Featured Group: Westwood, Kaymer and Kuchar

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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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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 Kaymer 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.

.MORE: Westwood interview | Kaymer interview

Statistical comparison

Key stats from Westwood, Kaymer and Kuchar from the 2011 season (TOUR rank in parentheses)

Category WESTWOOD KAYMER KUCHAR   Driving distance 287.3 (87th) 296 (18th) 282.2 (126th) Driving accuracy 53.7 (169th) 56.55 (145th) 66.18 (38th) Greens in regulation 64.58 (119th) 69.44 (33rd) 70.11 (22nd) Putting average 1.742 (30th) 1.767 (65th) 1.713 (4th) Scoring average 70.62 (43rd) 70.21 (20th) 69.53 (3rd)

EXPERT PREDICTIONS: We asked some of our PGATOUR.COM experts to predict which player will fare best this week at Augusta National:

Melanie Hauser: Lee Westwood. A scary start to the week when his plane's cockpit filled with smoke, but it's behind him. Played well last week in Houston, but didn't make a putt. This week, that changes.

Stan Awtrey: Matt Kuchar. He had the best Augusta performance of his career a year ago, despite playing the first two rounds in the shadow of the Tiger Woods drama. This should be a cakewalk in comparison. Kuchar always does a good job at taking care of his business.

Craig Dolch: Lee Westwood. He has figured out how to play Augusta National. He will be in contention on the back nine Sunday.

FANTASY INSIDER: Martin Kaymer doesn't have the best record in the majors, but his ability to work the ball right-to-left is a huge edge for Augusta National. Find out more in this Fantasy Insider.

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Earlier this week, the plane Lee Westwood was aboard on his way to the Masters began to fill with smoke a few minutes into the flight and was forced to turn around and head back to Houston. Last year's Masters runner-up, who was joined on the flight by Ross Fisher, their two caddies and manager Chubby Chandler of ISM, is hoping the rest of his week will be less harrowing.. Story

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