Will there be a maiden winner once again at Augusta?

The Christmas Day climate at Augusta National hit a sunny 20 degrees, just the sort of Georgia day on which you could picture a Masters champion donning the club’s famous green jacket.

The first major championship of 2017 may not get under way for another 100 days on April 6, but golf’s elite contenders have already tuned their antennae towards Augusta. Thoughts will develop into preparations as the festive season wanes with many schedules already in place and the game’s stars starting to build some rhythm and repetition into their practice routines.

For some, such as 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth, the road towards Magnolia Lane will begin in Hawaii on January 5 as he defends his Tournament of Champions title at Kapalua. Now 23, the Texan will be eager to make amends for a 2016 season that saw him fall short of the standards he set for himself in the previous campaign, most notably in defence of his Masters title when a disastrous 12th hole visit to the water in front of the famous par three dramatically halted what had appeared to be his procession towards back-to-back victories and let in a rookie champion in England’s Danny Willett.