ALL majors are eagerly-awaited, but some are more eagerly- awaited than others – and The Masters starting today is unquestionably one of those.

For openers Padraig Harrington tees off at Augusta National in mid-morning with a chance to go where only Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods have gone before.

Hogan at Carnoustie in 1953 and Woods at Valhalla in 2000 won three majors in a row.

Harrington will be in hallowed company indeed if he can emulate them, but the difference for the Open and USPGA champion – and it is a big one – is that he has had eight months rather than just a few weeks to think about the possibility.

He does not have the momentum they had and it would be truly remarkable if he does it.

Harrington, without a topten finish in his last seven events, admitted: ‘‘It’s hard to win something totally out of the blue, you have to be somewhat building your form into a tournament.

‘‘In terms of preparing I’ve done it as well as I can. Doesn’t mean I’ve done it right, but I’ve prepared as well as I can.’’ Then there is Woods.

Eight months is also the time the world number one spent out of the game following the reconstruction of his left knee after his unbelievable victory in the US Open last June.

His return in February felt like the real start of the golf season and for him to win his third event back two weeks ago – in typically dramatic fashion with a 16ft birdie putt on the final green in neardarkness – was exactly the message he wanted to send to his rivals.

A fifth green jacket, one short of Jack Nicklaus’ record, and a 15th major, three short of Nicklaus, is his target for the next four days.

Asked if he expected to win Woods gave a one-word answer: ‘‘Always.’’ He has still lost far more majors than he has won, but his 30 per cent average – 14 out of 46 as a professional – is phenomenal in golf. Nicklaus won 18 out of 157, just 11 per cent, and Hogan eight out of 57, a mere 14 per cent.

Even Woods did not predict so much success for himself by this stage in his career, the 33-year-old commenting: ‘‘I would never have foreseen winning this many championships this soon.

‘‘But I’m not going to say it’s a bad thing either!’’ Then there is Phil Mickelson.

The left-hander failed to take advantage of Woods’ long injury lay-off, but he has won two of his last four events, two of his three major titles were at The Masters and he will go to world number one for the first time if he wins and Woods is outside the top five.

Then there is Rory McIlroy.

Woods, of course won his first major after leaving the amateur ranks and that is what the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland now attempts to do.

Nobody expects him to repeat the manner of Woods’ 1997 show – a record 12-stroke winning margin and a record 18-under-par aggregate – but everybody in the sport knows the potential of McIlroy.

He is already in the world’s top 20, with only Sergio Garcia having achieved that at a younger age and then only by a few days, but the fact remains that Fuzzy Zoeller was the last Masters debutant to win back in 1979.

On that Harrington said: ‘‘I think when you first come here you’re overawed about the place as well as the golf course.

‘‘To be honest your first year is lost because of that.

It’s hard to get your head around everything, you do tend to be a little bit rushed and it’s a course you have to play on numerous occasions to become familiar with it.’’ Then there is Greg Norman.

Three times a runner-up, all of them in dramas that gripped the sporting world, the Australian is back at 54 after a seven-year gap courtesy of a staggering third place finish in last year’s Open.

Then there are all the other players in the 96-strong field.

The last two winners were Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman remember and, with no disrespect to them, many more ‘‘lesser lights’’ will be telling themselves that they could be next. Many of the 24- strong European contingent among them.

It will be one brutal test again, but with so many story lines golf fans cannot wait for this one to start.