Come on Sensei – give me that Augusta feeling
As tournament golf goes, this weekend is the highlight of the year. The reason for this is the uniqueness of the Masters and everything it stands for.
We all know the course, we all know the challenges that this brilliant design creates and we know the beauty of this outstanding venue. There is one other key factor that separates this tournament from the rest of the majors and that is that whilst we all like golf and if you like it as much as me you have made a point of playing most of the great golf courses around the world, its unlikely that most of us are going to even get to go to this event as a spectator let alone play the course at any time. So it really does have that big green envy value.
Sadly Tiger Woods isn’t playing and that’s never good for me, although I hate NBC following him around when he’s 5 over and my guy at -12 doesn’t even get covered despite the fact that he’s leading but you have to have the rough with the smooth.
So what do we need to win this tournament. Our racing guys did a brilliant job of analysing the national and coming up with the 33/1 winner so let’s use those same principles to find this years winner.
We need a long hitter – why? because every course is a monster and short hitters don’t win the masters. However we don’t need a really long hitter. Its all about where your drive lands and how far it runs, rather than how far away it lands. Positioning on this course is everything.
It may sound obvious but we also need a straight hitter. Why? because if you can stay on the cut bit you can always control the ball on the quickest, most undulation greens in US golf. And whilst you need accuracy if you are hitting your approach shots in with a couple clubs longer than your mates then you aren’t going to win. So for me that rules out Luke Donald and a few others. I’m also ruling out Phil because he just doesn’t know where its going off the tee – most times. If he did he would be 6/1 not 14/1.
My final requirement is that I want imagination, flare and a great short game. Not necessarily a great putter; a good putter and a lucky putter will get it done but a great chipper is vital. You see you can’t stay on these greens for 72 holes and you simply have to work out how to get it up and down and not make bogeys or double and even treble’s.
Now normally I would rule out a yippee putter but somehow here it doesn’t matter as much as you rarely get to knock it inside 12 feet and so it’s about two putting regularly and making your birdies by hitting it on the Par 5’s in two. This takes a lot of pressure of those who can’t get it done inside 8 feet with the flat stick – however bloody long it is!!!. That’s why Adam Scott is a Master’s champion and why Jason Day nearly was and why Vijay Singh has a green jacket and I could go on.
So who is on our short list and why?
Number 1 tip this week is Bubba Watson who at 28/1 has to be backed. He’s relaxed, he’s a former champion, he is a master shot maker with the ability to shape it both ways and he his barking mad. 1 unit e/w @28/1 Bet 365
Number 2 Tip is Sergio Garcia – A Master bottler and the Gary Anderson of putting but for the reasons I have listed his putting doesn’t matter so much and in the last 3 weeks he is putting well. (let’s see on Sunday about that) He hits it miles, incredibly straight and man he can scramble (no1 currently in the UK for scrambling) 1 unit e/w @ 22/1 Bet 365
and finally
Number 3 against the field is Zach Johnson. He is starting to play well, a proven winner around here and just has the look of a guy who can do it again. 1 unit e/w @ 35/1 Skybet
All our guys now pay 5 places so look out for that this week and enjoy this wonderful spectacle.
