If attending the Masters tournament is on your bucket list, don't sleep on this year's tournament. Not only will you get to watch gripping story lines unfold -- Tiger's return, Phil's resurgence , Rory's debut, Ogilvy's ascension -- but the recession is making it easier than ever to land Masters tickets and accommodations in town, according to Bloomberg.com's Michael Buteau.

Tickets for this year’s tournament, which have a face value of $200 for all four competition rounds, have sold for an average of $3,377 on Ebay's Stubhub, down from $3,930 in 2008.    

Sean Pate, a spokesman for Stubhub, said he expects prices to keep falling as the tournament approaches.

The company has sold “hundreds” of one-day passes for an average price of $400, Pate said. Tickets for Monday and Tuesday practice rounds have a face value of $36. Wednesday tickets cost $41. Stubhub has sold just four of the approximately 100 four-day “competition round” passes it has listed.

Even last year, Augusta merchants were distressed over fewer customers in restaurants and bars. (No reservations were required at most places and some restaurants sat half-empty during prime tournament nights.) This year promises to be much worse. After the Northern Trust Open scandal, companies not only have to worry about the bottom line but also how it looks to be entertaining big shots at the nation's most exclusive sporting event while laying off people at home.

“This is very different than any other year,” said Steve Parry, owner of the 1018 Club, a corporate hospitality house less than 500 yards (457 meters) from the main entrance of Augusta National Golf Club. “The companies that would have brought 50 people are down to maybe 20. And those who sent 20 are down to zero.”