Betting Update; US Masters with the bookmakers making Tiger Woods their 9/4 favourite

Added: (Tue Apr 07 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - US MASTERS

WHERE: Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Georgia.

COURSE CHARACTERISTICS: Some of the players lining up this week will be glad to hear that the layout has been shortened, but only by 10yds. It’s still the second longest used for a Major behind Whistling Straits, which hosted a US Open. Being played in the first week in April the flowers of the trees and shrubs bordering the course are in full bloom during the event, making it one of the most picturesque places to play. Each hole is named after the tree or shrub with which it has become associated. Since the greens were reconstructed of bentgrass in 1981 they have become significantly faster, requiring reduction in some of the contours on the putting surface. The 11th, 12th and 13th holes became known as ‘Amen Corner’ in 1958 when author Herbert Warren Wind wrote an article in Sports Illustrated. He was searching for a name for the location where critical action had taken place that year and came up with the name from an old jazz recording ‘Shouting at Amen Corner’. It was in that year that Arnold Palmer outlasted Ken Venturi with some heroic escapes at Amen Corner, but prior to that both Byron Nelson and Sam Snead found the holes pivotal to their success. However, the par four 10th is considered the hardest hole on the course where a long drive is needed to have any chance of a good approach. Having achieved that a sloping green awaits which often kicks the ball off to the left or right making the second shot much longer. Some of the par fives, at least, do offer birdie chances, in particular the 15th so although it does favour the long hitters, overall the key to winning at Augusta is to stay out of trouble.

THE MAIN MEN

TIGER WOODS: The world No.1 will be attempting to win the title for the fifth time which would leave only Jack Nicklaus in front of him with the most victories at Augusta, although the last time he picked up the winner’s cheque was four years ago. However, since then he has finished runner-up twice and third on the other occasion. One of the interesting facts from his second to Trevor Immelman 12 months ago is the number of bogeys he signed for. He only made eight last term which was the first time he had not recorded a double figure number for going over par for six years, and as a result of that he made par 52 times, which is his best return in 14 appearances in the Masters. He’s also only been ranked outside the top-20 for GIR twice (1995 and 1996 his first two years). If there’s one area he needs to improve on it’s his putting as he has only been in the top-10 in that category on three occasions, but that’s obviously not stopped him winning in the past. Returned from an eight-month absence following knee surgery when appearing in the Accenture World Match Play at the beginning of last month but made an early exit when beaten by Tim Clark in the second round. But showed more of his old self when taking part in his first strokeplay event of 2009, the WGC-CA Championship, in Miami where he maintained his superb record of having never finished outside the top-10 at Doral. His play off the tee (10th for driving distance, tied 11th for accuracy) and approach play (tied 12th GIR) were back to their best. Those were the warning signs for his rivals as the tour made its way to Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He began the final day in Orlando five shots adrift of Sean O’Hair, but the latter became the 28th victim to succumb to the pressure of being chased by a Tiger as he watched him hole a 15-footer at the 72nd hole to capture the title in the gathering darkness. Although he represents poor value, some may view this as a penalty kick and he remains the one to beat. BEST PRICE: 9-4

PHIL MICKELSON: Has finished in the top-10 11 times in 15 starts, nine in the last 10 years and has won the title twice and been third four times, never runner-up so far. A 75 on the Saturday of last year’s contest effectively blew his chances of wearing the winner’s Green Jacket for the third time, but he bounced back with a level par 72 in windy conditions to climb into the top-10 on the leaderboard. He had some chances on the last day to go lower but considering the weather he was happy to settle for an even round. His stats weren’t too bad either as he tied second for GIR, eighth for driving distance which meant he was seven-under on the par five holes. It was the short holes that caused him the most problems as he was eight-over par on them, his poorest return at Augusta so far. Although he has posted two wins this season, once again his driving has nearly driven his supporter to the brink of a nervous breakdown. He almost blew a four-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera in February as wayward tee shots flew all over the place and he ended up having to scramble home for a single stroke victory over Steve Stricker. He had another struggle when facing the Blue Monster course in Doral and the conditions in Miami as he was rushed to hospital on the eve of the final round suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration. Not surprisingly it was a tough fourth day and he had to survive seven lead changes in 11 holes as he duelled with Nick Watney, before hanging on with six straight pars for a three-under 69 and another one-shot win. If nothing else both those successes prove that when it comes to a war of attrition ‘Lefty’ certainly has the ammunition to get the job done. BEST PRICE: 9-1

