US Masters / Paul Krishnamurty / 06 April 2009 /

They may have regained the Ryder Cup but US golf is not what it used to be, says Paul Krishnamurty. Beyond the big names, are there are any emerging American talents who could provide value at Augusta?

These are worrying times for American golf. With the economic crisis claiming many victims amongst PGA Tour sponsors, for the first time in living memory the European Tour, with its new, lucrative Race to Dubai, is emerging as a serious rival.

While the US may have regained the Ryder Cup after several years of playing second fiddle to Team Europe, their representation in the big singles events looks weaker than ever. This transformation was clearly evident at the recent World Matchplay, reserved for the world's best 64 players. Whereas just a few years ago, over half the qualified players were American, this year that number was just 17.

Will this weakness bear out in the Masters? Well, things aren't all bad, because they can boast the two best players in the world in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, whose combined odds to win the this season's first major amounts to just [2.7]. Should both of them fail though, the cupboard looks pretty bare. Indeed, only four other American players are currently trading below [100.00].

The shortest of those is debutant Anthony Kim, who I've marked down as man to oppose on the grounds of inexperience elsewhere. He may be a special prospect, but odds of [60.0] are plenty short enough.

Jim Furyk, a former US Open winner and regular contender in majors over the past 15 years, is next best at [95.0]. But while he has been a rock of consistency throughout a fine career, the Masters has always been Furyk's weakest major; one where he's only made the top-10 three times.

Another home star to have frequently failed the Masters test is Steve Stricker, currently available around [140.00]. In eight tries, Stricker has missed five cuts and has only one reasonable effort, when finishing 10th back in 2001. At least that's better than Kenny Perry [110.00], who has a best ever finish here of just 29th place. Justin Leonard [190.00], a regular contender in other majors, hasn't made the top-10 at Augusta this century.

With little to recommend any of those big names, it would seem then that the likeliest American to challenge besides the big two would have to be 2007 champion Zach Johnson [48.0]. When he won, it was greeted as a massive shock, but Zach has since proved that was no fluke. He has now won five times on the PGA Tour, and shown a particular liking for fast greens, a skill which will always bode well for Augusta. Due to such complexities, this is one course where the same faces tend to feature on the leaderboard, so it seems a fair bet that Johnson will build up a decent portfolio of high finishes in this major throughout his career.

Besides Johnson, punters playing the top-US market and looking beyond the front two could do worse than look at Sean O'Hair and Hunter Mahan. These two will doubtless be Ryder Cup regulars in the years to come as, along with Kim, they represent the best of the next generation. Mahan was actually the star of the show at Valhalla, finishing his Ryder Cup debut as top points scorer, though he's yet to reproduce his best form so far in 2008. He'll need to improve dramatically on last year's missed cut in his first Augusta visit as a pro, but does have some course form in the book. Way back in 2003, Mahan made quite an impression as an unknown amateur here, finishing a very respectable 28th.

O'Hair strikes me as a decent outside bet for the tournament at [80.0]. This will be his third Masters, and he showed last year that he was getting to grips with the challenge by finishing 14th. Furthermore, in the last six months O'Hair, twice a PGA Tour winner already, has become a far more consistent performer. He is one of the most prolific birdie-makers around, a quality that should serve him very well on a course where red numbers are precious.

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