AUGUSTA, Ga. -- One after another, some of the worlds best players and favourites to win the Masters trudged up the hill on the opening hole to start their practice rounds. Phil Mickelson. Rory McIlroy. Adam Scott. It was typical of any Tuesday at Augusta National, except for the scoreboard to the right of where they were walking. The board has the names of all 97 players in the field, with blank boxes to put their scores when the tournament begins. On the far right side of the board is a list of this years noncompeting invitees. Tommy Aaron. Doug Ford. Tiger Woods. "Its a weird feeling not having him here, isnt it?" said Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion and the chief foil for Woods over the years. "Hes been such a mainstay in professional golf and in the majors. Its awkward to not have him here. I hope he gets back soon. I hope hes back for the other majors. As much as I want to win -- and I know how great he is and tough to beat -- it makes it special when hes in the field and youre able to win." Woods hasnt been the same all year, even before back surgery last week. He is missing the Masters for the first time. His presence looms as large as some of the Georgia pines lining the fairways, though it will be forgotten when the opening shot is in the air Thursday, and a green jacket is awarded Sunday. Even so, Woods brings a buzz to any tournament, even at Augusta National. And this year, his absence has brought talk of the most wide-open Masters in nearly 20 years. Las Vegas has installed Scott and McIlroy as the betting favourites at 10-1, followed by Mickelson, Jason Day and Matt Kuchar at 12-1. McIlroy had his own version of a betting sheet on the table where he sat during his interview -- the tee times for the opening two rounds. Told that 97 players were in the field, the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland figured 70 had a chance to win. "Theres a few past champions that play that might not be able to compete. There might be a few first-timers or a few amateurs that wont compete," McIlroy said. "But then youve got the rest. Im just looking down the list here. Stewart Cink. Tim Clark. Ian Woosnam -- no." The room filled with laughter as McIlroy smiled and said, "Sorry, Woosie," referring to the 56-year-old former champion. "Youve got a lot of guys that can win, a lot of guys that have won PGA Tour events," McIlroy said. "OK, were playing at Augusta. Because its the Masters and because its so big and so hyped up or whatever you want to say, you ought to remember that youre still playing against the same guys you play with week in and week out. "Ive beaten them before," he said. "Theyve beaten me before." The PGA Tour is 21 tournaments into the season, and only one player (Zach Johnson) won while he was in the top 10 in the world. McIlroy and Scott each had comfortable leads going into the final round and lost to players outside the top 100. "I think in the past, certainly thats been easy to go to events and look at a guy who is the guy to beat," Scott said, not naming Woods because he didnt need to. "I think that scope has kind of broadened now. Theres a lot of guys with the talent and the form that arent necessarily standing out above the others. But on their week, theyre going to be tough to beat. "Id like to think my name is one of those guys," Scott said. "And I feel like Im going to be one of the guys who has got a chance if I play well this week." Scott had one more occasion to wear his green jacket Tuesday night as host of the Champions Dinner. Then, he sets out in a bid to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods as the only players to win back-to-back Masters. For years, the Masters was seen as having the smallest group of contenders, and not just because it had the smallest field of the four majors. Augusta National is a puzzle that can take years to figure out. The roars that reverberate through the trees and from deep in Amen Corner on Sunday can be unsettling. Scott won two years after he was a runner-up. Jason Day has completed two Masters and has yet to finish worse than third. As for Mickelson? Theres no telling what he might accomplish next. Even though he has withdrawn from two tournaments with different injuries this year, Augusta invigorates the 43-year-old Mickelson. All of them would love to be near the top of the leaderboard Sunday afternoon. By then, no one will be thinking about anything except a green jacket. "No matter who is in contention or who is going to win this week, the Masters always provides a great finish," McIlroy said. "Regardless of who is there." Jim McMahon Jersey . After falling 5-0 on home ice in a game that could have tied them for second in the wild card standings, Washington head coach Adam Oates had some strong words for Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin. Dan Hampton Jersey . Wayne and Cindy Tuck of Ilderton, Ont., closed out round-robin play earlier in the day with a 7-3 win over Finland but needed a win over Austria to reach the final eight. http://www.officialchicagobearspro.com/T...e-bears-jersey/. -- Andy Dorman and Kelyn Rowe scored in the second half to lead the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Saturday night. Gale Sayers Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks recovered from a fluke goal early last time out to knock off one of the top teams in the league. Mike Singletary Jersey . -- Kurt Buschs Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, in some ways, was like his career wrapped into one afternoon. CLEVELAND -- Browns wide receiver Davone Bess has posted a potentially incriminating photograph on his Twitter account that could jeopardize his future with the team -- and possibly lead to NFL discipline. Bess, who capped a disappointing first season with Cleveland by missing the final two games for personal reasons, posted a photo on Thursday morning on his Twitter page of a small package containing what appears to be marijuana. Some of the green-and-brown colored substance is out of the bag and on a table. The photo has since been deleted. A Browns spokesman said the team "is aware of the photos and looking further into the situation, and will deal with the matter internally." NFL spokesman Greg Aiello had no comment beyond saying the league was aware of the photo. This is the second time a photo associated with Bess has brought him under scrutiny. Last month, a photo posted on his Instagram account showed Bess sitting on an outdoor deck and lighting a cigar or possibly a marijuana joint while he sat next to a picture of reggae legend Bob Marley and with a Rastafarian flag draped around the wide receivers shoulders. The Browns traded for Bess on draft day last year, swapping ppicks with Miami to acquire the dependable slot receiver.dddddddddddd. Clevelands front office immediately signed the 28-year-old to a three-year, $11.5 million contract extension through 2016. That deal includes $5.75 million guaranteed and Bess is scheduled to make $3.06 million in 2014. Touted as a sure-handed receiver, Bess finished with career-lows in catches (42) and yards (362) for the Browns, who went 4-12 and fired coach Rob Chudzinski hours after the season finale against Pittsburgh. Bess also hurt the Browns with several drops and he muffed a punt in Kansas City that snuffed out a possible upset of the then-unbeaten Chiefs. When Bess didnt appear at practice on Dec. 19, Chudzinski said the player was dealing with "a personal matter." Two days later, the Browns placed Bess on the reserve/non-football illness list, citing personal reasons. The likable Bess was always accessible to the media during the regular season and willing to discuss not only his struggles but the teams as well. Bess spent five seasons with the Dolphins. He caught at least 51 passes each year and had his best season in 2010, when he had 79 receptions for 820 yards and five touchdowns. 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