The quest for the Green Jacket is underway. The first Golfing Major of the year began earlier on Thursday at the Augusta National Golf Club. Scottie Scheffler is bidding for back-to-back titles and that will make him just the fourth man to defend a Masters title. Rory McIlroy has not won a Major since 2014 and needs to win at Augusta to complete the Grand Slam. Jon Rahm had three wins at the start of the year and the three players have made the battle for the No. 1 ranking a spectacle. Five-time winner Tiger Woods is competing this week as well in what is just his second start of the year. His great rival Phil Mickelson is making a 30th start at Augusta and remains confident about adding to the three titles he has won previously. There are 18 LIV players in the field as well and the expected cold vibes between players on both sides of the Golfing divide turned out to be a non-starter. A LIV player winning on Sunday will be a massive public relations coup for the new league. Veteran Golf writer Joy Chakravarty sets up the 87th edition of the Masters in a conversation with Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo.

The Masters are underway...Golf's Best battle for the Green Jacket

Players can now compete in Augusta National on the LIV Golf circuit. Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced that any golfer who has qualified for the Masters tournament.

LIV Golfers will compete at the 2023 Augusta Masters

Rory McIlroy is in fearsome form as he arrives at Augusta National chasing a rare career Grand Slam, but a renewed Tiger Woods could have something to say about the Northern Ireland star's bid for a breakthrough Masters win.

"I don't think I've ever started a season this well in terms of finishes, and even stats&nbsp;wise, looking at all my stats, they are right up there with some of the best years that I've had," said McIlroy, whose seven top-10 finishes in seven starts this year include a victory at the US PGA Tour's prestigious Players Championship in March.

He owns top-10 Masters finishes the past four years, including a tie for fifth behind American Patrick Reed last year, and with more than a decade of experience on a course where local know-how is key, says there's no reason he can't become the sixth man to win all four of golf's major professional titles.

"I've shot enough good scores around here over the years that if I can put my best effort forward, I'm going to have a good chance to do well here," McIlroy said.

Plenty of his peers agree.

"Rory is playing unbelievable golf," said Spain's Jon Rahm. "I mean, he's playing the best golf he has played in a long time ... Really good golf and it seems like his putting has been lot better. If Rory is hitting the ball the way he is, and he putts good, he's tough to beat."

Hard to handicap

Soaking rain on Monday and Tuesday could heighten long-hitting McIlroy's chances, making the course play longer. The diminished practice time could also play in favor of experienced Masters campaigners.

Rahm noted the difficulty of handicapping the first major championship of the year.

Each of the last four winners -- and seven of the last eight -- have been first-time major winners, a trend Rahm certainly hopes to continue.

But with experience at a premium, multiple winners including Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson must always be judged a threat.

World number one Justin Rose and second-ranked Dustin Johnson will be aiming to bulk up resumes highlighted by one US Open win apiece and fourth-ranked Brooks Koepka, the reigning US Open and PGA Champion, has a chance to become the third golfer of the modern era to capture three of four consecutive majors.

"There's so many different ways to do it and there's so many different things that you can do right," Rahm said. "It's one of those weeks where anybody can win at any given point."

And this year, that emphatically includes Woods, who carries not just the hope he had last year -- in his first Masters since spinal fusion surgery -- but real belief that he can claim a fifth green jacket.

"I just feel like I've improved a lot over the past 12, 14 months," said Woods, whose injury return was in its embryonic stages when he teed it up last year.&nbsp;

From a tie for 32nd, he would go on to contend in two majors and win the US PGA Tour championship and says he's "proven to myself that I can play at this level again".

Woods, 43, admits he would never have foreseen the major drought that has followed his 14th major victory at the 2008 US Open.

"After I won my 14th, I felt like I still had plenty more major championships that I could win, but unfortunately I just didn't do it," he said. "I put myself there with chances on the back nine on various Sundays and just haven't done it.

"Hopefully this year, I put myself there again and, hopefully, I'll get it done."

Rory McIlroy is in fearsome form as he arrives at Augusta National chasing a rare career Grand Slam, but a renewed Tiger Woods could have something to say about the Northern Ireland star's bid for a breakthrough Masters win.

Rory McIlroy is in fearsome form as he arrives at Augusta National chasing a rare career Grand Slam, but a renewed Tiger Woods could have something to say about the Northern Ireland star's bid for a breakthrough Masters win. "I don't think I've ever started a season this well in terms of finishes, and even stats wise, looking at all my stats, they are right up there with some of the best years that I've had," said McIlroy, whose seven top-10 finishes in seven starts this year include a victory at the US PGA Tour's prestigious Players Championship in March. He owns top-10 Masters finishes the past four years, including a tie for fifth behind American Patrick Reed last year, and with more than a decade of experience on a course where local know-how is key, says there's no reason he can't become the sixth man to win all four of golf's major professional titles. "I've shot enough good scores around here over the years that if I can put my best effort forward, I'm going to have a good chance to do well here," McIlroy said. Plenty of his peers agree. "Rory is playing unbelievable golf," said Spain's Jon Rahm. "I mean, he's playing the best golf he has played in a long time ... Really good golf and it seems like his putting has been lot better. If Rory is hitting the ball the way he is, and he putts good, he's tough to beat." Hard to handicap Soaking rain on Monday and Tuesday could heighten long-hitting McIlroy's chances, making the course play longer. The diminished practice time could also play in favor of experienced Masters campaigners. Rahm noted the difficulty of handicapping the first major championship of the year. Each of the last four winners -- and seven of the last eight -- have been first-time major winners, a trend Rahm certainly hopes to continue. But with experience at a premium, multiple winners including Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson must always be judged a threat. World number one Justin Rose and second-ranked Dustin Johnson will be aiming to bulk up resumes highlighted by one US Open win apiece and fourth-ranked Brooks Koepka, the reigning US Open and PGA Champion, has a chance to become the third golfer of the modern era to capture three of four consecutive majors. "There's so many different ways to do it and there's so many different things that you can do right," Rahm said. "It's one of those weeks where anybody can win at any given point." And this year, that emphatically includes Woods, who carries not just the hope he had last year -- in his first Masters since spinal fusion surgery -- but real belief that he can claim a fifth green jacket. "I just feel like I've improved a lot over the past 12, 14 months," said Woods, whose injury return was in its embryonic stages when he teed it up last year. From a tie for 32nd, he would go on to contend in two majors and win the US PGA Tour championship and says he's "proven to myself that I can play at this level again". Woods, 43, admits he would never have foreseen the major drought that has followed his 14th major victory at the 2008 US Open. "After I won my 14th, I felt like I still had plenty more major championships that I could win, but unfortunately I just didn't do it," he said. "I put myself there with chances on the back nine on various Sundays and just haven't done it. "Hopefully this year, I put myself there again and, hopefully, I'll get it done."

Rory McIlroy powers into Masters with Tiger Woods among many poised to pounce