The Masters

FINAL RESULT: 2-1; +4.69pts

Goosen 3rd
Toms mc
Donald 2nd

What a closing run from Goosen and Donald! After taking themselves out of contention for the title with 75 and 77 respectively in the stop-start 2nd round, Goosen finished 4-under-par for the last six holes and Donald finished six-under-par for the last eight holes. A very enjoyable sub-plot to this event.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)

Retief Goosen to win 16/1 e.w. available generally
Twice a winner in Georgia and a top-15 in each of the last three years here, Goosen has the experience and the game to add this title to his CV. The odds may be a little shorter than had been hoped for, but while all the talk is about the 'Big Four', Goosen is clear in 5th place in the World Rankings and is a two-time Major Champion. He could very easily, and quietly, be in the mix on Sunday evening.

David Toms to win 40/1 e.w. available generally
Toms is another Major Champion with plenty of experience at Augusta - this will be his eighth appearance and he secured two top-10 finishes already with a personal best of 64 that is only one shot outside the course record held by Nick Price and Greg Norman. His PGA Championship win in 2001 was also in the State of Georgia and he does have a very good record here with six top-10 finishes in his last twelve visits to this State. And in his current form - finishes of 4th, 1st, 5th and 5th in his last four events if we ignore the weather-disrupted Players Championship - he is certainly playing well enough to continue his high finishes in Georgia.

Luke Donald to win 25/1 e.w. @ GolfingGods  ['w/o Woods, Mickelson, Els & Singh' market]
Donald will be joining the other two selections in the top-10 of the World Rankings within the next few months. His game has moved to a completely new level over its 2003 state and he will climb from his current 16th position quite quickly. He may get there this week, but as there has only been one rookie winner of this event in its history, it might seem a tall order. Thankfully, he pulled out of last week's BellSouth Classic and with six top-13 finishes in seven starts this season, he really should be in contention again. Did look at place odds, but this market appears best-suited to the Englishman.