US Masters / Paul Krishnamurty / 09 April 2011 /

With all eyes on the winner market, there are a few good bets going on in today's 2-balls that may have slipped under the radar. Including the phlegmatic KJ Choi, who can shoot lower than the brilliant but still somewhat reckless, Tiger Woods.

5pts Steve Marino @ [2.0] (vs Villegas) (Starts 15.55)

As Romily Evans argued before the tournament started, weak putters tend to do their best work early on at Augusta, before the pins are moved to their harshest positions. That certainly appears to have been the case with Camilo Villegas, who was among the early leaders yet only scraped inside the cut-line after yesterday's 75. Camilo has endured a nightmare on the greens recently, so this promises to be a long weekend.

Steve Marino looks a solid bet to beat the Colombian in the second group out this afternoon. His recent form is vastly superior, with the latest of a trio of top-four finishes coming on his penultimate start at Bay Hill. Moreover, last year's debut 14th suggests Marino likes the Augusta layout.

3pts Miguel-Angel Jimenez @ [2.6] (vs Watson) (Starts 16.35)

Given that Bubba Watson's widely mooted Masters challenge has failed to materialise, he could be a vulnerable favourite against Miguel-Angel Jimenez.
Though he undoubtably has the power to tame Augusta's par-fives, Bubba's erratic style always leaves open the potential for disaster holes, and his opponent here seems likely to set a high standard. Jimenez has an impressive five top-15s here this century, doing most of his best work over the weekend.

3pts Angel Cabrera @ [2.3] (vs Garcia) (Starts 18.25)

Sergio Garcia fans will doubtless be delighted to see their man playing well again and enjoying what has so far been his best Masters in ages, but they'll also be well aware of his tendency to throw in the towel over the weekend. Whatever his long game excellence, Sergio remains extremely vulnerable with the putter, and these brutal greens could well drive him to distraction as scoring becomes tougher.

Today's opponent Angel Cabrera hasn't been firing on all cylinders of late either, but commands respect as a former champion and Augusta specialist. Indeed from only seven behind McIlroy, and three shots off fifth place, there are worse value outsiders than the Argentinian at [250.0].

2pts KJ Choi @ [3.0] (vs Woods) (Starts 19.35)

So was that a flash in the pan, or has Tiger suddenly found his groove on the biggest stage of all? That is the question on everyone's lips this morning, and I remain in the sceptical camp. Yes, Tiger was superb last night and, of course, he adores this layout. However, we've seen similar flashes of brilliance over the past year, only for Tiger to slip back the following day in the style of merely a good player, rather than his old superhuman self. He is still struggling off the tee, and not holing the putts he used to.

It strikes me that KJ Choi is being priced here on their old form, rather than now. The Korean is far too experienced to be fazed by the superstar company, and having gone close twice before in this major, will have his own designs on the Green Jacket.

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