GEORGIA ON THEIR MINDS AS MASTERS LOOMS

Matsuyama, Kim, Lee, Hovland and Aberg will be amongst the green jacket contenders.

- Jim McCabe

Should you have an allegiance to the meteorological calendar, likely an alarm went off inside your head March 1. Alert, alert, it's the arrival of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere.

Ah, yes, spring. That season of newness and transformations, spring in golf terms means one thing: The Masters is right around the corner.

Now should any mention of the Masters conjure up visions of green - as in the coveted jacket given to the winner, or an endless stretch of vibrant grass, or breathless views of massive Georgia pines that seemingly can touch the sky - here is a suggestion:

Change your dial to another of the human senses and lock into taste. It should ignite strong signals within, because the variety of flavours within the Masters is plentiful and where the richness is becoming more noticeable each and every April is with the unmistakable strength of the international entrants.

Golf fans, say hello to a lineup of Masters participants who deserve your attention: Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and fellow countrymen Ryo Hisatsune; Koreans Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim; and Min Woo Lee, born to Korean parents but raised primarily in Australia. And let's not forget the likes of reigning FedExCup champion, Viktor Hovland of Norway and one of the hottest rising stars of the game, Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, who will be making his Masters debut.

They are young Matsuyama, seemingly around forever, is the oldest of this group, but he's only 32, while Hisatsune, at 21, is the youngest but question their abilities at your own peril.

To appreciate the flavour this group of players bring to the Masters is to require you study the precious history of this major championship.