The 2019 US Masters
The 83rd US Masters tournament is now underway at the Augusta National golf club in Georgia with one player in the smallest field of all four senior professional Majors, seeking to win the top prize of around $2 million... that’s €1.77 million or £1.25 million.
Last year’s victor, the American Patrick Reed, is not among the favourites this time round, being quoted at 40-1. Britain’s top man, Justin Rose, currently the world’s number one, is listed at 12-1 while back-toform Irishman Rory McIlroy, MBE, is currently the 8-1 favourite. Remember, he once held the world’s number spot for 95 weeks and is a four-time major champion;
Another home star hoping to produce the goods is Dustin Johnson, the former world number one, who is a 10-1 shot... and you can’t rule out 43 year-old Tiger Woods who reached the quarter-finals of the recent Match Play championship in Texas, only to lose to 27 year-old Dane, Lucas Bjerregaard who is fancied by many to well at Augusta.
Others to look out for are Italian Francesco Molinari; Spain’s Jon Rahm and the evergreen Sergio Garcia; reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Brooks Koepka; fellow Americans Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, veteran Phil Mickleson and Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth and recent Match-Play champion Kevin Kisner; the German Martin Kaymer; SiWoo Kim from South Korea; Aussies Jason Day and Adam Scott, plus, of course, the British duo of Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood.
As always it’s going to be another tight and intriguing contest with the final putt being made on Sunday evening with the overall winner getting to wear the prestigious green jacket, as welkl as collecting a huge cheque.