Can you remember the first time you saw the Masters at Augusta, Georgia?

Was it when Curtis Strange shot 80 in the first round and lead by two, but in trying to extend his lead dumped his second shot in the creek at 13. Or Australia's own Jack Newton almost catching Seve Ballesteros having started eleven behind. Or was it Nick Faldo overtaking and then streeting Greg Norman. What about Bubba hooking a wedge forty yards from the trees on ten in the playoff to win. Or perhaps even later Bubba bombing it 370 yards on the fifteenth on his way to his second green jacket.

You may remember the azeleas and rhododendrons, or the pond on twelve, but whatever, the viewing of the back nine at Augusta is compulsory for sports lovers worldwide.

From a smart punting exercise there are some real possibilities at the Masters.
Left handers have a great record over the last twenty years. Mickelson, Bubba and before him the Canadian Mike Weir have all won. As Lee Trevino once said you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen and righthanders have to hook the ball on the key par fives; holes eight, thirteen and fifteen. Mickelson and Bubba are so long they can fade it on these holes and still reach.

Winners can win multiple Masters, and those who have had a chance and missed out do not often win, so past winners need to be included in any early calculations. Great putters always do well. The greens are slick and feature big slopes.

So the ideal potential winners are long, putt very well, and naturally move the ball right to left.

All that is at the start. The real chances come after they get going. First round leaders rarely win, so an opportunity exists to lay the first round leader, particularly if you have found him at big odds initially. I tend to have a few picks at big odds and then crush if they do well initially, and wait for the last round to pick winners from those three and four behind. Many winners have come from 4 or more back heading into the last round.

A lead of five or six may not be enough if the player has never won here before.

There are often playoffs at the Masters. Playoffs represent a real chance for punters, particularly with multiple players involved. If you are betting on Betfair, a player who hits a good drive may shorten to $1.66, and then miss the green and drift to $2.20. That represents a real opportunity. Just ensure that your TV feed is live if you are betting as punters on course have up to a five second advantage in some telecasts.