article: Rory McIlroy’s official coronation will come at Augusta National on Sunday if he wins the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam and consign the Tiger Woods era to the history books. The king is dead; long live the king. Long to reign over us. Or should that be rain over us? The heavy downpours that drenched Augusta on Tuesday would have been greeted by groans from soaked patrons and photographers hoping for snaps of glamourous WAGs. But Northern Ireland’s world No 1 would be forgiven if he had grinned from ear to ear. That’s because each of McIlroy’s four major victories so far has come on courses which have been subjected to heavy rain at some point during the week. Wet conditions hand McIlroy a massive advantage: his huge hitting with sky-high ball flight means he can still fly his ball miles. Shorter hitters or those with low ball flight, meanwhile, will have no roll on the wet fairways and will be hitting their approach shots from miles back. Rory McIlroy shields himself from the rain on Tuesday - but a wet course will play into his hands . Augusta National looks at its finest in the sun, but the world No 1 has won all of his four majors after rain . And that is no good at Augusta, where precise approaches are vital to the most strategically demanding greens in major championship golf. Last year’s trio of Fred Couples (66-1 for 20th), Miguel Angel Jimenez (150-1 for 4th) and Bernhard Langer (400-1 for 8th) will be tough to match that this time round, but here goes… . Patrick Reed (40-1) – Brash, proud of it and born to show off on the biggest stage. Only his second Masters but played Augusta National many times as a college student. Tiger Woods (45-1) – OK, so no-one knows which Woods will turn up, but this could be one of the all-time cheeky punts. Practice form and rededication to the game are promising signs. Paul Casey (70-1) – Back to near his best after finally getting fully fit and committing to play full time in the US. Fifth-best on the PGA Tour in par-five scoring – crucial at Augusta. Since the work done to ‘Tiger-proof’ the course in the noughties, the home of the year’s first major has become a bomber’s course. Bubba Watson, with two wins in three years, Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera are all big-hitting recent champions, but examine the list of leaderboards in recent years and you’ll find them dominated by players whose favourite club in the bag is driver. Mother Nature looks set to smile on McIlroy again this week with heavy rain forecast, particularly on Friday and Saturday. If that happens, the number of players who can win reduces dramatically. Three-time champion Phil Mickelson (28-1) and England’s former US Open winner Justin Rose (45-1) are tempting at their prices, but neither have hit their top form this year, so would be backed based on gut feeling rather than cold hard facts. The likes of Jordan Spieth (10-1), Zach Johnson (100-1), Ian Poulter (80-1) and Jamie Donaldson (125-1) have the brains and skill sets to get the job done. Woods (45-1) must be included in that group too, despite having no form, providing the chipping yips do not strike again. But they will all have to be at the very top of their games for the entire week to compete with the boom-boom brigade. Bubba Watson's power has taken him to two Masters victories, but his last title defence ended badly . Tiger Woods has the skill set to succeed for a fourth time at Augusta, but he must answer big questions . McIlroy (6-1) heads that pack, closely followed by Watson (11-1). Australia’s Jason Day (14-1) and Adam Scott (20-1), and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (22-1) are joined by American gunslingers Dustin Johnson (16-1) and Jimmy Walker (22-1) as the big hitters who have shown best form so far this year. The Masters, played on the modern-day Augusta, is the one major of the year where a formula for a winner can be identified: long driving + strong early season form + course experience + the week of their lives = green jacket. Brooks Koepka (5-1) – it’s always tough to know how a player with no experience of Augusta will take to the place, but this monster-hitter looks to have the perfect game. The 24-year-old American globetrotter has won the Phoenix Open to the Turkish Airlines Open in the last six months. Scott, the 2011 champion, has made a late switch back to his long putter, which does not bode well. Stenson has been battling the flu, which either rules him out or makes him more dangerous, depending on whether you believe the old adage: ‘beware the wounded golfer’. But what makes Day, Johnson and Walker so appealing is that each has claimed at least one big win already this year on courses that favour big hitters. Day (Torrey Pines), Walker (Pebble Beach) and Johnson (Doral) have shown they possess the perfect mix of long driving, precise iron control and dead-eyed putting under the heat of competition. That is the perfect recipe for a Masters champion. Their only problem is that McIlroy has used it to taste success on four occasions in majors, and Watson two, while they are all still waiting to dine at the top table. Jason Day has a brilliant record at Augusta and the final step left for the Australian to take is victory . Dustin Johnson's colossal power means he has the weapon most needed to conquer Augusta . Jimmy Walker chips onto the second green during practice, and could be set for a big week . But the pressure is mounting on McIlroy as he bids for golfing immortality. Watson, meanwhile, could only finish 50th in defence of his title two years ago and could be rusty after a month off. And given he finished second on his Masters debut in 2011, third two years later and 10th 12 months ago despite battling a broken thumb, Sunday could be a perfect Day for Australia and the man who has long looked to be golf’s next major champion. Course: Augusta National Golf Club, par 72, 7435 yards. Defending champion: Bubba Watson (11-1) Bookies’ favourite: Rory McIlroy (6-1) Best Bets: . Jason Day (14-1) Dustin Johnson (16-1) Jimmy Walker (22-1)
highlights: Rory McIlroy is favourite to win the 79th Masters at Augusta National .
  Bubba Watson is the defending champion and chasing a third Masters win .
  Tiger Woods returns to action but has no form and worries over his game .
  Jason Day and other big-hitters look set for strong week at Masters 2015 .
  COURSE GUIDE: McIlroy and more stars take you round Augusta National .
  CLICK HERE for the Masters 2015 leaderboard .
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