I can't wait for this year's Masters to start. The bookmakers are barely offering more than evens on Tiger, which, the way he's been playing recently, seems reasonable, but it's worth remembering that Woods hasn't scored under 70 at Augusta since they tightened the course up after his 2005 win - he didn't even break par last year. Of course, while he's not been scoring the 65s and 66s like he used to (par at the old Augusta was effectively 67 for Woods), he's still done well enough to finish 3rd and 2nd.
Retief Goosen is an interesting one to watch this year, methinks. He's finished in the top three in each of the last 3 Masters (last year despite opening 76-76), and there's something about Goosen that makes it easy to imagine him putting a Green Jacket on. He's got the safe, sensible course management of a Langer, or a Singh, that is needed sometimes at this event.
It's been a full 9 years since the last European winner, following the era when our players won it 8 times in 12 years. Padraig Harrington played well at Augusta last year, and with a better first round would have been right in contention, but I always doubt Padraig in the "pressure cooker" and wouldn't trust him to be able to close out 3-4-4 if he had to. Justin Rose finished fifth last year, including a 69 in the first round, and if he can avoid mistakes and play a bit more conservatively on the tough holes instead of finding water trying to push it, he'll have a chance. Sergio Garcia proved in the past that he had the game for Augusta, but since they "Tiger-proofed" it he seems to have suffered more than Tiger, missing the cut these last two years.
Among the other contenders, well in any field of this calibre there is always the possibility of a surprise winner, as Zach Johnson proved last year. Among the younger players Sean O'Hair is always a name I'm tempted to look for each-way (although he's never made the cut at the Masters) and Stewart Cink has been a top-ten finisher before at Augusta and has had some good results this season. Australian Geoff Ogilvy would not be a surprise winner, and I'll be very interested in the fortunes of Choi Kyung-Jo ("KJ" Choi) who is winning for fun on the PGA tour recently, but has yet to win a major. In fact, no Asian player (discounting Vijay Singh, the Indo-Fijian) has ever won a men's professional major, and if Choi were to become the first it would be huge for golf not only in his own country but in the whole of that part of the world.
Rogin's Masters predictions
1. Woods
2. Goosen
3. Cink
Retief Goosen is an interesting one to watch this year, methinks. He's finished in the top three in each of the last 3 Masters (last year despite opening 76-76), and there's something about Goosen that makes it easy to imagine him putting a Green Jacket on. He's got the safe, sensible course management of a Langer, or a Singh, that is needed sometimes at this event.
It's been a full 9 years since the last European winner, following the era when our players won it 8 times in 12 years. Padraig Harrington played well at Augusta last year, and with a better first round would have been right in contention, but I always doubt Padraig in the "pressure cooker" and wouldn't trust him to be able to close out 3-4-4 if he had to. Justin Rose finished fifth last year, including a 69 in the first round, and if he can avoid mistakes and play a bit more conservatively on the tough holes instead of finding water trying to push it, he'll have a chance. Sergio Garcia proved in the past that he had the game for Augusta, but since they "Tiger-proofed" it he seems to have suffered more than Tiger, missing the cut these last two years.
Among the other contenders, well in any field of this calibre there is always the possibility of a surprise winner, as Zach Johnson proved last year. Among the younger players Sean O'Hair is always a name I'm tempted to look for each-way (although he's never made the cut at the Masters) and Stewart Cink has been a top-ten finisher before at Augusta and has had some good results this season. Australian Geoff Ogilvy would not be a surprise winner, and I'll be very interested in the fortunes of Choi Kyung-Jo ("KJ" Choi) who is winning for fun on the PGA tour recently, but has yet to win a major. In fact, no Asian player (discounting Vijay Singh, the Indo-Fijian) has ever won a men's professional major, and if Choi were to become the first it would be huge for golf not only in his own country but in the whole of that part of the world.
Rogin's Masters predictions
1. Woods
2. Goosen
3. Cink
Comment