Best European hopes at the Masters
Tiger Woods may be the fans' favourite, while Ernie Els may be the choice of the sentimental golf aficionados. But what of the European candidates at this year's Masters? Can someone closer to home take charge at Augusta this week?
Padraig Harrington
Harrington is a three-time major winner, though never at the Masters, where the Irishman's best finish was two ties for fifth place, in 2002 and 2008. Harrington is also coming off the back of a disappointing 2009, where he failed to win anything beside the Irish PGA Championship.
But 2010 has so far begun more promisingly, with two top-10 finishes in three appearances - even if his last outing at the Houston Open ended in a 40th-place finish. The 38-year-old is making his 11th appearance at Augusta, and in theory the course shouldn't daunt the Dubliner. But Harrington admits that the US's most prestigious tournament is also the most challenging to prepare for - the "ultimate test," in Harrington's words.
Last year Harrington's hopes went south on round three, as he carded a quadruple bogey on the 2nd hole that still haunts him. If he can avoid such mistakes, forget the over-analysis that has sometimes hurt his game and concentrate on the here and now, maybe he can take his fourth major victory this week.
Rory McIlroy
Still just 20 years old, McIlroy has been anointed in some circles as the new Tiger Woods, but in recent months the Ulsterman has found that billing difficult to live up to. With a niggling back injury that some fear could have a serious impact on McIlroy's career, more worrying is that the player's stated objective of transforming numerous top-five finishes into victories has taken a serious hit.
McIlroy finished tied for 40th place at the Honda Classic, 65th at the WGC-CA Championship, and failed to make the cut at the Houston Open last week, despite the efforts of motivational guru Bob Rotella, who was enlisted to turn those near-misses into triumphs. It's not an auspicious run of form for the kid from Holywood, but if McIlroy can shake off those recent disappointments he could still make history at Augusta, becoming the youngest winner of the tournament if he can rediscover his A-game.
That may seem an unlikely scenario, but when McIlroy played here last year, during his last round he shot six birdies in the last 10 holes, eventually finishing in 20th place. If the world No. 11 can recapture some of that form from the off, he has a real chance. And with media attention likely to focus overwhelmingly on Tiger Woods, perhaps the pressure will be off McIlroy. After a difficult few months for the unassuming youngster, maybe Augusta can be the venue where Mac gets his game back on track.
Martin Kaymer
The brilliant German, still just 25, currently stands at No. 9 in the world and already has one win under his belt in 2010, winning the Abu Dhabi Championship back in January. He has also impressed at the Dubai Desert Classic, where he finished tied for fourth, and the WGC-CA Championship, where he was sixth.
At the majors, Kaymer has yet to really shine, though he finished tied for sixth place at the PGA Championship last year. He's never had any success at the Masters missing the cut in both 2008 and 2009. So what's different this year?
Maybe it's just a case of experience. Certainly, Kaymer's game looks to suit Augusta National; the course is renowned for its tricky greens, and last year Kaymer was statistically the second-best putter on the European Tour, according to putts per round. And while McIlroy has been stealing the headlines over the last year, Kaymer is arguably the best young golfer in Europe. In the past during the big events, Kaymer has admitted to playing too defensively. At Augusta, perhaps he can show the world what he's truly capable of.
Sergio Garcia
Ten years ago Garcia was being mooted as a credible threat to Tiger Woods' supremacy, but over the last decade Woods has dominated while the Spaniard has developed a reputation more for prickliness than his play. Garcia is yet to win his first major, though he's come close, his best performance at the Masters coming in 2004 when he tied for fourth place.
Recently though, Garcia has done little to suggest he can claim a maiden Masters victory in 2010. Last year the 30-year-old could only finish 74th on the PGA Tour, though he was tenth in the race to Dubai. Garcia did finish fourth at the Accenture Match Play Championship in February, losing to eventual winner Ian Poulter, but in March he finished 45th at the WGC-CA Championship in Florida.
In short, Garcia may have been unfortunate, but he also needs to stop feeling sorry for himself. If winning becomes a habit, so too does losing. The world No. 18 has broken par only once during his last 17 rounds at Augusta, and success here looks to be a longshot.
Matteo Manassero
Not perhaps the most realistic hope, but a romantic one, the 16-year-old Italian is the youngest player to compete at the Masters, sealing his appearance after winning the British Amateur Championship last year, a victory that secured Manassero an invite to last year's Open at Turnberry, where he held his own, eventually finishing tied for 13th place.
Only three players have won the Masters on their first attempt (Horton Smith in 1934, Gene Sarazen in 1935 and Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979), and Manassero won't even turn professional until later this year. But while the teenager admits to being nervous, he's proved he has the chops to compete with the big boys. For victory, Manassero would need to catch more than a few breaks - but if he could do it, he might even succeed in doing the seemingly impossible - that is, stop the media from relentlessly pursuing Tiger Woods as the main story of the tournament.
Tags: