Rose leads English assault on Augusta ahead of The Masters
Published:Players from 13 different countries have lifted a Major golf honour since Nick Faldo was England’s last winner in 1996, but one man can change all that.
At 16/1, Justin Rose offers perhaps the best value of the Anglo-Saxon contenders for the 77th edition of The Masters.
Promising form has seen the 32-year-old tie for eighth at the WGC-Cadillac Championships in Florida and share fourth place at the Honda Classic, which was also held in the Sunshine State.
Rose also shone in the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational event in Orlando, where he led the field by two shots at the end of the first day – a day that he significantly finished four shots ahead of Masters favourite Tiger Woods, who can be backed at 3/1 to secure a fifth Green Jacket.
Stumbles on the second and third days – most notably a late bogey just before halfway – saw him slip somewhat in Orlando, although at the time of writing he sits second and just two shots off Woods.
The feeling that the Orlando-based player has been on an upward curve ever since his famous Ryder Cup putt on the 17th at Medinah in October is a very real one, and he will hold no fears as he enters Augusta – where his best performance saw him tie for fifth in 2007.
Rose’s in-play odds are certain to tumble should he continue his recent trend of making good starts, and so punters are sure to want to back up any confidence they have in him with an early bet.
Other English challengers Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are available at 25/1, with the former claiming that the loss of his world No. 1 ranking has removed the additional pressure he used to feel entering majors.
Westwood, another former No.1 who has finished the Masters second and tied for third in the last three years, enters looking to make the most of his experience, but it could be Rose who blooms in Georgia.
All odds and markets are correct as of the date and time of publishing.
