Can Tiger end the poor run of world number ones at Augusta?
The world number one hasn't won the The Masters in 10 years. There have been abject performances from Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer in recent years. Tiger Woods was the last world number one to win the Augusta showpiece.
It's seven years since Woods donned the green jacket and he hasn't won a major in nearly five.
But he is joint-second in the all-time Masters list with four victories. Only Jack Nicklaus with six has more.
Putting has been the key for Woods this year and he'll looking to be as ruthless here as he's been everywhere else. He's top of the PGA putting rankings this year.
However, he is 145th on the driving accuracy rankings and, with the emphasis at Augusta on driving, he could be left in the shade by some of the other big hitters like Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley.
Sporting Index Masters Infographic
The azaleas are in full bloom at Augusta. It must be time for the greatest swingers in the world to start teeing off. Who’ll be donning the Green Jacket this time?
Scandinavians the ones to follow in Switzerland this week
The next stop on golf’s European Tour is the Omega Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland. This has been a difficult tournament for punters trying to find an advantage by looking at trends and the trappy nature of this year’s renewal is reflected in the fact Peter Hanson is the favourite on the Sporting Index’s Leaderboard Index with a spread of 7-9.
The Swedish player will be seeking to continue a strong Scandinavian record in recent years. In the last ten tournaments Sweden has lifted the prize twice - with Robert Karlsson in 2002 and Alexander Norén in 2009. Their compatriot Peter Gustafsson was also runner-up in 2005.
Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn was twice a runner-up before landing the prize last year and his proven course form could make his Finishing Position spread of 33-36 appealing.
Sporting Index’s Omega Beta's-Hotshots specials market recognises this Scandinavian success and allows punters to bet on the performance of four Scandinavian golfers in this tournament - Peter Hanson, Henrik Stenson, Alexander Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen – with 25 points awarded for every top-ten finish those players make. A 25 point bonus is triggered if any of the nominated players wins the tournament. The spread is currently 30-24.
Two of the last five tournaments have gone to a play-off and it is 33 years since a player won with a final winning score of less than -13.
Return of the Mc
Rory McIlroy starts as spread favourite for the USPGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club tomorrow, alongside Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. Each has a finishing position spread of 26-29 with Sporting Index.
Rory McIlroy is likely to relish the AAC's Highlands Course as it's very similar to Congressional, the scene of his demolition job and record-breaking triumph at the US Open in June.
He loves playing in the US - he said as much last week - and he has impressed on his last three appearences here, where his US Open victory is sandwiched by 5th place at Memorial and T6 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
His major outings here haven't gone too badly either: he tied-third at the PGA Championship last year and finished 15th at the Masters.
However, the temperature is expected to get up, meaning that the four rounds might become a war of attrition, a survival of the fittest. The firm fairways will temper any additional power that Rory and his bomber pals have in their lockers, so there is plenty to argue for the shorter hitters and dependable putters. Step forward Luke Donald and Steve Stricker.
Buyers would really love Tiger feat
Tiger Woods was on top form in his press conference earlier, but will he be on top form on the course after an enforced 16-week lay off?
Timing his return for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, the course where he has won seven times in his last nine attempts. He's also paired with recent Open winner Darren Clarke, so Tiger will be hoping success rubs off on him to end his drought of two years without a tournament victory.
It's perhaps slightly surprising then to see Woods behind 13 other players in the finishing position markets - his spread is 29-32 with Sporting Index.
Going against Woods is the fact that he has parted company from his most succesful caddy, Steve Williams, the man who stood beside Tiger on his way to 13 majors and also the fact that Woods reportedly only started practising one week ago.
So what sort of player is most likely to win? At 7,400 yards, Firestone is a long par 70, although shorter hitters have tasted success here. A key attribute seems to be scrambling. Look out for Steve Stricker, Jason Day and Zach Johnson - all of whom are ranked in the top 5 for scrambling stats on the PGA Tour.
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