US Masters / Paul Krishnamurty / 11 April 2010 /

A mouthwatering final round is in prospect at Augusta where it's Lee vs Phil vs Tiger. The Englishman leads the field but does he have the bottle to see it through? Paul Krishnamurty investigates

Though this may sound harsh on official world number two Steve Stricker, it is possible to define tonight's final round as an almost unique contest between the best three players in the world. Phil Mickelson ([2.72] to win before the final round) certainly has valid personal reasons for slipping down to third spot, and as for Lee Westwood ([2.82]), the European number one might plausibly advance on his fourth place ranking if he played in the US more often.

Whatever their rankings, this is a truly mouthwatering prospect; one that could define each of their careers. Tiger Woods ([6.0]), four shots off the lead in third place, must rate the outsider amongst that trio, but last night's final hole birdie very much keeps him in the picture. As a Woods backer, I certainly haven't given up, though he will probably need some help from the leaders.

The key question is whether such help will be forthcoming. With Mickelson there is always a decent chance of a wobble, or just one erratic hole that brings him back to the field. Not because of a lack of bottle, rather just the way he plays the game. Westwood's bottle, however, has been the subject of a long-running debate on these pages and elsewhere.

Lee has been something of a Jekyll and Hyde character over the years. In the early part of his career, there was nobody more prolific bar Tiger. Twenty-seven of his 31 career victories came between 1996 and 2003. During that spell he showed an extraordinary ability to close the deal. If memory serves, he was the first player to defeat Tiger from behind going into the final day, in Germany almost a decade ago to this day. His Ryder Cup record is quite magnificent.

That record served as a sound reason to support Westwood for several seasons, but more recently the titles have become much more scarce. So much so that many of us have questioned his bottle. During a 25-month drought that ended with victory in Portugal last October, he missed chance after chance, registering 13 top-3 finishes during that period. Then there's his recent near-misses in major championships. He traded at odds-on before missing out in the 2008 US Open and 2009 British Open. It would be too harsh to say he bottled either chance, but his golf down the stretch wasn't perfect either.

So far this week, Westwood has looked relaxed and in control. There's no question his golf game is good enough to withstand tonight's pressure cooker atmosphere. Augusta, however, with its unique atmosphere and relentless testing short putts, is the most searching examination of temperament around. Just ask Greg Norman, or last year's nearly-man Kenny Perry. For that reason, I would prefer to back Mickelson or Woods, who have passed this test six times already between them.

Finally, a couple of bets in tonight's two-balls, both of which involve opposing a senior in the last round of this gruelling major. Firstly, I find Tom Watson's performance here arguably as incredible as his near-miss in the Open. Prior to this week, he'd only made one Augusta cut since 1997 as his power had receded and the course lengthened. Yet here he is in the top-15. Without taking anything away from that achievement, I simply have to take him on with Bill Haas, who will enjoy a 30-yard advantage in driving distance, not to mention the same difference in age.

Not for the first time, I was taught a lesson yesterday about the perils of taking on 'injured' golfers, when Fred Couples put Friday's sore back behind him to shoot a superb 68. He will do very well to repeat the trick again though, and is pitched in here against a very capable, and much younger opponent. Hunter Mahan still has slight hopes of winning this title, and owes his six-shot deficit primarily to a terrible start on Thursday. He rates a cracking bet in this two-ball at [1.9].

Final Round Two-Ball Selections:
Bill Haas @ [1.8]
Hunter Mahan @ [1.9]

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