2010 Masters betting preview
It’s time to step away from all this Tiger-hysteria – he may have made the decision to steal the limelight away from the 2010 US Masters with his re-appearance but let’s take a minute to get back to reality and weigh up the tournament from a golf perspective.
What lies ahead is a US Masters that promises to be one of the most open for many years. Former champions have started to hit form, young pretenders are looking to announce themselves on the world stage and current top-ranked players are striving to regain their status.
With so many arguments being brought to the table in finding the winner, the betting exchanges are bursting with action.
A major tournament means a chance for backers to latch onto a winner at double-figure prices thanks to the domination in the betting market of you-know-who. In all of the last four major golf events, pre-tournament favourite Woods has failed to produce a winning performance, which has meant the likes of Lucas Glover (80-1 at the start of the US Open), Stewart Cink (66-1 for the PGA) and last year’s Masters champ Angel Cabrera (85-1) have won the tournaments with odds that backers can only dream of latching onto.
Woods is trading around the 6-1 mark this year despite not playing a competitive tournament all season, and most of the betting talk is circulating around whether to back or to lay the six-time major champion.
But forget that. Woods has had enough attention already.
My focus is drawn to another former Masters champion – Fred Couples - who returned to form following years of health problems. Couples, 50, has been plying his trade on the Champions Tour this season, where he has convincingly won the last three tournaments. People will argue that his three tour wins this season have come on a tour where most of the competitors are past there sell-by-date, but Couples has proved he can cut it with the big boys this season with a respectable tied ninth in the Phoenix Open in February. The 110-1 in the win market looks a tall order, but 9-4 for Couples to finish in the top 20 looks a cracking bet.
A player that does provide good value in the win market is Camilo Villegas who has matured over the past couple of seasons and is now ready to challenge for major honours. The Columbian already has a PGA title to his name this season and has developed into one of the best putters in the game, a crucial attribute at Augusta. The 28-year-old finished tied thirteenth in last year’s tournament and will not be fazed by one of the toughest courses in the world. 40-1 looks a great each-way price either to load the gun at or to back to lay on the betting exchanges.
Chad Campbell is another player that has caught the eye at an incredible price considering his record at Augusta. A second and third place finish in the last four years is probably the best form at Augusta, bar Woods, in the tournament. This makes the 130-1 price far too long in my opinion.
Recommendations –
Fred Couples to finish in the top 20 (9-4)
Camilo Villegas each-way (40-1)
Chad Campbell win (130-1)
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