US Masters Betting: 101 reasons why Westwood is Major value for the win at Augusta

"Westwood now has the opportunity to tumble out of bed at his home in the exclusive paradise of Old Palm Golf Club, pull on his shorts and go straight out to practise. The immediate result is that he’s now ranked 21st on tour for scrambling."

Lee Westwood has come close at Augusta in two of the last three seasons. Ralph Ellis says this could be the year when an improved short game means he's ready to be measured up for the Green Jacket...

By his own admission Lee Westwood once had more than 100 putters stored in his garage. While Tiger Woods took the same battered old implement from one winning tournament to the other for years, Worksop's finest was always looking for the magic stick which would sort out the one big weakness in his game.

It's the oldest adage in golf that you drive for show and putt for dough, and Westwood has long been its biggest example. Brilliant from tee to green (his ex caddy Billy Foster claims he's always been the world's best), his short game has never quite matched up.

Take last year's Masters, for example. Around four days at Augusta he took 128 putts, a total exceeded by only three others who played all 72 holes, and yet still finished just two shots short of a play-off. It was probably the most glaring example of his problems in a year when he stayed in the world's top ten despite being ranked 189th for scrambling and 174th in strokes gained/putting on the PGA tour. It doesn't take a genius to work out what needed to be solved to take the last step and actually win a Major.

Much has been made of Westwood's decision to leave his Nottingham roots and move his family to Florida. It's been part of a drastic change, with sacked caddies, coaches and other specialists left in his wake.

But one side effect of living in America was the chance to do something about his short game, and not only the opportunity to tumble out of bed at his home in the exclusive paradise of Old Palm Golf Club, pull on his shorts and go straight out to practise. The immediate result is that he's now ranked 21st on tour for scrambling. The chip shots are going close enough to the hole that he hasn't had to rely on putting.

Living in the States also allowed him to spend some time at Ping's headquarters in Arizona to have his putting stroke put under high-tec analysis with HD cameras establishing that he was cutting slightly across the ball from outside to inside. If you're bothered about the technical side he will now use a Counterbalanced Ping Scottsdale TR Anser B. If you're not, all you need to know is that it has a longer, 38 inch shaft and a higher mass to keep the face more square to the target. He used it in anger for the first time in the Shell Houston Open and the result was a top ten finish. In his opening round he took just 26 putts.

Now I know Augusta's lightning fast greens are a different matter, but that does tend to make Westwood's current price of 3.45n/a for a top ten finish in the Masters rather tempting. Come to that he's got the pedigree to think that backing him at 3433/1 to be the winner will give you a very good run for your money. You're talking about a player who has been in the top three in two of the last three seasons, so sort out his most glaring fault and it could be time to take the final step.

He once had 100 putters. Could it be that the 101st will be the one that Westwood prizes most?

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US Masters Betting: Rose and Westwood to fight out Top European honours

"I will be very surprised if the Englishman (Justin Rose) doesn’t finish in the top 10 this week and therefore he has to be a contender in this market."

Back Justin Rose @ 7.413/2

There's a plethora of side markets to get involved in at this week's US Masters, and here Mike Norman tells us who he believes are the best bets in the Top European market...

It's been 14 long years since a European golfer donned the famous Green Jacket, and on recent evidence it will take a big effort for one to win the first Major of the season come Sunday evening.

I've explained in more detail here as to why I believe the Europeans are worth opposing at this week's US Masters. It's nothing to do with them becoming bad players overnight, more the fact that the rest of the world are fighting back so to speak. And sure, some Europeans are bound to play well at Augusta during the course of the four competition days.

But the beauty of having a wager in the Top European market is that it doesn't matter where your selection finishes, as long as he's above everyone else from the same continent then you're a winner.

A total of 28 Europeans will tee off on Thursday, and although at least 20 of them have the ability to contend if at their very best, realistically we should be concentrating on the top echelons of the market for the most likely winner.

Not surprisingly Rory McIlroy heads the market at 5.49/2 to back, but despite a decent finish (and it was no more than decent given the strength of the field) at the Texas Open last week it seems the young Ulsterman has a lot to prove.

