As ever the ‘big 2’ dominate the market although the complexion of this 2010 Masters can be seen in this comparison. Tiger and Phil were 9/4 and 9/1 favourites to triumph in 2009. This year Ladbrokes are offering market leading 6/1 and 14/1 respectively against the Californians triumphing in Augusta. Tiger is still the best player in the world and quite rightly is the one to beat this week. Understandably he is our Predictor Model No 1, but common sense tells me that he won’t win The Masters after 5 months of sitting on his hands (literally) and only 3 weeks of practice.
Mickelson, on the other hand, has had a full schedule across both West Coast and Florida swings. With Tiger away he has had the opportunity to go for the World Number 1 berth, but has slipped to World Number 3 behind Steve Stricker. Lefty has obvious health issues in his family life and that has taken its toll on his focus and practice time. His driving and putting have suffered and a drifting 14/1 sums up his chances. Augusta National and The Masters is a tournament like no other. The Bent grass greens at 13 on the stimp are lightening fast. The sheer size of them and the green contours make birdie chances viable from the smallest of target areas. To succeed you must score heavily on the 4 Par 5s and hold on for around the rest of the course. There is no doubt that Southern US-based players succeed here and the link is incredibly strong. Before the tips, here's some quick links to our most popular US Masters content:
Bookmaker Specials | Favourites | Long Shots | Top Debutant | Top 10 tips | Top 20 Tips | GB & Ireland
Here are Golf Betting System’s 5 for the outright at The Masters, 1pt EW our recommended bet on each - odds and bookmaker offers correct at 10:00BST 7.4.2010 but naturally subject to fluctuation:
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Retief Goosen |
25/1 with Bet Fred.
£50 free bets via this link:
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| Major Wins: 2 | Masters History: 2nd 02, 07 | 2009 Majors: MC/16/5/51 | ||
| Tournament Wins: 43 | 2010 Form: 6 top 10s | |||
| Everything points towards Goosen having a major say this week in Augusta. At the very least he offers Each Way value to the ‘once a year’ Masters punter. 6 Top 10s so far in 2010 say everything you need to know about his game right now. I absolutely love South Africans around Augusta and you get the feeling that The Goose’s game is ‘simmering’ nicely. 8th on PGA Tour All Round Ranking says everything you need to know. He also ranks 2nd in 3 putt avoidance which is key here. Based in Florida, Retief has the temperament as a 2-time US Open winner to go extremely close this week and he performs best on lightening fast paced Bent grass greens. If he starts well in Round 1 he’s in for the long haul. | ||||
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Jim Furyk |
40/1 with Ladbrokes.
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| Major Wins: 1 | Masters History: 4th 88, 03 | 2009 Majors: 10/33/34/63 | ||
| Tournament Wins: 21 | 2010 Form: 1 win, 3 top 25s | |||
| I have to say Jim wasn’t top of my shopping list when it came to researching profitable Masters tips. But the more you look at his chances, the more excited you get especially when you see the World Number 5 @ 40/1! As you would expect, the Florida resident is consistency personified. Every facet of his game is strong, there are no weaknesses. He’s not long enough though I hear many cry. Actually, scratch the surface and you see that Furyk can hit +300 yards on holes where he needs to. His win at the recent Transitions has boosted his confidence and he plays Augusta well. However the tipping point for me is this. Look at his record and he regularly contends on tough classical courses with fast Bent grass greens. I’m expecting no different this week. Check out the Ladbrokes Special - makes this bet even more attractive! | ||||
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Camilo Villegas |
40/1 with Ladbrokes. |
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| Major Wins: 0 | Masters History: 13th in 2009 | 2009 Majors: 13/33/13/51 | ||
| Tournament Wins: 4 | 2010 Form: 1 win, 1 top 10 | |||
| 2010 will be a big year for Villegas in the Majors. Until very recently I put Villegas in the same bracket as Anthony Kim and Dustin Johnson. Superbly talented, attacking golfers but without the tactical strategy to contend on Major tracks where patience and par-golf is key on the majority of holes. However from Camilo’s first appearance at the World Matchplay he’s shown a new level of maturity and ‘goes for it’ far less frequent and more appropriately. The result a great triumph at the Honda Classic, whose champions list includes Yang, Harrington, Els, Hamilton, O’Meara and Price. Catching my drift? The Florida based Colombian ticks every skill attribute box required to contend at Augusta and 13th in 2009 highlights that he ‘understands’ the National layout. | ||||
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Matt Kuchar |
75/1 with Bet365. £200 free bets via this link:
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| Major Wins: 0 | Masters History: 21st 1998 | 2009 Majors: -/MC/MC/MC | ||
| Tournament Wins: 2 | 2010 Form: 4 top 10, 2 top 25 | |||
| Highly tipped and highly thought after and it’s easy to see why. Kuchar is based in Florida and went to college in….Georgia, so ticks the geography box. His golf this season has been absolutely first class with 4 Top 10 and a further 2 Top 25 finishes. He’s long enough, accurate enough, is putting beautifully and has a great scrambling game. 2nd on PGA Tour All Round Ranking says everything you need to know. However it’s his career resume that really excites. Kuchar consistently pops up on the ‘right’ leader boards i.e. tough, classical courses where shot shape and great putting on fast Bent grass greens is essential to contend. Has the game to play well this week and is mentally in the zone to contend. | ||||
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Zach Johnson |
90/1 with Totesport.
£60 free bets via this link:
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| Major Wins: 1 | Masters History: Winner 2007 | 2009 Majors: MC/MC/47/10 | ||
| Tournament Wins: 18 | 2010 Form: 4 top 25s | |||
| Georgia resident Zach Johnson in terms of form is struggling. Can’t argue with that at all, but that provides an excellent opportunity at 90/1 for the 2007 Masters Champion. I, like the bookies, almost discounted Johnson’s chances completely then I stumbled upon an interesting fact. Cabrera, Immelman and indeed Johnson had only 1 Top 10 finish between them going into The Masters when they ultimately triumphed. Look at Johnson’s current stats and you’ll find there is actually very little wrong with his game in all departments. I’m thinking that Johnson’s love of Augusta will spark him back into life this week so I’m bagging the 90/1. | ||||