Top English hopes at the Masters
Since the competition began in 1934, Nick Faldo is the only Englishman to have seized glory at the Masters. But with perpetual front-runner Phil Mickelson off his game so far this season, and Tiger Woods surely not the full ticket following his recent, dizzying woes, could 2010 be the year when another English player secures that famous green jacket? Here are the home-grown stars most capable of supplying the lustre at Augusta.
Lee Westwood
Westwood's 11th visit to Augusta could offer the man ample opportunity to produce his best performance yet at the Masters. The Englishman was third in both of his last two major outings (last year's Open and PGA Championship), though he could only finish in 43rd place at the Masters in 2009.
Westwood's best performance at Augusta came way back in 1999, when he tied for sixth place. But though it's been a while since he really impressed here, last year's winner of the inaugural Race to Dubai is clearly no spent force. And so far this year Westwood has retained the consistency that clinched that honour, with top-10 finishes on two of his last three starts in the US in 2010.
That record could have been still more impressive, though; at last week's Houston Open, Westwood wobbled in the third round, eventually finishing tied for eighth place when he could have been challenging for victory. There are those who feel the player is a perpetual nearly-man; his solitary win on the PGA Tour came back in 1998, at what was then known as the Freeport-McDermott Classic.
And Westwood has never won a major. That could suggest the 36-year-old is destined to join the company of fine players like Colin Montgomerie, who never triumphed at the very highest level. We prefer to see it as a reminder that it's time the world No. 4 pulled his finger out. And Augusta would be the grandest of settings in which to do so.
Paul Casey
Though Westwood is seen as England's most likely hope of winning the Masters, Paul Casey isn't far off the pace. True, his performances at the majors have been less impressive than Westwood's, his best finish coming in 2004 when he tied for sixth place at Augusta. But, before a rib injury that took him out of contention for most of the second half of last year, Casey looked potentially an even more formidable player than his countryman, having risen to No. 3 in the world last May after winning the BMW PGA Championship.
Casey's had an encouraging return this year, coming second at the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship (to fellow Englishman and Masters rival Ian Poulter) and finishing in the top 10 of the WGC-CA Championship and the Qatar Masters. But the the golfer admits he's not a hundred per cent physically fit, continuing to undergo treatment for the shoulder injury this week that forced him to withdraw from last week's Houston Open.
As such, Casey represents something of a gamble, but while the 32-year-old's body could betray him, mentally at least the player is adamant he's ready to deliver. Casey says he feels much more mature these days - and is certain that maturity will leave him in good stead to overcome Augusta's pitfalls. Speaking as someone who's had a cheeky wager on Casey to finish in the top five, I for one hope he's not just talking the talk.
Ian Poulter
In the past, Poulter has been looked on affectionately but as something of a figure of fun, thanks to his lofty claim to be the only true rival to Tiger Woods, as well as an uncompromising approach to golf wear. But naysayers have been forced to take Poulter more seriously in recent months, particularly since the Hitchin-born 34-year-old beat Paul Casey in the WGC Match Play Championship in February.
Poulter's best finish at the Masters came in 2007, when he tied for 13th place; a year later, he also hit a hole in one on the 16th at the same event, though that couldn't prevent him from dropping down the rankings, eventually tying for 25th place that year. This year he will be hoping to go much closer.
Poulter is currently ranked No. 7 in the world, and has gone on record as saying that it's time for one of the English players to "step up" at the tournament (there are no fewer than eight Englishmen competing at Augusta). He also said that he is better prepared for a major than ever before, having even obsessively detailed the lie of each green during his practice rounds.
Of course, no matter how meticulously the flamboyantly-garbed player plans for the tournament, with a field comprised of golf's greatest, he will need more than preparation to make his mark here. Who knows? Perhaps this is the year he gets to prove that when it comes to the big events, it really is just about him and Tiger.
Tags: