Kuchar, on the other hand, is sharp with his short game. The former Georgia Teach star ranks fourth on the PGA TOUR in putting and 22nd in greens in regulation this season. He hasn't exactly been a standout at Augusta, however.
In four trips to the Masters, Kuchar has made the cut three times, but he has just two top-25s with his best finish being a 21st in 1998.