The Masters by numbers: 14 Masters trends

• Posted by: csabax
• 11 April 2013
• Football
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The best golfers in the world will tee-off at Augusta on Thursday April 11th in the first major of the year, the 2013 US Masters. These 14 Masters trends give you an insight into the trends that have preceded the previous 76 tournaments.

0 – Anchor away

 

The Masters is the only major that no player has won using a belly or broom-handle putter. Interestingly, three of the last five major champions used a belly putter – Keegan Bradley 28.320* at the 2011 U.S. PGA Championship, Webb Simpson 85.620* at the 2012 U.S. Open and Ernie Els 126.40* at the 2012 British Open. With the putter under review, this may be the last chance a player using this type of putter will have to win a major.

 

1 – Tough experience for a rookie

 

Only one rookie has ever won the Masters; Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. The American beat the odds in 1979, and despite Australian Jason Day 60.250* finishing 2nd in 2011, it appears that course knowledge has a pivotal bearing on performance at Augusta. Pinnacle Sports suggest the likes of Nicolas Colsaerts 111.190*, Russell Henley 241.170* and Branden Grace 228.070* will struggle to break the trend on their debuts.

 

4 – Leading from the start is tough

 

Just four champions – Craig Wood (1941), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972) and Ray Floyd (1976) – have led for all four rounds of the Masters.

 

5 – Watery graves

 

Five holes – 11, 12, 13, 15 & 16 – on Augusta’s back nine have water waiting to trap any errant shots. Many Masters hopefuls have met a watery end during the 77 years of action at Augusta. (13) The score taken by Tom Weiskopf on the par-3 12th hole in the 1980 Masters.

 

7 – Left-handers get it right

 

Only seven major tournaments have been won by left-handers. However, they have won five of the last 10 green jackets. Could Phil Mickelson 13.000* or Bubba Watson 39.420* claim another major win?

 

8 – Long time since Woods won

 

It’s been eight years since Tiger Woods 5.050* won his last Masters. After a great start to the 2013 season – winning three PGA Tour events – can Woods win his 15th major and fifth at Augusta? Woods is considered to be putting as well this year as he has at anytime in the past, read here how loss aversion affects putting.

 

12 – Biggest winning margin

 

Twelve was the biggest winning margin set by Tiger Woods when he won his first Masters back in 1997. Woods’ four-day score is also a record at 270.

 

14 – Young Guan set for Masters

 

14-year-old Guan Tianlang was not even born when Woods won his first Masters in 1997. The youngster from China will become the youngest ever entrant to the Masters after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur back in November to earn a spot in the field.

 

14 (again) – Settled by a playoff

 

The Masters has gone to a playoff on 14 occasions. The last time the tournament was decided by a playoff was last year when Watson beat Louis Oosthuizen 29.470* to claim his first major win.

 

15 – Another missed European opportunity?

 

Before Martin Laird 86.640* won the Valero Texas Open, Americans had won the previous 14 events on the PGA Tour this year. No European has won the Masters since Jose-Maria Olazabal 14 years ago. Will it be 15 years without a European green jacket winner?

 

23 – One-shot wonders

 

There have been 23 hole-in-ones recorded at the Masters. Interestingly 15 of these have come at hole 16, a par 3 of 170 yards. Interested in how bettors and bookmakers underweight rare events? Click here to read about the infamous Hole In One Gang who in 1991 made a tidy profit from taking advantage of ill informed bookmakers on the probability of a hole in one at a tournament.

 

25-39 – Age trend

 

Every Masters winner this century was aged between 25 and 39. That range covers most of the leading candidates, but notably not Rory McIlroy 9.430* or Mickelson.

 

46 – Golden oldie

 

At the tender age of 46, Jack Nicklaus became the oldest winner of the Masters in 1986. This year eleven players over the age of 46 will compete for the green jacket.

 

63 & 75 – One round doesn’t win or ruin your chances

 

63 is the joint Augusta course round record set by Nick Price in 1986 and Greg Norman in 1996. Neither man went on to win. 75 is the highest first-round score of an eventual winner, when Craig Stadler carded it in 1982. Read here how golfers can be affected by luck and regression during golf tournaments.

 

Click here to see the latest 2013 Masters odds

 

(Source: Pinnacle)

 

Bet HERE

 

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