The rider who comes last after three gruelling weeks of the Tour de France is known as the lanterne rouge, and, far from embarrassment, it is a title that carries some distinction: after all, they endured even more pain and misery than the rest. Finishing last at the Masters may not come with quite such prestige but there is a comparable premise in the idea that a player wrestled with the many pitfalls of Augusta National and lived to tell the tale.
Sometimes it is an awe-struck amateur who finishes bottom of the pile but this year the leading candidates are former winners still enjoying their champions’ exemption. Both Georgia’s own Larry Mize and Scotland’s Sandy Lyle have said this week will be their Augusta swansong – they gave emotional speeches at the Champions Dinner on Tuesday evening – so ahead of their farewell Masters, we assess who might get the upper hand one last time.
