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To the fans who casually follow golf, the Masters either signifies the beginning of the season or the first time they've paid attention since golf restarted at the onset of the calendar year. That's understandable. There's a lot of golf to follow throughout the year, and the Masters is often the most important tournament of the season.

However, a lot has happened in the meantime, including plenty that has shaped this year's rootability guide.

While any Masters win is life-changing, some resonate more than others. That's what this guide is all about. Among the stars and candidates who can reasonably win this golf tournament, who should arouse your recruiting interests? Who brings an interesting story -- either from the standpoint of success or heartbreak -- to the table this time around?

This is all subjective, of course. But broadly-speaking, these are the narratives that would be the most engaging come Saturday and Sunday afternoon. They're all in the conversation for different reasons, but the through line is that, in one way or another, they provide a hook to pull you in and get you to care about slipping into a green jacket as the tournament comes to a close.

Watch all four rounds of the 2022 Masters starting Thursday with Masters Live as we follow the best golfers in the world throughout Augusta National with Featured Groups, check in at the famed Amen Corner and see leaders round the turn on holes 15 & 16. Watch live on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports App and Paramount+.

Here's a look at the nine that stand out the most with their odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook. Be sure to check out the complete 2022 Masters schedule and coverage guide so you do not miss a moment of the action this week.

1
Expect anything different? Even after nearly losing his right leg in a car accident in February 2021 and not having played a competitive tournament in 17 months (since the Masters in November 2020), there is hope. On most ledgers, simply teeing it up would be a monumental feat for a golfer whose body has been broken as much as Woods', and to even consider contention is almost beyond comprehension. However, the moment it does happen, the disbelief would dwarf even 2019, which still stands as one of the most incredible sports comeback stories of the modern era. Woods announced on Tuesday that he plans to end his 17-month hiatus this week as part of the Masters field if all keeps going well. Odds: 50-1
2
I have never heard a single person involved with golf say anything disparaging about the affable, always-laughing Hovland. He comes across in person the same way he comes across on television, which is to say that he's somebody who genuinely cannot believe he gets paid millions of dollars to play a game on the nicest golf courses in the world. He somehow embodies the goofiness of a teen, the humility of a veteran and the talent of a multi-time major winner. He'll shine if he's in the mix late. Odds: 20-1
3
The No. 1 player in the world still feels a bit like an underdog. Scheffler rose to the top spot via three wins in his last five starts, but there's still a sense of "you're going to have to prove you're a true No. 1 to me by winning a major championship" from those that cover this closely. So if you're into elite talents that remain underrated and perhaps underappreciated -- not to mention who seem to stand for all the right things in life -- Scheffler is your guy. Odds: 16-1
4
If you want to see history, Rory should be the object of your fandom. Though every passing year brings more doubt about McIlroy at Augusta into the picture, the reality has not changed since he won the 2014 Open Championship. With a win at this Masters, he'll join the most exclusive club in golf. Only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player have won all four major championships in their careers. If McIlroy is in green on Sunday evening, that five-golfer group will then be six. Odds: 18-1
5
His, ahem, on-course consternation can sometimes be difficult to root for, but consider a different reason to pull for somebody who has been a hard-luck loser at Augusta National. In five Masters (2014-16, 2018, 2021) he's lost to six golfers but has just one green jacket. If somebody deserves another one for the way he's played this golf course, it's certainly Spieth. Odds: 20-1
6
King Louis was already a bit of a tragic figure this time a year ago, and that was before he finished in the top three in each of the final three majors of the season. Oosthuizen somehow has six runner-up finishes at majors (including one at Augusta in 2012), and while it has become difficult to expect anything but heartbreak for the sweet-swinging South African, a breakthrough win at Augusta National would be worthy of immense celebration. Odds: 40-1
7
The LSU product is trying to become the first since 1979 to win the Masters in his first attempt. His drawl is everything you'd expect from somebody born in Shreveport, and his modesty with a microphone in his face is perhaps the only thing that usurps his ferociousness with a putter in his hands. A star has been born -- perhaps while nobody was looking -- but he can flip that into superstardom with what would be a popular win at Augusta National. Odds: 40-1
8
The No. 3 golfer in the world is also chasing history. With a win here, that would be three-quarters of the career slam (he won the PGA in 2020 and The Open in 2021), with the one he's seemingly most suited for (the U.S. Open) still at large. There's more though. Since World War II, the only golfers to win three majors at age 25 are probably names you've heard of -- Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. Odds: 20-1
9
Throw Koepka in the Morikawa group of players who can snag three of the four legs of the slam this weekend. I'm not sure whether Koepka is particularly easy to root for -- especially considering the fact that he currently looks like a backup singer for N'Sync -- but history always intrigues. Not only would he be 75% of the way to the elusive slam, but he would become just the 20th golfer in history to win five major championships, and all of them by the age of 31. Odds: 20-1

Who will win the Masters, and which long shots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected Masters leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed seven golf majors and is up almost $10,000 since the restart.