Green jacket tailor-made again for Mickelson

NINETY-THREE golfers tee it up in the Masters at Augusta National today and there is a growing swell of opinion that the winner can be narrowed down to the five leading players in the world.

Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen make up the so-called ‘Fab Five’, each playing well enough to suggest they will battle it out for the title. Simplistic? Of course it is. The Masters may not boast golf’s strongest field and still finds room for one-time superstars like Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, freakish former winners like Charles Coody, and amateurs such as Austin Eaton III and Luke List.

What place have such people when it comes to the business of challenging for one of golf’s greatest prizes? None.However, room has been found for the guys who really count.

They are all here, not just the remaining top ten - Pádraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, David Toms, Adam Scott and Stewart Cink - but others boasting what it takes to win at Augusta. Players like Mike Weir, Davis Love III, Chris DiMarco and Luke Donald.

Singh is the world number one and knows what it takes to win at Augusta, having come out on top in 2001. Hardly a week goes by than he is at the top of the leaderboard as the tournament goes into its final day. His consistency is amazing; that’s why he’s top dog.

“I’m content with my game,” he says. “It depends on how I go out there and manage it.”

At 8/1 he is worth a flutter.

Woods at 3/1 is another matter altogether. He likes to think all the work he has done with Hank Haney is paying off and that he is now close to being a better golfer than he was in 1997 and 2000, when he won three of the four majors and held them all at the one time after capturing the Masters in 2001.

But why would he want to improve on his annus mirabilis? Can it be done? The others are closer but not to the extent that they could bridge the gaps Tiger opened up at the 1997 Masters (12) and the 2000 US and British Opens (15 and eight respectively).

“I won the Masters by 12 in ’97 and I changed my game,” he mused.

“Do I want to go back to that? No. I want to become better than that and that’s why I made this change. I’m starting to see the fruits of it now. My best years are ahead, I’m only 29, I’m not over the hill yet.”

Mickelson at 13/2 sounds promising with ‘Lefty’s’ confidence sky-high having walked off with his third title of the season in Atlanta last weekend. Prone to unforced error, Mickelson is also endowed with unbelievable skills which tend to rescue him. He attempts to play down the significance of last year’s groundbreaking triumph, stressing: “I don’t see how winning last year altered my game. In January, I started having much better direction in my practice, preparation and play and scores improved immensely. Having worked on it for another year, I keep seeing the improvement.”

You have to like the look of this remarkable talent.

Els has more reason than anyone to covet victory this week. We all remember how he shot 67 on the final day last year, including eagles at eight and 13, then waited on the range to see if his eight-under total would be enough to fend off Mickelson. How Phil foiled him with that devastating 20-footer for birdie on the last will remain part of golfing folklore forever.

“I’m not sure what went through my mind when Phil got the putt,” he said.

“I heard the roar and knew what it meant. I just packed my stuff and got out of town.”

Ernie can be backed at 7/1.

Goosen has won two of the last three US Opens and was second here in 2002. Almost as consistent as Singh, while admitting his game isn’t quite where he wants it. He said: “Inside I’m confident I can do it, just that the golf swing right now is not allowing it. In a way, it’s a bit of a worry but once you get out there and stand over the ball, you know what shots you have to hit and you just have to get down and do it.”

Goosen at 20/1? Not to be missed!

This is no five-man tournament and the punters among you will see good reason to throw some money in the direction of Mike Weir at 25/1; Adam Scott and Pádraig Harrington at 33/1.

However, I’m backing Phil Mickelson to retain the green jacket.