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: The Dubliner will be trying to join an elite group when steps out on to the first tee as he attempts to become only the third golfer, Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods are the others, to win three straight majors since the Masters began. Having landed the Open and USPGA Championship last year it would be nice to add this title to his collection and would leave him with just the US Open to conquer. After tying for fifth at Augusta in 2002 he had to wait another five years before securing a second top-10 but he followed up that tied seventh finish with another fifth 12 months ago. The lightning-fast greens at the Georgia track have not been too much of problem over the years as he has twice topped the putting charts and once finished third. His approach play can be a little sloppy at times but he has still taken high rank in the GIR stats with a couple of top-10s along the way. After ending 2008 with an excellent runner-up finish in the Singapore Open he began the new term with a fifth in Abu Dhabi after which he moved to the US and started with a respectable 24th in the Buick Invitational. However, two missed cuts and an early exit from the World Match Play event followed before he started to find his touch again when playing in the WGC-CA Championship in Miami. The 38-year-old got off to a flyer in Miami when posting a 66 on the first day and followed that up with three rounds just under par to take a share of 20th spot. Just as encouraging was form on the greens as he made 17 birdies and was in the top nine in both putting categories. Stepped up on that performance the following week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill with an 11th, which included a round of 68 and continued his build up for this with a decent showing in Houston last week. In the last nine years he has reached an average of one top-10 major finish per year and there’s no reason why that trend can’t continue this week as his game seems to be coming to the boil at just the right moment. BEST PRICE: 18-1

GEOFF OGILVY: Along with Garcia he has the worse Masters record among the world’s leading players in recent times as he’s only broken into the top-20 on one occasion and finish 24th and 39th on his two other starts in the contest, while he‘s also yet to break 70. But there are other factors to be considered that can be used to make a good case for the Australian golfer. For instance, two years ago he was third for driving distance, tied 14th for putting and five-under on the par fives, while he‘s been in the top-25 for GIR on all three appearances. Also in 2008 he made the least number of bogeys so far in his trio of outings. His form in the other majors has been exceptional as well with a win (US Open 2006) and five other top-10s to his credit, so there’s no question about his ability to act in the ‘big ones’. The Adelaide-born golfer has been in terrific form over the past six months, closing out 2008 with a third in the HSBC Champions tournament before returning to his homeland to win the PGA Championship and post a sixth in the Open. Continued the purple patch with a runaway six-shot win in the Mercedes-Benz Championship in the first week of the new US season and picked up another $1m+ paycheque when capturing the World Match Play Championship in Arizona on the first day of March, which at the time probably made him the hottest golfer on the planet. Never really got into the thick of things at Doral in Miami but bounced back to form in Houston last week when tying for sixth having been one of the third round leaders. Still seems to be an underrated golfer but he’s proved he can handle intense pressure and thrive on it, while the harder the course the better he seems to play. Will be desperate to improve on his Masters record and has to take high rank on any short-list of possible winners. BEST PRICE: 22-1

