Augusta betting tips – stay away from Rory!

A guest post:

The 2013 Masters is almost upon us and the world’s elite golfers are set to do battle once more on Augusta’s picturesque fairways and smooth greens.

For fans in the golf betting world, the Masters never fails to inspire and ignite the imagination and there will be plenty of money riding on the four-day tournament when the first players tee off on 11 April.

Here’s a quick glimpse at the favourites and no hopers for this season’s first major.

Tiger Woods: favourite
A clear front-runner this year is Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner who has rekindled the sort of form that earned him four Masters titles between ’97 and 2005. Woods has won two of his four tournaments this season including the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, regaining his world number one rank.

If Woods keeps his head clear on the greens as he has done so far this season he cannot be stopped and fans should back him to win a 15th major.

Justin Rose: outside chance
If Woods fails to deliver then Rose will be on hand to swoop in and claim a maiden major at Augusta. The Englishman has steadily improved this spring after a poor start to 2013 and fell just two shots short of Woods at Bay Hill.

Australian golf fans will know that he finished off last season with a positive third place at the PGA Championship and if Rose can continue this good form he is a good shout for another top-five finish.

Brandt Snedeker: surprise high finish
Despite missing the cut in his last two tournaments, Snedeker is due a good run at a major after finishing third in The Open Championship last season. The American has played a lot of golf this spring, winning Pebble Beach, finishing second in Phoenix and third in Hawaii.

Whether or not he has the mental capacity to claim the Augusta title is another thing but his Tour Championship performance last season says he can cause an upset.

Rory McIlroy: steer clear
The Northern Irishman has been blighted by bad form, toothache and his infamous new set of clubs this season – all three contributing to some terrible results in 2013.

McIlroy has twice missed a cut, placed 33rd at WGC Match Play and only made eighth at the WGC Cadillac in Florida thanks to a late flurry of birdies. Despite his ranking he has no chance of recovering such bad form to challenge for the title and betting fans should side with him to miss the cut before winning the major.