The most anticipated staging of the game’s most anticipated tournament will see three of Australia’s four 2018 Masters representatives firmly in the limelight over the opening two days.

Adam Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman have all been drawn in marquee featured groups for the opening rounds, Leishman under a particularly strong glare having been paired with Tiger Woods.

The fourth Australian in the field, Cameron Smith, is paired with Chez Reavie and Billy Horschel for an 11.26am tee time.

The Australians have flown mostly under the radar heading into the week with the bulk of the pre-tournament focus on the return of Woods and the good play of Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, among others.

Below is the tale of the tape for each of the Down Under contestants with some thoughts on their chances (which are better than many are giving them credit for).

And regardless of what unfolds over the four days of tournament week, Australian fans will once again have plenty to cheer for at the year’s first Major tournament.

Adam Scott
Age: 37
PGA TOUR Wins: 13
Number of tournaments played this year: 5 (PGA TOUR)
Best finish this year: T13 The Honda Classic
Last victory: 6^th March 2016 – WGC – Cadillac Championship
How he got in the field: As the 2013 Champion, he now has a lifetime invitation

Record at The Masters:

2002 – T9
2003 – T23
2004 – MC
2005 – T33
2006 – T27
2007 – T27
2008 – T25
2009 – MC
2010 – T18
2011 – T2
2012 – T8
2013 – 1
2014 – T14
2015 – T38
2016 – T42
2017 – T9

Best finish: Win (2013)

The take:
Scott is one of the tournament’s favourite past champions and has as much support on the grounds of Augusta National as any player.

While his results to date in 2018 have been less than stellar the quality of the bulk of his golf has been better than his scores suggest.

In his five tournament appearances since January he has made eight double bogeys or worse, a statistic that is surprising but hints more at sporadic poor decision making than inherent problems with his swing or game.

A consistently good performer at Augusta National, the only real concern from the Queenslander’s statistics are perhaps around his putting where he is losing strokes to the field.

However, that may be less of a concern this week where the large, fast, undulating greens at Augusta make putting difficult for everyone.

Lag putting in order to avoid three putts is the most crucial aspect of Augusta’s surfaces and if he can do that well this week Scott is on track for his sixth top-10 or better.

Jason Day
Age: 30
PGA TOUR Wins: 11
Number of tournaments played this year: 4 (PGA TOUR)
Best finish this year: 1st Farmers Insurance Open
Last victory: 28 January 2018 (officially completed 29 January in a playoff) – Farmers Insurance Open – PGA TOUR
How he got in the field: Winning the PGA Championship in 2015

Record at The Masters:

2011 – T2
2012 – WD
2013 – 3
2014 – T20
2015 – T28
2016 – T10
2017 – T22

Best finish: T2 (2011)

The take:
The highest world ranked Australian in the field, Day has already notched a victory and a runner-up in four starts for the calendar year.

While below his usual standards in his last two outings at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC – Match Play, Day is a big event specialist and it would be a surprise if that trend continued in Georgia.

His record at Augusta National speaks for itself with a low round of 64 in 2011 proof the course sets up well for his game.

Day told the media on Monday that he has a new set of irons in play for the week after not being completely happy with his ball flight in Texas and that he is feeling good about his prospects.

After a lean 2017 season Day looks rejuvenated this year and having arrived at Augusta almost a week ago to prepare has clearly left no stone unturned.

Marc Leishman
Age: 34
PGA TOUR Wins: 3
Number of tournaments played this year: 8 (PGA TOUR)
Best finish this year: T7 Sentry Tournament of Champions and Arnold Palmer Invitational
Last victory: 17^th September 2017 – BMW Championship – PGA TOUR
How he got in the field: winning the BMW Championship

Record at The Masters:

2010 – MC
2011 – DNP
2012 – DNP
2013 – T4
2014 – MC
2015 – DNP
2016 – MC
2017 – T43

Best finish: T4 (2013)

The take:
A bumper 2017 season which included two PGA TOUR wins sees a very different Marc Leishman heading down Magnolia Lane this week.

The laid-back Victorian boasts a record he would be far from happy with to date at Augusta with just two cuts made in his five starts but it would be a surprise if he didn’t increase that to three from six this week.

His 2013 finish, when paired with eventual winner Adam Scott in the final round, confirms he has the tools to go low at Augusta but he has yet to replicate that performance.

That seems likely to change this year as his confidence is not only higher but his level of consistency is greatly improved.

A T7 when defending the Arnold Palmer Invitational three weeks ago is an indication his game is in good shape and it would be no surprise to see him amongst the leaders late Sunday.

Cameron Smith
Age: 24
PGA TOUR Wins: 1
Number of tournaments played this year: 8 (PGA TOUR)
Best finish this year: T5 WGC Dell Technologies Match Play
Last victory: 3^rd December 2017 – Australian PGA Championship – ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, European Tour
How he got in the field: Inside the top-50 Official World Ranking in the week prior to The Masters tournament

Record at The Masters:

2016 – T55
2017 – DNP

Best finish: T55 (2016)

The take:
Most will pay Smith little attention this week but Australian fans shouldn’t make that mistake.

The reigning Australian PGA champion has made a habit of surprising the pundits with his play and his gutsy finish at RACV Royal Pines Resort last December showed the character and determination that has seen him move into the top-50 in the world.

Smith earned his place with an excellent performance at the WGC – Match Play and having made the cut in his only Masters appearance to date has already shown a liking for the Augusta National course.

With two Professional wins now on his resume Smith continues to trend upwards in both confidence and performance and, as he was in Texas two weeks ago, could well be the surprise performer among his countrymen this week.