RETIEF GOOSEN: His record in this tournament in the last seven years is superb, consisting of two runner-up finishes, two thirds and three others inside the top-18 with his tied 17th in 2008 being the worse in that period. The main problem last term seemed to be off the tee as he averaged only just over 270yds in distance which was the shortest he’d been for a long while and he was tied 42nd for fairways hit. It also didn’t help that he made 14 bogeys and only eight birdies, although he did hole out for two eagles and was six-under on the par fives. Again on the plus side for his followers is that he will arrive at Augusta in better form compared to 12 months ago when despite a second in the WGC-CA Championship he had missed two cuts and was tied 57th in New Orleans prior to the contest. This time round he has secured three wins in the last four months, the latest of which was a very satisfying one-stroke victory over Charles Howell and Brett Quigley in the Transitions Championship where he sank a five-foot putt on the final green to close with a one-under par 70 and so avoided a play-off. That was his first success on the US tour since his win in the 2005 International and his first strokeplay glory since the Tour Championship in 2004. The South African golfer made the fewest bogeys that week and also tied second for pars made and tied seventh for GIR. Never really got into contention the following week at Bay Hill and although he finished strongly with a 69 he was among the also-rans down in 36th place. However, that Orlando course has not been one of his favourite hunting grounds in the past as he’s missed the cut three times there and only produced one top-10 in his 10 career starts there. So not too much should be read into that particular result and it’s best to judge him on his achievements at Augusta, which stands up to the closest inspection and makes him worthy of consideration. BEST PRICE: 28-1

PAUL CASEY: One of a host of golfers out to become the first English winner since Nick Faldo in 1996 and his record of three top-11 finishes from four starts suggests he should be in with a fair shout. His iron played has served him well as he has secured a fourth and tied 10th for GIR over the last four seasons along with a fourth for driving distance. His green work could be improved upon as he has only a single top-20 for putting, but his best performance on par five holes in all the majors he has so competed in has been at Augusta where he was five-under in 2004. Looked handily placed to mount a challenge 12 months ago when he began the last day in fourth following successive rounds of 69, but he suffered a couple of setbacks early in the day and then called a penalty-stroke on himself which seemed to destroy his confidence as he closed with a 79. The Cheltenham-born golfer has been in terrific form so far in 2009 posting two wins, two top-10s and a runner-up finish in the World Match Play event. Finally made the breakthrough in the States at the weekend when capturing the Shell Houston Open at his first attempt when beating J B Holmes at the first play-off hole with a bogey. Of the six players tied for the lead after 54 holes he was only one to shoot par or better on the last day to become the first Englishman to land the title in its 63-year history and the first since Mike Heinen in 1994 to make a winning debut in the event. He held his nerve well at Redstone and that success could prove the catalyst to greater things and it could start this week. He definitely has the game to conquer Augusta as he’s long off the tee, accurate from the fairway and when everything is going his way he’s as solid a putter as there is in the game. If he is wearing the Green Jacket come Sunday tea-time he will be the first golfer since Phil Mickelson in 2006 to win the Masters having won the week before and the first since Gary Player in 1978 to pick up the Houston crown and win at Augusta in the same year. In the form of his life at the moment and riding high, so no reason why he can’t secure another high finish. BEST PRICE: 33-1

RORY McILROY: Will be trying to do something that was last achieved by Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, and that’s to win the Masters at the first attempt. Has plenty going for him as he’s shown he has the game and temperament to do well in the States. After landing his maiden European tour win in Dubai by a shot from Justin Rose he headed to America and made an immediate impact when taking part in the World Match Play tournament in Arizona. He reached the quarter-finals there before losing out to eventual winner Geoff Ogilvy, who complimented the young Irishman’s talents by saying he had to play the best golf he had all week to beat him. Also caught the eye in his next event, the Honda Classic, with a 68 in the second round and tying for sixth for GIR on his way to a 13th place finish. Not fazed by competing against a world-class field in Miami he fired off rounds of 68 and 66 on the first two days to lie in third spot going into the weekend. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain that momentum and dropped back to 20th, but that was still enough to impress several good judges in the US. Finished strongly in Houston on Sunday when sneaking into the top-20 after a fourth round 69, which was only bettered by one other player on the day. He was tied 10th for birdies made at the Redstone course and a solo fourth for driving distance, blasting the ball over 300yds in each round. Looks sure to have his supporters and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take high rank on the leaderboard. BEST PRICE: 33-1

