Vorstellung » While Brieres game has declined

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Billy Horschel won the Zurich Classic two weeks after the Masters last year, and thus became first on the list of players who earned their first trip to Augusta National. He just had no idea how long the list would grow. Derek Ernst won at Quail Hollow. Harris English won in Memphis. Throw in the six amateurs, and then cap it off with Matt Jones being the last man in by winning the Shell Houston Open. The final tally is a record 24 players who will be making their debut at the Masters this year. This is the 78th Masters, and only three players have won on their maiden voyage around this pristine golf course. Horton Smith won the first one in 1934. Gene Sarazen won the following year. It then took 45 years to get another Masters rookie in a green jacket — Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. There hasnt been another one since, although the odds have never been better. Nearly 25 per cent of the field is at the Masters for the first time. Smith gets overlooked as a "Masters rookie," and rightly so. All 72 players were rookies that year. Here are the best five performances by players at Augusta National for the first time: 5. JASON DAY: He qualified for his first Masters by winning the Byron Nelson Championship for his first PGA Tour victory. The 23-year-old Australian was loaded with far more talent than victories to show for it, but he took a liking to a course that had never produced a champion from Down Under. Day shot an 8-under 64 in the second round to get within two shots of the lead, and the only reason he didnt get more attention was because 21-year-old Rory McIlroy was ahead of him. And they played in the same group, along with 22-year-old Rickie Fowler. This was in 2011, the year McIlroy lost a four-shot lead with an 80 in the final round. Day hung around to the very end, and when he finished with a birdie for a 68, he was tied for the clubhouse lead with Adam Scott. Behind them was Charl Schwartzel, who took the outright lead with a birdie on the 17th and rolled in his fourth straight birdie on the final hole for a two-shot win. Day went home with a silver medal as a runner-up in his debut. 4. HUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM: John Huston became known as the most feared player in golf — on Tuesday in money games with the pros. He won seven times on the PGA Tour, the first won coming in 1990 that made him eligible for his first Masters. He opened with a 66, leaving him two shots behind Mike Donald. And while he followed with a 74 in the second round, he still trailed by only two shots. Huston had a 68 in the third round to stay within two shots of former Masters champion Raymond Floyd. Better yet, he was in the final group, giving him an excellent chance to become the first Masters rookie to win since Zoeller. Alas, Huston fell back with a 75 on the final round. The winner came from back in the pack — Nick Faldo made up four shots on Floyd with six holes to play, and then won on the second extra hole when Floyd hit into the water on No. 11. Huston tied for third in his debut. He played the Masters 12 more times and never had a higher finish. 3. POHLS CLOSE CALL: Dan Pohl made an inauspicious debut in 1982 when he opened with a pair of 75s. That would have missed the cut at most other Masters, but not this one. Conditions were tough by rain the opening two days, leading to the highest cut (10-over 154) in Masters history. He was still six shots behind. Pohl, the longest hitter on tour, followed with a 67 on Saturday on the strength of back-to-back eagles on the 13th and 14th holes, though he still was six shots out of the lead. And even with the low score of the final round — another 67 — it didnt appear to do much good. Craig Stadler was six shots ahead going to the back nine until the Walrus started dropping shots. Stadler wound up with a 73, and suddenly Pohl was in a sudden-death playoff. It didnt last long. Pohl missed a 6-foot par putt on the first playoff hole at No. 10, and Stadler made par to win. Pohl had to settle for silver. 2. THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD: Gene Sarazen hit the shot that put the Masters on the map and won at Augusta National in his first try. But being a "rookie" at the Masters wasnt that big of a deal. The Augusta National Invitation Tournament was only in its second year. Sarazen missed the inaugural event, and this "rookie" had already won six majors, the first of them 13 years earlier. Still, what he did that day cannot be overlooked and will not be forgotten. Trailing by three shots, he hit 4-wood into the hole for an albatross on the par-5 15th hole to force a playoff with Craig Wood. In the only 36-hole playoff in Masters history, Sarazen shot even-par 144 to win by five. He remains the only player to complete the career Grand Slam at Augusta National. 1. FUZZYS FIRST MAJOR: Zoeller whistled his way into the record books as the first major champion to win a sudden-death playoff. The Masters went away from the traditional 18-hole playoff in 1979, and it turned out to be memorable. Much like Pohl, Zoeller was never really in the picture until someones misfortune on the back nine. Zoeller was six shots behind going into the last round and closed with a 70. It looked like it would be a good debut at the Masters, nothing more. That was before Ed Sneed, who had a three-shot lead with three holes to play, finished with three bogeys. That led to a three-man playoff among Sneed, Zoeller and former Masters champion Tom Watson. On the second playoff hole, Zoeller knocked in a birdie putt and leapt into the air to celebrate. Was it a big deal for a Masters rookie to win? "They didnt bring up until the next year," Zoeller said. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts . 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Blue Jays Jerseys 2020 . -- The anointed starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders is strengthening his hold on the position this training camp instead of losing it.The Colorado Avalanche saved some money in a forward swap, but took the worse player in the process. Numbers Game looks at the trade that sees Daniel Briere and PA Parenteau switching spots. The Canadiens Get: RW PA Parenteau and a fifth-round pick. Parenteau, 31, is a late bloomer who didnt reach the NHL for good until he was 27-years-old, but hes been a productive player, scoring 196 points in the past four seasons, which ranks 55th in the league. He fell out of favour in Colorado last season, missing 25 games with a couple of knee injuries and playing 16:57 per game, his lowest average time on ice of the past four seasons. On an Avalanche team that was among the leagues worst possession-wise, Parenteau was nearly break-even, so he wasnt particularly a problem in that respect. In Montreal, Parenteau should have a good opportunity to play in a top-six role, which is suitable for his price tag of $4.0-million over the next two seasons. A fifth-round pick brings with it a less than 15% chance of yielding an NHL player, but its a bit of a sweetener for the Habs taking on an extra year. Given that Montreal is getting the better player, that sweetener might not have been altogether necessary. The Avalanche Get: RW Daniel Briere. Briere is a 36-year-old who is well past his prime as a scoring forward, with a serious decline in productivity over the past couple seasons, managing 41 points in 103 games over the last two years.dddddddddddd Briere was dropped down the Canadiens depth chart last season, playing 12:46 per game, his lowest since 2000-2001. While Brieres game has declined -- hes not as quick as he once was -- he does come with a rep as a playoff performer, putting up 116 points in 124 postseason games over his career, which is tied for fourth among active players. Briere signed a two-year, $8-million deal as a free agent last summer, so his deal has one year remaining. He doesnt figure to play a prominent role in Colorado, but Briere should have a shot to play in Colorados top nine. If he does, theres a decent chance that, even if he scores a little bit more with more ice time, Brieres sinking possession stats will only be exacerbated by the Avalanches puck possession troubles. In the grand scheme of things, the Avalanche got away from two years of paying Parenteau, which was their motivation, but the price to pay means taking an inferior player for one year. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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