We are now just a matter of days away from the 2013 US Masters at Augusta and golf fans and punters around the world are frantically searching for the potential winner. All the talk is rightly surrounding the in-form Tiger Woods and the out-of-form Rory McIlroy but perhaps there are one or two other contenders further down the list that we should be taking note of. One that has certainly taken the eye of this writer is Justin Rose who comes into the first Major of the season in great heart and confident of picking up his first Major Championship.
Justin Rose has had something of an inconsistent career but one thing that has never been up for debate is the ability of the man from England. Rose has been steadily on the rise for some time now and goes to Augusta at a career high ranking of third in the world after a fine run of results over the past six months or so. His recent record reads tied 4th in the Honda Classic, tied 8th in the Cadillac Championship and a 2nd place finish in the Arnold Palmer ensuring that he could hardly go into the Masters in better form.
The start to his 2013 season could hardly have gone better for Rose but Augusta has clearly been the main aim for him for some time now and it is hard to argue with his credentials at around 20/1. He has proven himself to be rock solid under pressure in the Ryder Cup for Europe and now he will need to prove he can do that on his own on the biggest stage of them all. His come from behind win against Phil Mickelson at Medinah in the Ryder Cup was simply sensational and he has clearly used that as springboard to further success on a personal level.
Last season Rose produced a fine performance at Augusta to finish in tie for 8th place which indicates that he is beginning to feel more and more comfortable in Georgia. He will head into this year’s tournament with good memories to build on and given his recent form that can only be a positive sign for his chances. Rose possesses a solid putting game which is key around Augusta while he is more than long enough off the tee to compete with the majority of the players in the field. Those attributes combine to make him a rock solid choice for punters who are looking outside of the big two or three in the latest Green Jacket betting.
It is hard to argue with the form of Tiger Woods going into the Masters this year but punters should remember that he last won a Major Championship back in 2008 at the US Open. It is scarcely believable that Woods has gone almost five years without a Major to his name and until he breaks that drought, doubts will remain about his ability get across the line and win another big one. There is no doubt that Woods deserves to be the favourite for the Green Jacket but at around 7/2 ($4.50) he does look a little bit short bearing in mind that recent record in the Majors. Rory McIlroy has been woefully out of form in recent weeks but he has more than enough talent to bounce back, while Phil Mickelson is always a danger at Augusta having picked up the Green Jacket on no less than three occasions.
At the prices though there is more than enough doubt in the mind to take on the top three in the betting which could well leave Justin Rose as the man to take advantage and he can be backed at odds of 22/1 ($23.00) . He has finally matured into the golfer we always knew he could be and given his current form, it could be that the Englishman is ready to take the next step in his golfing career. Either way, the Masters at Augusta is the clear highlight of the golfing season with the very best players in the world heading to Georgia to battle it out for the famed Green Jacket.