US Masters / Tareq Quiroz / 08 April 2009 / Leave a comment

Golf previewer Tareq Quiroz looks ahead to long awaited US Masters, where he expects a major-less Englishman to shed that tag.

It is the week of the US Masters and the excitement level for me is already soaring. There is so much to consider, so many possibilities but we are safe in the knowledge that the answers to all our questions are just a few days away. It is the 73rd US Masters and it has arrived not a moment too soon.

The Course
Unlike all the other majors the US Masters keeps the same course every year and quite frankly the tournament is the course. Without Augusta National there is no US Masters and we wouldn't want it any other way. Anyone who has caught any golf over the years will instantly recognise the lush greenness of the entire venue. The course may look immaculate but it sure doesn't play as sweet as it looks. Behind the manicured nature of the track lies a beast ready to ruin your tournament. It now measures just over 7,400 yards - almost 500 yards longer than it was in just 2001 - an enormous course. Most players can cope with that length on the normal tour but the severity of the greens make August almost unplayable for many.

There are fantastic holes everywhere you go at Augusta but many will concentrate on the joys of Amen Corner. This three hole stretch of the course is often where a player can make a move on the rest of the field. If you are playing in-running make sure you keep your eyes firmly focused on events from holes 11 to 13.


The Favourite
He is back and he is already looking just as good as he ever did. Tiger is once again on the prowl at Augusta National and you can be sure his mere presence has already worried most of this field out of contention. His record speaks for itself and quite simply Tiger will start favourite for any event he plays. He position in the market is deserved, but the question is whether he represents any value. He has been as low as [3.05] (a crazy price) but back out at [3.65] he will have plenty of support. Not from me however as I just don't see him getting in contention in the early stages. He can be a slow starter and with this course now being so brutal there are so few opportunities for the famous Tiger charge. I can see him being too far off the pace at the cut stage to get close to the leaders and for me Tiger is a lay for this year's US Masters.


The Next Best Bets
Last week's Houston Open and just a quick look through the upper echelons of the field this week highlight Europe's incredible strength in-depth. Five of the top nine in the betting are from Europe and that doesn't even include my particular fancies. I have given my main selection more than thought than ever this year as I know this pick is there to be shot down. However, I cannot get away from England's Lee Westwood. He has the game and the timing is perfect. He has deliberately adopted a more low key approach this season with a view to attacking the big ones in very much the way Harrington has done in recent years. His prep last week was excellent as he recorded a solid 11th place and more importantly his long game was impeccable. Westwood will always miss the odd short putt but the beauty of Augusta is that even the best will miss short ones. If he can just keep them to a minimum then he will be the man pulling on the Green jacket on Sunday evening. At current odds of [65.0] he is a cracking price and easily tops my staking plan this week.

The Massive Outsider
We have had a couple of shocks in recent years with the likes of Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman taking the spoils so it is not inconceivable that it will happen again this year. Last week I tipped up Fred Couples at Houston at a big price and he rewarded me by leading with three to play before blowing his chances. Now at his favourite course and with possibly more support than anyone he has to have a fighting chance. He has two third places this season and is swinging the club superbly. He is most definitely my outsider of the week at odds of [180.0].

Another player worth a mention in this category is Hunter Mahan. He was up there for much of last week and ended the tournament leading the greens in regulation stat. If he can keep that sort of long game up then he is worth a saver at current odds of [120.0].


Interesting Info
The Masters always has its traditional Par-3 Tournament on the Wednesday, but punters beware because no Par-3 winner has ever gone on to win the Masters that same year. The big four in the market have won 13 out of the last 17 majors but interestingly neither of the last two Masters. Don't get too excited if your pre-tournament pick is leading after day one as Immelman was the first person in 25 years to lead after day one and go on to win the tournament.