With the Masters Tournament almost upon us we have a quartet of quality looking to slip into some champion’s green come Sunday and give your
Fantasy team
a Major boost.
We also have the added incentive of a superb spot prize that will be awarded to the team that manages to master Augusta National this week, namely a fantastic Race to Dubai polo shirt and sweater combo courtesy of Abacus.
There will be little surprise with our first suggestion as he currently resides at the top of the game and has already proven a real love of this venue with three top ten finishes in seven starts. It is of course
Luke Donald
who, having ascended to the top of the world, winning countless events both in Europe and around the globe including a World Golf Championship, is yet to pick up that so far illusive first Major. He has come close, co-leading the US PGA Championship with eventual winner Tiger Woods in 2006 before eventually finishing in a tie for third, as well as being one of five or six in with a shout of the Masters title in 2011 before all were blown away by Schwartzel over the final four. Clearly a man in form, and someone who can handle the challenges posed by Augusta, Donald is certainly a man to beat this week.
And keeping the English vibe going, another man in fine form so far in 2012 is the latest to join the stable of World Golf Champions, and that’s
Justin Rose
. He was a picture of composure and calmness under pressure on the final day at Doral as Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson all had a go, but Rose could not be beaten. Aside from this victory that saw him re-enter the World’s top ten, he is also a man with a little history at Augusta National. In 2004 he opened with rounds of 67-71 over the first two days to lead by two, only for a third round 81 to derail any hopes he had of a maiden Major title. He repeated this feat in 2007, holding a one shot advantage after round one having been the only man to break seventy on a brutal week where Zach Johnson eventually won with a score of one over par, and Rose finished in a tie for fifth. He is yet to better his best Major performance, a tie for fourth in the Open Championship where he burst to prominence in 1998, and this week could prove the perfect time.
José María Olazábal was the last continental European to win at Augusta, following in the footsteps of Bernhard Langer and Severiano Ballesteros before him, and we think the next man to join this illustrious list could be Sweden’s
Peter Hanson
. Over the last couple of seasons he has made a name for himself as somewhat of a silent assassin, picking up top finishes in some of the biggest events in the game. This has been evident most recently with a couple of top five finishes at the year’s two World Golf Championships, and continues back to last year’s US Open where he finished in a tie for seventh. Aside from this he finished second in Qatar to Paul Lawrie in February and in 2011 he had ten top ten finishes, four of which were top fives, en route to a career high 13th place finish on The Race to Dubai. Hanson is therefore a strong favourite to end the continent’s 12 year wait for Masters glory this week.
There has been a rich Spanish history weaved through the Augusta National legend since Seve was first victorious there by a margin of four strokes back in 1980, and looking to add to his nation’s Augustan victory haul could be the effervescent
Miguel Ángel Jiménez
. This will be his 14th appearance at the season’s first Major and in that time he has managed an impressive five top 12 finishes and has missed only three cuts. His best finish came in 2008 where he finished in a tie for eighth behind Trevor Immelman, rallying from what seemed like a disastrous opening 77, to shoot 70-72-68 in the final three rounds to finish seven adrift. This season Jiménez has shown form with two top tens so far, and with his previous good form and his country’s rich history at this event, it would be the perfect reward for one of The European Tour’s most long serving supporters.
We have clearly missed off a couple of names from this list such as Messrs McIlroy and Westwood, and there is little doubt they will feature in the title shakedown on Sunday. And if you’re looking for a couple of cheeky outsiders who we also think will be in with a shout then try Paul Casey who is on the comeback from injury and looking to build on three top 11 finishes in his Masters career so far. Or, if you like your golfers as colourful as the beautiful Augusta scenery, then try Ian Poulter who has never finished worse than 33rd in seven starts with a best of tenth in 2010.
So there are our picks for top spot at Augusta this week, but whoever gets the privilege of slipping into their very own green jacket come Sunday evening, log into
My European Tour
and update your
Fantasy team
before Wednesday’s deadline to be eligible for our awesome top prize.
