The popular Australian has been a contender for quite some time now, and the general opinion amongst the golfing world is that he could well be pulling on the coveted green jacket at Augusta on Sunday – making history as the first golfer from Down Under to win the prestigious US Masters. This season he has already shown terrific form, and as a consequence is being hotly tipped by fellow professionals to make a real impression when the tournament tees off on Thursday and the golf betting reflects this.
His greatest strength is undoubtedly his short game – so important on Augusta's challenging greens and aprons – and his part time career as a golf course designer has certainly in no small part contributed to this. He has an eye for detail, a point highlighted by his strong showing at the event back in 2007 when he set the competition's record that year for number of birdies.
His ability to handle pressure putts is arguably second to no one on the tour – a factor he puts down to the amount of golf he played on undulating greens not dissimilar to those of Augusta growing up, complete with big, sweeping putts on bent-grass.
Speaking out in support of the Australian's chances this year was compatriot Robert Allenby.
"Tiger is always going to be a favourite to win the Masters, but I would put Geoff Ogilvy in front of him. If Geoff controls his nerves and his feelings at that tournament, there's no reason why he shouldn't win," he said.
He has experience of winning a major already of course – a factor which can be so important come the final day's play when the eyes of the world are upon you – having won the US Open in 2006, although he has stated this week that he sees himself as only having "some sort of chance on Sunday." Those looking at the US Masters betting should bear this in mind.
Perhaps he is being modest, but the bookies' odds of around 50-1 would suggest that they might just agree, but they might simply be reflecting on last year's Augusta outing: a dreadful day's golf in which the Aussie only broke par once in the whole tournament, marking rounds of 75, 71, 76 and 74 and publicly described the course as "too hard".
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