US Masters / Steven Rawlings / 13 April 2009 /

Judicious trading ensured Steve Rawlings made a good profit on the Masters.

The Masters is mercifully back to its glorious best. After a pair of dull final days in the last couple of years we were last night treated to an absolute cracker with cheers erupting almost constantly.

It had just about everything, starting with Phil Mickelson, who showed us the full range of his game, from the brilliance that's capable even of eclipsing Woods, to the woeful jerky under-pressure putting that's painful to watch. He came with a ferocious charge and shot 30 on the front nine, equalling the record at Augusta. Indeed, he got so close at one point that he was matched as low as [3.35], but the level par back nine that followed the 30 was never going to be enough.

Woods also charged at the leaders but ultimately fell short, bogeying the last two holes and with the two best players in the world out of the way it developed into a three way scrap from some way out, and it was between the trio I fancied it would be after halfway - Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera.

Perry would have been my best result, with Campbell still a good winner, so when the 48-year-old led by one from Campbell and by two from Cabrera with just three to play all in the garden was rosy, but it's never that simple is it?

When Perry hit a corker of a tee-shot at 16, almost holing it, but guaranteeing birdie, he was matched at a low of [1.13] and I made my first bet of the night. I was in a great position and with Cabrera about 12 feet away I simply had to back the Argentinean at [26.0] to guarantee a winning week.

With the gun to his head and with no alternative but to make it to remain in with any sort of chance he dribbled it in and I was very relieved to have been given the chance, and more importantly, to have taken the chance.

Then, with a two shot lead, Perry messed up the 17th hole and made his first bogey in 23 holes. His tee-shot on the last found a fairway bunker and from there another bogey followed and we had a three-way play-off.

I had time to consider my options and was tempted to level off by backing Cabrera before the play-off began but at only around [2.90] I decided to leave it, but fate contrived to give me yet another chance.

Campbell and Perry both found the fairway with their tee-shots but Cabrera found the trees. I had no idea of the lie but backed him anyway at [8.0] to level off. When the whereabouts of his ball was shown I assumed I'd just wasted some of my winnings as he was stymied directly behind a huge great tree and his price spiked right up to [55.0]. A huge great hook was attempted and a clatter of wood heard before the ball found its way back onto the fairway, some 100 yards from the green, from where he pitched to about seven feet of the hole.

Unbelievably, from position A, both Campbell and Perry made a mess of things. Campbell was eliminated when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker and Perry made par, after a great chip and putt, and yet again the Argentinean stepped up and rolled in a putt he simply had to make.

Then it was all settled on the 10th, with a regulation par from Cabrera, after a weary Perry made a hash of things.

I'd won and traded really well, but I couldn't help but feel sad for Perry. It's highly unlikely, at approaching 49, that an opportunity like that will come knocking at his door again. He was so gracious in defeat too, a true gent, and I really felt for him.

As for Cabrera, well I have no idea what to make of him. He's only ever won five tournaments and two of them have been majors! And it's pretty fair to say, until this weekend, he's been poor at best since he captured the US Open in 2007.

Back to reality next week, the China Open and the Verizon Heritage are the two events, which I'll preview on Wednesday.

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