Mickelson can land his first US Masters. (Getty Images)

By Dave Tindall

Betting Box Tipping Guide

BETTING BOX
FIXED ODDS
	2pts Phil Mickelson at 8/1 (General)	In superb form and can finally make the breakthrough in the Major he likes best.
	3pts Davis Love at 16/1 (General)	Has all the attributes needed for Augusta. Two-time runner-up can go one better.
	2pts e.w. Adam Scott at 28/1 (Totesport, Bet365 1/4 1,2,3,4,5)	Best swing in the game and loves Augusta. Full of confidence after billiant Sawgrass win.
	1pt e.w. Stuart Appleby at 50/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5)	In the form of his life and has the game for Augusta so previous flops puzzling.
	1.5pts e.w. Retief Goosen at 33/1 (Coral, Hills, Ladbrokes 1/4 1,2,3,4,5)	2002 Masters runner-up can flourish again with course set to be firm and fast.

33376

The dialling code for Augusta? The number of spectactors allowed inside the ropes at Augusta National each day?

No, these are the finishing positions of Phil Mickelson in his last five US Masters.

And after that string of near misses, the left-hander can finally slip both arms into the prized green jacket and secure a long overdue first Major championship.

Mickelson's golf has been superb all season. He burst out of the blocks with a victory in the Bob Hope Classic. And since then it's been big-money finishes all the way.

Arguably, his most impressive display came at the Players Championship two weeks ago when he tied for third. Sawgrass is always fiendishly difficult but anyone - long, short or medium - can do well if their game is sharp.

The Masters is much more of a closed shop. The number of potential winners is far less due to a) It being a much smaller field, b) The course playing into the hands of the longer hitters.

But what separates Mickelson most from his rivals at Augusta each year is his fantastic short game.

The best thing about it this year is that he's using it to attack rather than get himself out of trouble. That's down to him putting the ball in play more often from the tee.

Of course, he's been able to get away with that in the past on the generous fairways at Augusta but not all the time. So even if his straighter driving only saves a couple of shots this week, THAT could be the difference between those trio of third place finishes and winning.

Hopefully you took our pre-season advice to back Mickelson at 33/1. As we already have that in the bag, I originally thought it might be unnecessary to back him again at less than a third of those odds this week.

But I am so confident about Mickelson donning the green jacket, I simply can't resist going for the jugular and topping the 33s up with another punt at 8/1 (If you haven't backed him ante-post I'd advise you to double the 2pts stake).

I always like to back up a tip with something straight from the horse's mouth so here is Mickelson's take on Augusta: “It's very well suited to my game. I'm able to take advantage of creativity around the greens. I have a pretty good feel on these fast greens and the parts of the game that this course stresses, which is distance, driving the ball well and iron shots into the green, high and soft. I think that that gives me the best chance to win this tournament over the other Majors.”

Well Phil, everything's in place for you. Now, seize the day!

Our confidence in Mickelson is increased by Tiger Woods' continuing decline from Superman to Clark Kent.

If it wasn't for his incredible mental strength, his run of cuts, which is well into three figures, would have ended a long time ago. But however hard he battles, Tiger is simply producing too many wild shots – and not just with the driver.

There's always a sense of unease about leaving Woods out of a US Masters staking plan but, to be fair, it seems easier to do this year than at anytime since his majestic 12-shot victory here in 1997.

While Tiger goes on the reject pile, it's harder to dismiss some of the other usual suspects.

In many ways it's personal choice from a pool that includes Ernie Els, Davis Love, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir.

But, for me, the standout from that bunch is Love.

Davis has twice been on the wrong end of fairytales at Augusta, finishing runner-up to an emotional Ben Crenshaw in 1995 and again to Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999 after the Spaniard had come back from a career-threatening injury.

If the Masters wants another bittersweet story, Love would provide it.

He was born in Georgia and has gone through two personal tragedies of his own. His father was killed in a plane crash in 1988 and his brother-in-law committed suicide last year.

But there are more practical reasons for predicting a Love win.

The world number four is on the brink of another big title after two recent second-place finishes and a number of his colleagues have acknowledged how well he is playing right now.

There is a slight worry about his back that caused him to slip to six over after six holes in defence of his Players Championship crown two weeks ago. But Love hauled himself back to level par at Sawgrass which showed great mental fortitude. Take out the bad start and he would have finished top ten.

Those huge drives, towering iron shots and delicate short game make him a massive threat and the 16/1 looks fair.

It's still a surprise that no Australian has managed to get his hands on the green jacket.

Greg Norman should have done but instead his Masters legacy is that of the nearly man.

