By Nigel Ridgway
April 8 2006

His performance there was no surprise as he’s a past winner at Sugarloaf in 2002 and, ominously, that was followed by a second-place finish in the Masters.

GET IN THE GAME US Edition with NIGEL RIDGWAY of BET365 8-4-06

GOLF
THE MASTERS – BIG ONE OR BIG FIVE?

Th Apr 6 – 4:00 pm EST (USA)
Fr Apr 7 – 4:00 pm EST (USA)
Sa Apr 8 – 3:30 pm EST (CBS)
Su Apr 9 – 2:30 pm EST (CBS)

Enhanced bet365 odds of 11/4 on Tiger for the Masters anyone? Those odds would have looked very generous a couple of months ago after Tiger’s sensational start to the year, but the World No.1 may pull out at any stage to be with his ailing father and, even if he does play, his mind could be elsewhere this week. So, at the odds, he’s reluctantly passed over, but we needn’t go too far down the bet365 betting list for the winner.

The recent changes to Augusta, which have seen it lengthened to over 7,400 yards, have certainly played into the hands of the big hitters, and the ‘Big Five’ have one important common factor – length off the tee. Therefore, it’s likely that a permutation of Woods, Singh, Mickelson, Goosen and Els will be dominating the leader board come Sunday, but that’s only what we’ve come to expect in the Majors. In the last 25, Woods has 15 finishes in the top-10, Els, Singh and Mickelson each has 14, while Goosen has nine top-10’s, and the latter gets the outright pick this week at bet365’s Enhanced Win Only price of 10/1.

TOP GOOSEN AT 10/1

After a light schedule at the start of the year, the ‘Goose’ looks to have timed his run to perfection. A superb second in the Players’, where he was only beaten by an inspired Ames, was then followed by a solid fourth-place finish at last week’s Bell South. His performance there was no surprise as he’s a past winner at Sugarloaf in 2002 and, ominously, that was followed by a second-place finish in the Masters. In fact, his four-year Masters record is superb - 3rd, 13th, 13th and 2nd – and more importantly, he’s a superb putter (6th in best putting stats for this season), so he looks sure to give you a good run for your money this week.

OLAZABAL SUPERIOR AT 28/1

Yet, although length off the tee is now a massive advantage here, there’s still more to playing Augusta than brute strength. The same group of players tend to do well here year in year out, including Jose Maria Olazabal, who’s playing some of the best golf of his career right now. The two-time Masters winner arrives here in top form after two runner-up finishes already in 2006 and, providing he can cope with the changes, he has the superior course knowledge to compete once again. He looks a solid each way bet at bet365’s 33/1 (1/4 odds, 1.2.3.4.5), and a shoe-in for Top European at 5/1 - an honour he’s claimed on three occasions in the past.

Top European – Olazabal @ 5/1

200/1 TAYLOR TO ENJOY HOME ADVANTAGE

If you’re looking for a long-shot, then Vaughn Taylor could be the one at a massive 200/1 with bet365. He hits it miles, he’s a very useful putter, and is a Georgia resident, so will enjoy home advantage this week. Ok, he’s unlikely to be wearing the green jacket come Sunday, but he’s certainly worth a bet at 100/1 in bet365’s Top American market, as he might not even have to finish in the frame for you to collect. He also reached a land-mark birthday of 30 on March 9th, and that was promptly followed by his best finish in a full-field event this year (8th at the Players’), and there could be better to come.

Top American – Vaughn Taylor @ 100/1

BETTING AUGUSTA IN-PLAY

Of course, some of you may wish to wait until after the first round (or even later) to see who’s playing well before placing your bets, and there’s a certain logic to that policy. This brutal course is certainly not one on which you can play catch-up so, when placing your bets via our Live In-Play Console, it’s worth bearing this in mind. Although its 21 years since the first round leader came through to triumph, the winner has come from the last group out in the final round for the last 15 years. Also, betting In-Play demands that you remember that, on the back nine, the two par five’s at the 13th and 15th have always yielded plenty of birdies and eagles, so players are generally best backed before they play these holes.

The Masters Three Off The Tee … Retief Goosen @ 10/1 (EWO), Jose Maria Olazabal @ 28/1, Vaughn Taylor @ 200/1. Each-way ¼ odds 1.2.3.4.5

NASCAR
JUNIOR BACK ON TRACK AT 10/1

Samsung Radio Shack 500, Texas Motor Speedway
Su Apr 9 – 1:30 pm EST (FOX)

After two consecutive weeks of short track racing, the Nextel Cup Series travels to the high-speed, 1.5 mile Texas Motor Speedway. Along with Atlanta, the Fort Worth track sees some of the fastest speeds in the Series. Kasey Kahne won that race in Atlanta, and he must be top of any short-list of drivers to win this week. The two tracks are very similar in size, distance, banking and width. However, picking the winner this week is not that simple, as there is an even bigger (like most things in Texas) pool of candidates to win this week, so we’d be looking for bigger odds than the current 11/2 on Kahne.

Fortunately, at bet365, there are plenty of possible winners that fall into the 10/1 and over price range, including Dale Earnhardt Jr, who came out of the two-race short track schedule with respectable finishes of 4th and 11th. Junior is now sixth in the standings, just 50 points out of second place, and has had very good success at Texas, where he won his first race Cup race in 2000. He was also third in Atlanta this season, so he looks a good each-way bet at bet365’s 12/1.

Mark Martin was one place ahead of Junior in Atlanta, and finished second in the last Texas race, so his chances are at least on a par with the rest of his Roush team-mates - Matt Kenseth (8/1), Greg Biffle (6/1), and Carl Edwards (8/1) – but his odds are more generous. A bigger long shot this week could be Robby Gordon, after his great run at Atlanta. As the checkered flag waved, the necessary fuel stop turned a potential victory into a 28th-place finish, which was hardly a reflection of his commanding performance displayed throughout the 500-mile event. He was a 125/1 shot that week and, while those sort of odds have gone, the 50/1 with bet365 looks worth taking.

Nigel’s Checkered Flag … Dale Earnhardt Jr @ 12/1 & Robby Gordon @ 50/1 (Each-way 1/4 odds, 1.2.3.4)

bet365 latest Samsung Radio Shack 500 prices…Kasey Kahne 11/2, Greg Biffle 6/1, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards 8/1, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart 10/1, Dale Earnhardt Jr 12/1 others on bet365 website.

Get in the game and be lucky!

Nigel.

Please be aware that prices are subject to change. All times are subject to change. Check local listings.

NIGEL RIDGWAY, an experienced punter and betting shop owner of many years, believes that “The key to successful gambling is getting value for money.” Nigel was once forced by local bookmakers, to stop writing a tipping column in a UK newspaper, because he was costing them a fortune. Find out what offers and lines are hot at bet365.