Golf Events / Tareq Quiroz / 01 April 2009 /

Tareq Quiroz sifts through a top quality field in the last tournament before Augusta.

The great man is back in the winner's circle and for some reason all seems right in the world once more. The putt on the 18th at Bay Hill last week was just so typical of Woods, it was like he had never been away. Increasing the sense of déjà-vu is Tiger's non-appearance this week, a classic Woods tactic the week before a major. The same cannot be said for many of the world's top players as a plethora of them are on show in Houston this week with the US Masters just around the corner.

The Course
I am a big fan of this event but I really did prefer it when it was played at the Woodlands, though that's not to say the current venue isn't an excellent course. The Tournament Course at Redstone GC may only be just a few years old but it feels like it has been around a lot longer than that. Rees Jones is the designer and along with consultant David Toms they have produced a very fair track. At just over 7,400 yards it can play quite long, but given decent conditions expect a winning score of around 15 under par. If you are playing in-running then take note that the 18th is by far the toughest hole on the course and big numbers can be racked up just when you thought it was in the bag.

The Favourite
There are no doubts about who will be the market leader this week as the in-form Phil Mickelson takes to the tee. After a shaky start to the year Lefty has been in super form recently and already has two tournament wins to his credit this year. He got oh so close to snatching Tiger's world number one spot until the Bay Hill last week. At current odds of [9.0] he looks a fair price but the week before a major I wouldn't touch it.
So often you see the top players using the week before to practice types of shots they will need the following week and really aren't that focused on actually winning the tournament. Keep that very much in mind when making your pre-tournament selections.

The Next Best Bets
One man that you can guarantee is trying every week is the Fijian Vijay Singh. He was in fantastic form in the second half of last season until his form was halted by a knee injury. Since his return he has been in pretty poor form with little in the way of encouragement. This may all change however as Vijay is possibly the most determined player on tour and you know he will get it right again. His putting last week was all that really let him down as his long game definitely took a step up on previous weeks. If he can get the flat stick going this week he is definitely the man to watch. He hasn't won on this course but is a three time Houston Open winner so clearly likes playing in Texas. His current odds of [46.0] will not last long should he get off to a decent start and he has to be the pick of the week.

The Massive Outsider
One man who will always get support at Augusta is Fred Couples but there is also a slight case to be made for him this week. He missed the cut last week but that was his first event for a few weeks and was probably a little rusty. Expect him fitter and ready to go this week and with a third already to his name this year he is not without form. At odds of [180.0] he will definitely be involved in my staking plan.
Another player at decent odds to consider his week is Andres Romero. The often underrated Argentinean is capable of producing top form after touching the pits of despair, so do not worry about his last couple of efforts. He also has a third to his name this season and is more than capable of shaking this field up. He is not to be relied upon too often, but should be worth a saver this week at odds of around [90.0].

Interesting Info
There are only five active players on the main tour who have won three majors or more and four of them line-up this week. Between them they don't have as many as Tiger, but hey who's counting? I am very surprised to see that eight of the world's top ten players are in action just one week before Augusta. Just Woods and Perry miss this week in Texas.

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