SERGIO GARCIA: The Spanish enigma continues to frustrate his supporters in not only the Masters but in the majors in general. Probably can be given the dubious title of ‘The best player yet to win a major’. There’s nothing wrong with his record overall as he has 13 top-10 finishes on his CV in the big events but a win continues to elude him. His record at Augusta suggests that it won’t be the place where he will break his duck despite having twice finished inside the top-10, the latest being a fourth in 2004. Since then he has missed the cut on three occasions and will be out to avoid a hat-trick of early exits this week. However, he should have gained some encouragement from those two high finishes as he was tied third for fairways hit and tied 13th for GIR when eighth in 2002, while two years later he was tied seventh for putting. So if he could manage to combine those areas of his game for four rounds he certainly has the game to conquer Augusta and he knows he can beat a quality field as his win in the Players Championship, regarded as the fifth major, proved last year. Rounded off his 2008 campaign with a victory in the HSBC Champions tournament and made a bright and breezy start to 2009 when picking up some decent money on the Middle Eastern leg of the European tour with a run of fifth, seventh and 11th. After suffering a first-round defeat in the World Match Play he headed to Palm Beach, Florida for the Honda Classic and bounced back to form with a 67 on the opening day to share second spot. Although he dropped out of contention subsequently and had to settle for 13th place, he did top the GIR charts at the PGA National and was seventh for driving distance. Took in the Houston Open for the first time in the run-up to Augusta and may have regretted that decision as he finished plumb last. Hard to know which ‘El Nino’ will turn up in Georgia but undoubtedly has the talent to win it if everything goes his way. BEST PRICE: 35-1

ERNIE ELS: The South African maestro had a run of five consecutive top six finishes between 2000 and 2004 inclusive but has struggled somewhat of late and has to correct a record that shows successive missed cuts in the last two years. He undoubtedly has the all-round game to tame Augusta and he will surely have the motivation not to make it a hat-trick of early exits. He certainly has the distance off the tee as he has been inside the top-10 for driving at Augusta eight times and his approach play has been excellent on occasions as he’s reached the top three for GIR three times. He arrives in Augusta in fairly good shape having posted seven top-20s in his last 14 outings, five of which were top-10s, four in strokeplay events to go with a quarter-final appearance in the World Match Play. Rounded off 2008 in good form with a second in Singapore and a third in the South Africa Open and began the new season in style with a sixth in the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Failed to make much impact in four subsequent events, including a missed cut in Dubai, but bounced back in Arizona when just losing out to Stewart Cink in a tight match at Dove Mountain. Next up was the Honda Classic where he was defending champion and although he never really looked like retaining that title he did finish the week at the top of he driving accuracy charts and his final day 66 was only beaten by two other players as he came away with a 22nd place finish. A respectable 20th was posted in the WGC-CA Championship in Miami and he bettered that at the weekend when just inside the top-15 in Houston, where his putting was a bonus as he was tied seventh for putts per round. A world-class player at his best and showing the kind of steady form that should see him avoid an early bath this week. BEST PRICE: 40-1

ZACH JOHNSON: Donned the Green Jacket two years ago on just his second appearance at Augusta, beating Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods by two strokes. His four-round total of 289 (one-over par) equalled the highest winning score of Sam Snead (1954) and Jack Burke jnr (1956) and he was the first player outside the top-50 in the world rankings to win the Masters since they began. He tied for fourth for GIR that year and has been inside the top-20 in that category in each of his two subsequent starts as well as for driving accuracy. He’s also 21-under par on the par fives. Got off to a flying start this year when finishing sixth in the Mercedes-Benz Championship before picking up the Sony Open a week later with a two-shot victory over Adam Scott. He finished in good style with a two-putt birdie to secure the win and a five-under par score of 65 to give him his second title in six starts having landed the Texas Open in October 2008. A respectable 12th in the FBR Open followed the Sony success but he failed to get competitive again in four subsequent appearances, including a missed cut in the Transitions Championship. However, he came right back to form last time out at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, finishing third after closing with rounds of 68 and 69 and ending up three shots adrift of Tiger Woods. The encouraging signs were his top-10 for birdies, tied 11th for GIR and 14th for putts per GIR, while the biggest disappointment was the 11 bogeys he had to sign for. Could have timed his return to form to perfection and as a player who knows he can handle the course, he must be one to consider again this week. BEST PRICE: 45-1

