Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes might be the most-watched rookies in the 2008 Masters Tournament.

J.B. Holmes averages more than 307 yards off the tee, but the Masters first-timer isn't sure how that power will translate at Augusta National because he has never played the course before. (Jackie Ricciardi/Staff)

Ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in driving distance, the biggest hitters on the PGA Tour will get to challenge the course often regarded as a bomber's paradise.

"God, it would be so much fun to watch those guys play with no rough out there and just have them bomb away and see the angles they could create," said Tiger Woods, thinking back on his early experience before major changes to the course. "They could play it almost how we used to play it."

Augusta is tighter and more foreboding than it once was -- with more trees and some longer grass -- but that hasn't diminished the anticipation for the rookie free-swingers.

"I haven't played it," said Holmes, a two-time winner in Phoenix who averages more than 307 yards off the tee. "All I've heard is it sets up good for me, and they keep making it longer. Longer is better."

Watson -- whose driving average exceeds 312 yards -- certainly agrees. He got to play the course twice while at the University of Georgia, shooting even-par 72 both times. But that was in 2000-01, before most of the major changes were made.

On his first visit, he couldn't resist testing his strength against the course.

"On the first hole, they said there's no way you can get it over that bunker," Watson said. "I tried it and plugged under the lip of the bunker and took double. I was like, 'Can we start over?' But I birdied 18 to shoot even. So I've got good thoughts."

Power has long been a coveted trait for contenders in the Masters, with champions from Sam Snead to Jack Nicklaus to Fred Couples and Tiger Woods bringing the course down to size. But being able to pound it farther than everyone else doesn't guarantee success.

John Daly seemingly had a game built for Augusta National, yet in 12 starts his only top-10 finish was a tie for third in 1993 -- six shots behind winner Bernhard Langer.

So neither Watson nor Holmes is taking anything for granted.

"We'll see when I get there," Holmes said. "It's always been a dream of mine to play at Augusta and I've played well enough this year to get in, and hopefully I go there and play well."

Said Watson: "I can't wait. I'm hoping that I'm fresh and my mental game is good. I'm really preparing for that. I'm trying to make sure I've got my cut driver down and my speed putts are down. Just the things that you always hear the No. 1 player in the world (Woods) talk about."

Both players are at least familiar enough with the course that it won't be a complete surprise when they step on the grounds.

Holmes saw firsthand how a power player could dominate the course when he attended the 1997 Masters with his father. He was there Friday through Sunday when Woods established records with a 12-stroke victory in his major debut as a professional.

"I was hoping I'd get a chance," Holmes said of one day competing with Woods on that stage. "That was kind of his coming-out party there. At the time I didn't really know he was going to quite do what he did."

Watching Woods from outside the ropes and facing him inside aren't remotely similar.

"I don't see how walking around out there is going to help me," he said.

What might help is the confidence he's gained in competition this year. Holmes pushed Woods to the limit in the first round of the WGC Match Play in February and beat Phil Mickelson in a playoff at Phoenix. He's improved in the year since storming onto the scene in 2006 with a win in his fourth start as a full-time PGA Tour member.

"I'm just more settled in my life," he said. "My first year out here everything happened so fast and I won so quickly. I got married in the off-season and I'm more settled and focused on golf now than I had been in the last year and a half. Just more settled in life, period."

Holmes is trying to stay settled and low-key in his Masters debut.

"It's just a golf course and a piece of land," he said. "There's a lot of history there and the tournament and everything, and it's a great honor just to be there. But when it comes down to it, it's just a golf course and you have to hit the ball and get it in the hole just like any other golf course."

Watson understands it won't be that simple.

"It doesn't matter how many times you've been there," he said. "When it's the tournament and the crowd's there and it's your first Masters and you get to shake hands with some of the greats of the game and feel the history of the game, it's going to be intense."

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.