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The Masters 2011 countdown is finally underway. By the time the tournament begins Thursday morning, the golf world will be flooded with the old Augusta stories - and with the latest Tiger and Phil buzz. As is the case with every single major, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the major storylines. Heading into the 2011 edition, one of them is being considered the favorite while the other is faced with a lot of question marks.

For many years, Woods was the unquestioned favorite, as Mickelson was riddled with doubters. But this time around, "Lefty" comes into Augusta with all the momentum, as Woods continues to slide further down the ranks.

The buzz for Mickelson went higher yesterday after he won the Shell Houston Open by three shots. It was a symbolic victory in another way as well, since he passed Woods on the World Rankings for the first time since 1997. When he was the world's No. 2, he had countless opportunities to pass Tiger as No. 1 last year, but could never take advantage.

Even now, Mickelson is only the world's No. 3, while Woods is all the way down to seventh. The two former 1-2 players haven't been dominant for some time, as the likes of Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald have risen up. But heading into the Masters, Mickelson and Woods are once again the names on everyone's lips.

Mickelson hadn't won at all in 2011, yet his 63 and 65 over the weekend in Houston made everyone rush to declare him a favorite in Augusta. He used to fall short there every year, but he has won three green jackets now, and is out to win his second straight. Although his luck in majors has gotten better, his biggest rival has gotten worse.

2010 was the first calendar year in a long time in which Woods didn't take a major. It looked like he would easily surpass Jack Nicklaus' six green jackets, if not his overall major records. But he has been stuck on four Augusta victories since 2005, and now Mickelson can tie him by winning this week.
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(Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7931195/the_masters_2011_revs_up_old_tiger.html?cat=14)