It's not too much to say that when Masters week gets close, I'm like a child looking forward to Christmas. It's my favourite 4-day stretch of the year, and it never disappoints.
Whether it's players getting trapped in the azaleas and rhododendrons, the par-3 contest everyone tries desperately to lose, Sunday at the 16th, or the incredibly stilted presentation ceremony, the Masters makes golfers happy. And it's on BBC - so no ads!
This year we all know where the focus is, but all that means is that a few of our tips can slip in under the radar. The main man gave his first press conference yesterday, and the golfing world was glad to see him back.
Ok, I'm not going to say he's not going to win, because you can't say that. Let's be honest, you will never see Tiger priced at 5/1 for any tournament again, so I still say it's not a bad bet. Realistically though, no matter how good your practice is, there's no substitute for match practice, and that's where the difficulty is. On the other hand, he's not going to play unless he believes he can win. The most important thing to remember is that he's the greatest golfer in the history of the world.
Augusta is a course for horses - out of 73 Masters 15 guys have won 42 (roughly), so you can never expect the rookies to triumph (no one since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979). Looking at the rookies this year though, there's plenty of great form coming in. Bill Haas already has a win this year, and in Francesco Molinari and Charl Schwartzel are two of my outside bets. The younger Molinari's about 150/1 with the bookies, and 17/1 to register a top-10. Schwartzel posted another top-5 last week in Houston, and has really got his putter hot this year, which is what Augusta demands. At 50/1, Ernie Els's protege is great value for a punt.
Little Tim Clark has a track record here, and at 100/1 he's grossly overpriced. At 70/1 you can pick up Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby.
My favourite overall is about 22/1, and it's Retief Goosen. He's had a host of top-5s here in the past, and he's in superbly consistent form this year.
But enough about the betting tips. Masters week is there to enjoy, not to make money. Maybe I'm still bitter about Kenny Perry blowing a lead with 3 to play and costing me an 80/1 bet last year, who knows?
Keep an eye here as the week goes by; I'll be back with more musings each day.
Masters Tale of the Day
1935 - final round - 15th hole. Gene Sarazen turns to his caddy, a tall, black man known only as "Stovepipe", and asks him what he needs to win. "4 threes, Mr. Gene". In other words: eagle, par, birdie, birdie.
Sarazen takes a 4-wood, hoods the face, and hits it 235 yards. Into the hole. For an albatross 2. 3 pars later he was into a playoff with Craig Wood, which he would win.
To this day, ask any true golf fan about "the shot heard around the world".
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