US Masters / Paul Krishnamurty / 05 April 2011 / Leave a Comment

Fancy a lively Masters wager at three-figure odds? Then take a look at Paul Krishnamurty's selection...

Spare a thought for a poor golf tipster, after a very frustrating weekend. Last week's pick George Coetzee gave us a great run for our money, challenging all weekend and even holding a four shot lead at one stage. However, while George hit our first lay target and traded down to [3.7], it wasn't quite hit the [3.0] required to bank a further 10 units profit.

Further annoyance followed when the tournament was eventually won by the previous week's selection, David Horsey. Indeed, Horsey would have been retained as a pick, but his [90.0] odds didn't meet the triple-figure criteria. Still any profit is welcome however small and if nothing else, it was great fun to watch.

Hopefully that was a sign of an imminent hot streak and we'll have some better luck at the Masters. When looking at the rollcall of former winners, this seems like a terrible tournament to be backing outsiders as champions have tended to be world-class legends. Take Tiger and Phil out of the equation, however, and recent results tell a different story. All three champions from 2007 to 2009 started the week in triple figures, as did all three play-off candidates on the final occasion. Moreover, numerous outsiders shortened up considerably in all of those renewals.

I'm going in three-handed. First up is 2009 USPGA champion Y E Yang at around [120.0]. Perhaps because he's an 'international' player, less recognisable than the top Americans and Europeans, Yang continues to be under-estimated by the market. This is a major winner, with four European and PGA Tour titles to his name, who twice saw off Tiger Woods at his peak head-to-head. Yang's recent form is fine too, finishing runner-up in the Honda and reaching the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay. Eighth place in last year's Masters confirmed he can cope with Augusta's demands.

Brandt Snedeker is another with a solid record in Majors, making two of the last three US Open top-tens and trading at short odds here in 2008. One of the game's best scramblers, Snedeker is always worth considering at Augusta, and there is plenty to like in recent numbers showing five top-tens from his last 12 PGA Tour starts. Admittedly, Brandt has never dispelled the concerns about his dodgy temperament, that stem from an embarrassing finish behind Trevor Immelman here, but at [200.0] there's plenty of trading mileage.

Finally, Jonathan Byrd may not be quite the no-hoper suggested by odds of [270.0]. As a Georgia resident, he will carry some local support and has done well at Augusta before, making the top-ten on his debut in 2003. This will be his fourth crack at the Masters, which is usually the minimum for candidates to gain the necessary experience, and he's never arrived with higher hopes. It is only three months since Byrd won back-to-back PGA Tour titles, and he also showed good form with top-20s on his two latest starts.

The trading plan is to lay out four units on these three picks, and then place two lay orders on each at [12.0] and then [3.0], therefore banking a profit if any are hit.

Recommended Bets
2u Y E Yang @ [120.0]
1u Brandt Snedeker @ [200.0]
1u Jonathan Byrd @ [270.0]

Place order to lay each player 8u @ [12.0]
Place order to lay each player 10u @ [3.0]

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