Since becoming the world number one at the end of last year McIlroy has had a lot to deal with. He has changed his equipment, has signed a mega-bucks sponsorship deal with Nike (and with that surely comes added pressure to succeed), and his private life is under more scrutiny than ever before. It seems in the early part of the season all this has had an affect on his game, and even last week his short game looked way off the standard required to contend at Augusta. He's not for me.

In total contrast to Rory, Justin Rose doesn't have a single question mark hanging above his head going into this week. He rarely puts in a bad performance these days, and his excellent second place finish at Bay Hill last time was his fifth runner-up spot in a big event since winning the WGC Cadillac Championship 13 months ago.

Rose's Masters record isn't too shabby either, recording four top-20 finishes in the last five years including a fifth place finish in 2008 and a top-10 finish last year.

In fact Rose ticks all the right boxes if you're looking for an Outright Winner (for which he is 22.021/1 to back) never mind someone to finish as the Top European. I do think a few Americans and South Africans hold just as strong claims as Rose to win however, and can be backed at better odds, but I will be very surprised if the Englishman doesn't finish in the top 10 this week and therefore he has to be a contender in this market at 7.413/2.

You can make a case for a number of star Europeans playing well this week - should Luke Donald be as big as 12.5n/a (and 44.043/1 to win outright) on the back of a relatively poor start to the season for example?

And should we dismiss Ian Poulter (18.017/1) - who has never missed a cut at Augusta - and last year's third Peter Hanson (20.019/1) lightly?

And what about Sergio Garcia (15.014/1), a back-to-form Henrik Stenson (23.022/1), and last week's impressive winner Martin Laird (40.039/1)? All can be top European on their day, but my other selection is going to be an old favourite of mine.

Lee Westwood has slipped down the world rankings in the last year, and he's not being talked up as much as he has at recent US Masters. Hopefully that will all play in to Westwood's hands because there's no doubt in my mind that the pressure does get to him from time to time.

True, Westwood is a dreadful putter, but I've said it before and I'll say it again; while his tee-to-green game is so good all it will take for him to win one of these events is an above average week with the flat stick. When you consider how many short putts he missed last year, yet he still finished in a tie for third just two shots off the winner, then you start to struggle to find a way to dismiss him.

And there was evidence in Houston a fortnight ago that his putting is much better, especially during the third round where he rolled in countless 10-footers.

Yes, he did miss some short ones too, but doesn't he always - you just accept (through gritted teeth admittedly) that with Westwood he'll always miss a short one from time to time. But he loves Augusta having finished second and third here in the last three years, and he could easily put up another strong challenge this week, especially in this market at odds of 9.89/1.

Recommended Bets

Back Justin Rose @ 7.413/2
Back Lee Westwood @ 9.89/1

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Kaymer v Woods v Westwood: Who will be the desert king?

Golf Bets / Joe Dyer / 09 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

A relaxed Kaymer can beat his faltering opponents

"Of the trio, there is only one man in form - Kaymer."

The three best golfers in the world get down to business at the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday morning - who will emerge on top?

Golf fans get a breakfast-time treat when the top three in the world rankings tee it up at the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday morning.

It could be a battle royale, it could be a massive letdown, but there is bound to be massive interest at 8:20am UK time when Tiger Woods (no.3), Martin Kaymer (no.2) and Lee Westwood (no.1) compete for bragging rights in the desert heat.

In truth, of the trio, there is only one man in form - Kaymer - and the market reflects that with the rising German star priced at [2.7] to emerge with the best first round score. Woods is next in the betting at [2.98] with Westwood the [3.25] outsider.

The 26-year-old already has a tournament win this year (three weeks ago in Abu Dhabi) while his more experienced opponents have struggled so far - Westwood missing the cut at the Qatar Masters, while Woods laboured to an unimpressive 44th place finish at his favourite Torrey Pines track two weeks ago.

In terms of course form each man has a reason to back him - Woods is a previous winner, Westwood last year's runner-up while Kaymer has finished second, fourth and fourth in the last three years.

The German has shown an aptitude for repeating good performances at courses he enjoys and that, coupled with his current form, make him the bet at [2.7].

The three best golfers in the world get down to business at the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday morning - who will emerge on top?...

The top three golfers in the world are in action on the European Tour this week and Mike Norman believes Lee Westwood can prove why he's top of the tree....

The big man with a big swing is Dan Geraghty's headline tip in this week's Three Against the Field column...

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