By STEVE PAJAK, Sacramento Bee

So, 2012 is the year you want to get into the golf business.

Fresh air, green grass -- who wouldn't?

Sure, times are tough in golf, as they are most everywhere, but there's good news. The sport, around for 500 years, figures to be around awhile longer. And there are as many ways to begin and build a career in golf as there are ways to swing a 5-iron.

Handicapping the top contenders 10 this week at for the Masters at Augusta National:

-- Tiger Woods:Not betting against until he shows there's something he can't do; it's been five years since last Masters win, though.

-- Lee Westwood: Underrated, despite his No. 4 world ranking; has underachieved at Augusta, but he's a different/better player now.

Paul Azinger, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, revamped the selection process for 2008 to lean more heavily on recent play. Azinger also emphasizes winning tournaments.

Golf is an individual game. That's one of its attractions: Play well, get all the credit; play poorly, there's no one else to blame.

Maybe it's because the Mercedes-Benz Championship comes so soon after Christmas that so many people expect Tiger Woods to be like Santa Claus.