“A Tradition Unlike Any Other,” is a mere hours away and the anticipation has golf fans frothing at the mouth.
In the 2013 Masters, do you have Tiger or the field?
If you’re not quite sure who to pick, check The Sports Bank’s five best bets to win golf’s most prestigious golf tournament.
5.) Fred Couples – One Major win and one green jacket (1992)
Odds: 150/1
Lowdown: Yes, we do it right at The Sports Bank and pick a real long shot for our dark-horse pick. What better long shot than sweet swinging Fred Couples? “Boom Boom” may be at the ripe age of 53, but he still splits his swagger on the golf course between both the PGA and Champions tours. Better yet, he’s been near the top of the leaderboard in each of the three previous Masters.
4.) Justin Rose – Zero Major wins
Odds: 20/1
Lowdown: The crafty Englishman has yet to notch a win in the majors column. Still, he has a proven track record in major tournaments with top-five finishes in all four majors throughout his career. This season, Rose has three top ten finishes and promises that he has the putting problem figured out. If he’s telling the truth, he’ll be in that final group on Sunday.
3.) Rory McIlroy – Two Major wins
Odds: 8/1
Lowdown: Rors is quite possibly the most inconsistent #2 golfer you can possibly have in the world. However, when the kid is on, he’s on. Each of his two major wins, the U.S. Open in 2011 and PGA Championship in 2012, were won by a ridiculous eight strokes. The main reason I don’t have him ballin this weekend is because it’s been 14 years since a European has won in Augusta.
2.) Phil Mickelson – Four Major wins and three green jackets (2004, 2006 and 2010)
Odds: 10/1
Lowdown: Take away the meltdown on the par-3 fourth hole and Mickelson was probably the best golfer in last year’s tournament. Even with the devastating triple bogey, lefty finished third behind Louis Oosthuizen/Bubba Watson and heck he already has three green jackets. Old Phil lives for the Masters and you would be fooled to think he won’t give it a valiant effort.
1.) Tiger Woods – Fourteen Major wins and four green jackets (1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005)
Odds: 3/1
Lowdown: Tiger is always the popular and most obvious pick in pretty much every tournament. But this year is a little different because he’s regained his #1 in the world designation and he actually looks like the player that America missed during his personal transgressions. His bestie Steve Stricker (Tiger does have friends) gave him some much-needed putting lessons and it has showed in six tour victories over the past 13 months. Tiger’s fifth green jacket will tie him with the legendary Jack Nicklaus and have him one step closer to Jack’s record 18 total majors.
What do you think of my picks for the 2013 Masters and who’s your pick? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys sharing Fantasy Advice and pretends to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
*Odds obtained from vegasinsider.com on 4/10/13.*Pictures obtained from collegemagazine.com golfwrx.com