The US Masters 2017

Louis Oosthuizen came 2nd at the Masters in 2012 and already has a Major under his belt - the 2010 Open Championship. He hits the ball long and straight, has the temperament to control the ferocious greens and at 33/1 can easily be backed each way, another player who fits most key trends. Rickie Fowleris playing some great golf at the moment and can carry this momentum forward during the Masters this weekend. An opening round of 64, eight under Par, in the Shell Houston Open proves his game is in cracking form. He is a four time winner on the PGA Tour and is seeking his first major victory at Augusta next week. He missed the cut here 12 months ago but T-5 and T-12 finishes the two years’ previous prove his game is well suited to the course. He twice led the field in putting here at the Masters and if he can do that again this week, he won’t be out of the places. Confident player, terrific putter, crisp iron player, he has it all. Jon Rahm is quickly becoming the latest name to create head-waves in the sport. He was miles ahead of the pack as an amateur and more recently finished runner-up to Johnson in the match play championship. Putting is a recipe for success at The Masters and although that is not Justin Roses strong point, it is difficult to leave him out of the equation. It is quite simple – if Rose putts really well this week, he will be in contention to win this tournament no doubt. Tee to green, he is one of the best around. He splits fairways and finds the middle of the green more than any other player out there. Brooks Coepka could be your man based on key trends. He's 26, American, ranked 25th in the world and tied for ninth at the WGC-Dell Match Play in his latest outing. Not to mention, he has a mammoth drive and has shown promise at Augusta before, improving on his T33 finish in 2015 by coming 21st last year. Hideki Matsuyama is officially the best Japanese player to ever grace the game. Now ranked the 4th best player in the World, he is 2nd in the FedEx Cup standings after three victories this season already in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Hero World Challenge and Waste Management Phoenix Open. Still a very young player and was T-7 and 5th on his last two visits to Augusta.  Quiet but solid start to the season for the Australian Adam Scott, making every cut but his best finish was T-10 in the CIMB Classic in October. He has had a relatively quiet campaign, possible making sure he is in good order for the Masters. He loves it here and he wore that amazing Green Jacket as he won the Masters back in 2013, beating Angel Cabrera in a play-off. Extremely talented player with an amazing swing and all round game – danger to them all if his game is in good order. 

Paul Casey put his final preparations in place last week at Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale and Casey makes his way to Georgia quietly confident of another strong Masters performance. The 39-year-old has posted five top 12 finishes at Augusta down the years including a tied 4th twelve months ago. The former world number three has always been an elite ball striker but in recent months he has put the time and effort in to really improve his all-around game. Dustin Johnson is favourite to win and is presently ranked as the number One player in the world and is excellent form as he has won all of his latest three golf tournaments including two World Golf Championships. He did intend to compete in the Shell Houston Open which takes place during the week before the Masters but decided not to due to fatigue. He will be attempting to win his 4th consecutive tournament when he plays in the Masters and no golf player has done this since 2008. He has recent good form at the Masters as he came jt 6th in 2015 and was jt 4th last year. Bubba Watson has won the Masters on two occasions which were in 2012 and 2014 and I think that he is worth considering for this year's Masters. He is one of the longest hitters in golf and the Augusta course obviously suits him and his long hitting style of play means that he can do well on the four par 5's at this long course.

Others to mention are Jason Day, he won his first Major in 2015 and has performed well at Augusta previously as he finished jt 2nd in 2011 and finished 3rd in 2013. He thinks that the Augusta course suits him and he can putt well on fast greens. Phil Mickelson is an experienced American golfer who has won over 50 professional golf tournaments. He has won three of the four Majors including the Masters which he has won on three occasions which were in 2004, 2006 and 2010. This will be Rory Mcllroy's 8th appearance here and he has performed consistently in recent years with an 8th in 2014, a 4th in 2015 and a jt 10th last year. He has a realistic chance here but he has not played a lot of competitive golf this year and he has experienced problems in the past with his putting on the fast greens at Augusta.

With most firms paying 8 places each way on the US Masters we're going to back four big hitters at decent value prices.

Each Way Bet: Hideki Matsuyama 20/1 (Bet365)

Each Way Bet: Rickie Fowler 20/1 (SkyBet)

Each Way Bet: Bubba Watson 40/1 (Bet365)

Each Way Bet: Louis Oosthuizen 50/1 (Bet365)