US Masters / Paul Krishnamurty / 07 April 2009 /

Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman were both three-figure winners of the Masters, so here are four players available at huge pre-tournament odds for glory at Augusta, 2009.

Until a couple of years ago, searching for big-priced winners in the Masters tended to prove a rather fruitless exercise. Of all the majors, this was the one where the big names dominated. Certainly all the previous winners this century started nowhere near triple figures, and no more than three of the previous 20 had been outsiders.

However, since Augusta has been lengthened and toughened up, everything has changed. 2007 champion Zach Johnson was available around [200.0] pre-tournament, while last year's winner Trevor Immelman started at a massive [350.0]. Clearly more players must come into the mix at Augusta nowadays, and here's my idea of the four best value bets among those in triple-priced figures this year.

Firstly, Andres Romero at [140.0]. There isn't much to recommend Romero on this year's evidence apart from a third place at another championship course; Riviera; and that's the main reason these sort of odds are available. However, Romero's form in recent majors, including this one, means he must warrant very close inspection.

Tough courses really seem to bring the best out of this long-hitting 27-year-old. Whereas most players take several years to get used to the majors experience, the Argentinian made an instant impact, finishing eighth in his first ever grand slam event; the 2006 Open Championship. To date, he's played in eight majors, and made the top-10 in four of them. Furthermore, its particularly encouraging that last year's best efforts came on courses with extremely fast greens, here at Augusta and Oakland Hills in the PGA. Considering what a tough venue this is for a novice, eighth place was an outstanding Augusta debut, and bodes well for future cracks at the Masters.

Next up, Hunter Mahan at [110.0]. Hero and leading scorer of last year's US Ryder Cup winning side, Mahan is widely tipped to achieve big things in the game. Significantly with regard to this major, the earliest sign of his potential came when Mahan played at Augusta as an amateur way back in 2003, and finished a very respectable 28th. That was a few years before he'd made any real impact on the PGA Tour, and obviously he's improved massively in the meantime.

Another crucial factor that bodes well for his chances in the majors is that Mahan seems more comfortable than most playing tough golf courses. In 2007, again whilst still very inexperienced, Mahan made the top-20 in all the three majors he was qualified to play, finishing as top US player in the Open at Carnoustie. His forte is relentlessly hitting greens in regulation; essential at Augusta these days; and further encouragement stems from a fast finishing sixth place last weekend in Houston.

My third selection hasn't been playing at his peak just lately, but odds of [260.0] about Miguel-Angel Jiminez are simply too big to ignore. 'The Mechanic' hasn't really hit the heights since a couple of top-10s in the Gulf earlier this year, but could well bounce back on a course where he looks increasingly comfortable. Since 2001, he's made the top-11 at Augusta four times, with last year's eighth a particularly impressive effort having looked a certainty to miss the cut on day one.

It may well be that the tougher layout plays to Jiminez's strengths more than they used to. Always a world-class iron player with a sublime touch around the greens, his one weakness has been a lack of distance off the tee compared to the likes of Woods and Mickelson. That seems far less important nowadays compared to long game accuracy, and he doesn't look an entirely forlorn hope to win his first major at the age of 45.

Finally, Jeev Milkha Singh looks worth a small punt at [250.0] to strike a massive blow for Asian golf. Representation from that continent grows ever stronger by the year, and nobody has improved more than Singh in the last 18 months or so.

Last year was an outstanding season for Singh, with four titles and a number of near misses, and an improved performance in the majors was equally encouraging. Twenty-fifth in his second Masters was a respectable effort and his best Stateside performance at the time, though he soon improved on that with a top-10 finish in the PGA at Oakland Hills. Since then, the bar has been raised higher, with fourth place at last month's WGC-CA Championship suggesting a first US win could be around the corner.

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