The first thing we will discover at the Masters will be whether world number one Dustin Johnson is going to be fit enough to play after hurting his back on Wednesday.
The U.S. Open champion is set to tee off at 7.03pm Irish time and enters the tournament in scintillating form after three straight wins, but both his participation and performance is now under a cloud.
Augusta National has been soaked by rain, so breezy conditions are expected, especially for the afternoon starters, which include the two Irishmen in the field, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
Offalyman Lowry tees off his first round at 6.19pm, with Holywood star McIlroy out at 6.41pm Irish time.
If either is going to win the coveted green jacket, they must conquer one of the most precise tests in golf. Augusta requires accurate approach play to the right areas of treacherous greens, and then a sure putting touch on the quick surfaces.
McIlroy begins the only major championship he hasn't won a little under the radar, but on his day, he is the best player in the world. He possesses the long game and high ball flight to do well in this tournament, he's been in the top 10 in each of the last 3 years and he blew a winning position in 2011. It's all about how free he feels and how well the putter is working. A good start can spur his confidence.
For Lowry, it's been a quiet 2017 so far, but his U.S. Open performance at Oakmont last year shows he can mix it at the top table.
What the Masters guarantees is a great story line on Sunday evening. We saw this with Jordan Spieth's record breaking win in 2015 and his subsequent meltdown last year.
There are so many plot lines which will entice us into our armchairs for the next 4 days.
Will Rory McIlroy blow the field away?
Can the prodigious Spaniard Jon Rahm become the first rookie in 38 years to the win the Masters, or will his fellow countryman Sergio Garcia break his major duck?
Will Jason Day put the illness of his mother aside to record an emotional victory?
Can Hideki Matsuyama win a first major championship for Japan?
Or will 46 year old Phil Mickelson, at the same age of Jack Nicklaus in 1986, win the Masters for a fourth time?
On the 20th anniversary of the week when Tiger Woods changed golf and changed sport, the Masters promises to be as enthralling as ever.