Norman's heartbreaking collection of near misses spans eight top fives and three second places but at least the agony won't continue this year. He's not playing.

But I do like the chances of two of his countrymen – Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby.

Scott is the one that most experts reckon will end the Aussie drought and it's easy to see why.

His swing is the best around, he can hit those big sweeping draws off the tee (ideal at Augusta) and he's said numerous times that he loves this place. A top ten on debut and another top 25 last year are two excellent efforts for one so young and although the average age of first-time winners at Augusta is 31, Scott is the sort of player who makes a mockery of such stats.

Some might say that it's asking too much for Scott to follow-up at Augusta just two weeks on from his breakthrough victory in the Players Championship. But surely his Sawgrass win can only fuel his rapidly expanding self-belief.

Others might wonder if Scott's putting is good enough. But he's come on leaps and bounds on the greens and sits 30th on the US Putting Average stats. Combine that with his first place for Greens In Regulation and he's got all bases covered.

Crucially, Scott also thinks he's a decent putter now. "It was definitely the weakest part of my game a year or so ago. But I've worked hard on it and turned it right around," said Scott after his win at Sawgrass.

Obviously the fancy prices have disappeared but if Scott continues to progress he may easily go off at around 16s in this event next year. That means I'm happy to take the last remaining 33/1 at Paddy Power.

Unlike Scott, Appleby will be crossed off many lists due to his poor course record. Yes, it makes ugly reading with five missed cuts in the last six years and an aggregate 47-over-par in seven visits.

But why is this? On the face of it Appleby has plenty going for him at Augusta. He booms it off the tee, welcomes the wider fairways and has an excellent short game. And, as an Australian, he's more than familiar with super-fast greens.

Obviously, there are certain courses which don't fit a player's eye but it's strange that Appleby has such a poor record, especially when he was tied 21st on his debut in 1997 and in the top ten for putting.

That glimmer of course form is enough to convince me that the new-improved Appleby can finally put his suitable talents to good use at Augusta. He arrives there this year in better form than ever after a fantastic run, stretching back to the latter part of 2003, which shows two wins, three seconds and a third in his last 11 strokeplay events.

True, he missed the cut at Sawgrass and complained about a bad back but he shot the low round of the day – a six-under-66 – in the televised Tavistock Cup which suggests, if nothing else, that he's not hampered too much.

If Appleby can get a good start, he has the game to reward his followers at 50/1.

The European challenge looks to lie in the hands of Irishmen Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke. And both have legitimate chances.

Harrington has played some superb bursts of golf in the last fortnight, although the final outcome has been the same – big finishes but no first prize cheque. I expect him to find a few too good again here.

Clarke, by contrast, can convert when he's blowing hot and although there's no Major on his CV, two WGC wins have proved that he can beat the best on American soil.

He's also a much fitter player this year. The extra bulk clearly hampered him 12 months ago when he had to play almost two rounds in a day so stamina shouldn't be a worry this time.

However, one consequence of shedding the pounds has been a slight loss of timing in his swing. All in all, Clarke may be a better bet later in the year when he's more attuned to his new body shape.

To be honest, most of the value has been hoovered up quicker than ever this year.

But if some still exists, it lies with 2002 runner-up Retief Goosen.

The South African has drifted to 33s after missed cuts at Bay Hill and the Players Championship but prior to that he was a model of high-class consistency.

I'm willing to gloss over those two missed cuts, especially Sawgrass where his record is awful, and focus instead on the attributes which make him one to follow around here – long off the tee, a superb iron player and a lover of slick, Bentgrass greens.

Goosen is in the top seven for both GIR and Putting Average this year and the reports coming out of Augusta that the course is set to play firm and fast should be music to his ears. He has a great record in those conditions.

In my book, a player of Goosen's class should not be 33/1 so have a piece each-way.

So there's my five – Mickelson, Love, Scott, Appleby and Goosen. All are regular winners and all have played well enough this year to suggest that they can have a serious run at the green jacket.

Those who I contemplated long and hard included John Daly, Chad Campbell, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els. And when Ladbrokes went 33/1 on Mike Weir on Monday, the defending champion suddenly made much more appeal.

Singh and Els have gone off the boil a bit to justify taking such short prices while I think Campbell is a better bet in the other three Majors.

Weir defended his Nissan Open crown earlier this month and again comes very close to getting in. But the course will play a lot firmer this year and a top ten seems more likely.

If Ginger McCain can win another Grand National, John Daly can win another Major. But I don't want to pick more than five so Daly just misses out. Feel free to stick a fiver on him though… just in case!