By Matt Snyder, oobgolf contributer

Before each of the majors this year, I will impersonate my favorite late night host of all time, Johnny Carson, by predicting the future as he used to do. When Johnny did it, he dressed himself up as "Carnac The Magnificent" and he predicted answers to random questions that were concealed inside an envelope. I, instead will answer questions that I haven't seen, will be predicting the leader board of a tournament that has not yet been played. So check it out and see how I do!

This week is Masters Week! Of the four majors, the Masters is a close second only to the U.S. Open on my list of favorite tournaments to watch. Augusta is absolutely beautiful and is certainly one of the greatest golf arenas of all time. So here are some of my expectations for this week...

First of all, let's get Tiger out of the way. Sure, he's going to be on the leader board, but don't look for him to be at the top. I know I'm in the minority in believing that, but I feel pretty confident about this prediction. He is so in love with his own game right now (and for good reason) that I look for him to take a few too many chances this week. You cannot afford to get greedy at Augusta and I think Tiger's greed will cost him the win.

I recognize that picking the top ten in any tournament, much less a major, is about as likely as routinely hitting the trivecta at the local OTW, but I'm going to call upon the powers of Carnac and take a shot at it anyway. So don't be too surprised if the leader board looks something like this on Sunday evening:

10. Justin Leonard, my dark horse, shows up at Augusta on a mission to restore his name among the list of contenders on the PGA Tour. His stellar iron play helps him overcome the increased length of the course and he manages to round out the top ten after a solid week of staying out of trouble.
9. Scott Verplank continues his steady play in '08 with a top ten after three good rounds and one not so pleasant day.
8. Vijay Singh has some flashes of hope and at least one good round, but won't quite put it all together to score the win.
7. Mark Calcavecchia, the wily veteran, steers the ball around pretty well and puts his name on the leader board.
6. Jerry Kelly makes some noise at the top for a while but then slowly fades out of the top five.
5. Jim Furyk rounds out the top five with his usual quality ball striking and four solid rounds.
4. Tiger Woods uses his putting to keep him in the top five, but all of his missed fairways cause him to lose the first major of the year by three strokes.
3. Stewart Cink continues to play solid and manages his game well enough for a top three.
2. K.J. Choi finishes second after a steady and consistent week as usual.

1. Your Masters Champion, Luke Donald, breaks through and takes home his first major and a really nice green jacket.

Now, let's talk about a few guys at Augusta who are going to leave us a little disappointed this week. I'm sorry to say that at the top of that list will be everybody's hero, Freddy Couples. Freddy is making a push to revive his career and we are all rooting for him to be successful. Unfortunately, this week is going to be a step in the wrong direction for 'Mr. Smooth'. If he makes the cut, it will be only by a stroke or two and the weekend for Freddy will be nothing more than a frustrating stroll around the grounds of Augusta. For the record, I hope I'm wrong because I'd love to watch Couples on the weekend.

Phil Mickelson is another who will be disappointing his fans this week. Lefty has had some early success this season, but I don't see his game being where it needs to be to take on the challenges of the Masters. Phil will make the cut, but you won't see many of his shots on television on Sunday.

My last disappointment is a guy who has been disappointing us for a while now, Retief Goosen! Our South African friend has fallen off the map lately. Some of his fans are pointing to the Masters as his opportunity to turn things around. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'll be surprised if he's around for the weekend. He has an amazing amount of talent, but he's still only playing with his 'C game' if you will. That is just not good enough for this tournament. Sorry Retief, I'm rooting for you, but this isn't going to be your week either.

Well folks, there you have it! Carnac has spoken! Feel free to use my insight to rule your office pool. Just make sure you put in a plug for the Cigar Lounge while you are collecting all that money! Now, time for me to sit back and enjoy four days of watching the pros look a little bit like amateurs so that I can feel a little better about myself the next time I putt the ball off the green!


For those of you out there old enough to remember Carnac, here are a few of my favorite REAL Carnac predictions:

Carnac's Answer: Gatorade
Question: What does an alligator get on welfare?

Carnac's Answer: Milk and honey.
Question: What do you get from a bee that has an udder?

Carnac's Answer: Clean air, a virgin and a gas station open on Sunday.
Question: Name three things you won't find in Los Angeles.

Carnac's Answer: An unmarried woman.
Question: What was Elizabeth Taylor between 3 and 5 pm on June 1, 1952?

Carnac's Answer: Disjoint.
Question: What was dat hippie smoking?

Man I miss Johnny Carson!!