NICK WATNEY: Has only taken part in five majors so far in his career but his best return was his 11th at Augusta 12 months ago and his stats from that first look at the Georgia track were impressive. He was joint-second for GIR, third for driving distance and tied 13th for fairways hit, while he was an excellent 10-under on the long holes. Although never really in contention he rounded off his campaign with a solid 71 on the last day. He’s been in hot form so far in 2009 with no missed cuts in eight starts, a win in the Buick Invitational and a runner-up finish in the WGC-CA Championship behind Phil Mickelson. When winning at Torrey Pines in February he showed he could keep a cool head under pressure as he birdied three of the last six holes to record a one-stroke victory over John Rollins for the second win of his career. Just as impressive was his final round duel with Phil Mickelson in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral where he probably let his chance slip at the 12th where he found himself in the bunker and had to play out of the sand to secure a bogey, although he could have forced a play-off if his 30-foot putt at the 18th had taken one more roll and gone in. Nevertheless, he finished two shots clear of the rest of the field and was seventh for driving distance and tied third for putts per round, while he managed two eagles at that very tough Blue Monster course. With a last-time-out fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the star of Fresno State arrives in good form and looks ready to improve on his performance in 2008, BEST PRICE: 50-1

LUKE DONALD: Four outings in the Masters have produced two top-10s, a tied 42nd and a missed cut, the latter being 12 months ago. But at least he has figured in the top half of the GIR stats having been tied fourth two years ago, while he’s twice been in the top-10 for putting. Probably can be forgiven the early exit last term as it emerged later in the season that he needed wrist surgery, but he still managed to pass $1m in earnings for the fifth consecutive season thanks to three top-10s in 11 starts, beginning with a tied third in the Northern Trust Open and shared the 54-hole lead at the Honda Classic before losing out by a stroke to Ernie Els. Withdrew in the final round of the US Open. He’s had a steady start to 2009 with top-25 finishes in the FBR and Sony Opens before securing a share of seventh place in the Buick Invitational and again showed his liking for the Riviera club with a tied sixth in the Northern Trust, his fourth top-15 in the tournament, where he was one of four players to record all four rounds in the 60s. Cut short his third round tussle with Ernie Els in the World Match Play Championship when re-injuring his wrist but bounced back with a top-20 in the WGC-CA at Doral. Providing he’s fit he has the game to play a major role in the destination of the first prize this week. BEST PRICE: 80-1

FRED COUPLES: Has a phenomenal record in the Masters with 10 top-10s from 24 starts, which includes his 1992 victory, a runner-up finish in 1998 and a tied third in 2006, while he has missed the cut just once, which was last year. He’s only figured outside the top-10 for driving distance on four occasions, been 11 times in the top-10 for GIR and four for putting. Accuracy off the tee has been his main downfall as he has just three top-20s for fairways hit. In 2008 he surpassed the $20m mark in earnings to rank No.20 on the all-time list with the help of three top-10s and was named as captain of the US Presidents Cup team. Over the last couple of months he’s really found his form with thirds in the Northern Trust and Houston Opens. He produced some impressive golf on the third day of the Northern Trust contest, a tournament he’d won twice in the past, where began the day five strokes off Scott McCarron’s 10-under lead, but after firing five-under on the front nine he caught that lead. He ended the third round with a 65 and was five off leader Phil Mickelson, while a 69 on the last day secured third spot for the veteran. His numbers there were pretty good as he was the best player in the birdies chart and top for GIR. Last week he recorded his sixth top-10 in Houston when sharing third spot and that was the 16th consecutive cut he’s made in that Texan tournament dating back to 1983. Although one of the third round leaders there he might have figured even more prominently if he hadn’t bogeyed four times on the last day, but he still recorded top-20s for driving distance and GIR. Although now at the stage where he should be taking things a little easier, he’s shown there’s still life in old ‘Fiery Fred’ and a top-10 finish at the least beckons for the 49-year-old. BEST PRICE: 100-1



• All prices correct at time of writing.

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