The mystery of the Masters

AUGUSTA — While Ian Poulter suspects it has something to do with the fact that he and his comrades are right-handed, Rory McIlroy has dismissed Europe’s baffling 16-year void at the Masters as “a coincidence”.

Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal was the last European to don a Green Jacket, when he won his second Augusta title in 1999.

Since then, the blue-and-gold contingent have collected four Opens, four US Opens and four US PGAs. And to think the Masters used to be the “easy” one.

Between 1980 and 1999, Europe won 11 Masters, with five coming in six years from 1988.

But in the new century, all they have to show is one outright runner-up finish in 2010 (Lee Westwood) and a tie for second last year (Jonas Blixt). Is there any rhyme or reason for this millennium bug?

Poulter thinks there might be. “Left-handers have won six of the last 12 Masters,” Poulter said. “And, to my mind, they have an advantage at Augusta, particularly the big-hitting lefties like Bubba (Watson) and Phil (Mickelson). I can’t think of any high-profile, big-hitting left-handers who are European; so there you go.”

Yet, why should it matter? The theory is that it is easier to control a hard fade rather than a hard draw, and on holes such as the second, ninth, 13th and 14th, this makes a huge difference.

As to why this has become an advantage in the past 13 years, one needs to look no further than the lower-spinning, three-piece hard ball which came into circulation about this time.

It is more difficult to put spin on a draw than a fade, thus the advantage has increased and thus Mickelson and Watson have won five of the past 11.

McIlroy, however, does not subscribe to this opinion. But he does acknowledge the influence of a certain red-shirted one, who won four times in this fallow period.

“Tiger Woods has been one of the reasons,” McIlroy said. “I don’t know if it’s anything necessarily to do with European players.

“You know, I feel a few of us had a chance. Lee had a chance in 2010, I think. I had the chance in 2011. Luke Donald was up there 2011, 2012. I don’t know. I don’t think there’s any reason. You look at in the early ’90s, you had a lot of Europeans win: Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam. Maybe that will change and it will start to happen again.”

McIlroy will arrive at the course today as he prepares for his bid to become only the sixth player to win the career grand slam.

The world No 1 has taken two trips to Augusta recently: One with his father four weeks ago, and then a more serious reconnaissance 10 days ago. The word is that he has fixed the distance-control flaw with his wedges and feels he is peaking again.

Woods will also return today after playing two practice rounds here last week, which convinced him to tee it up despite a two-month absence enforced by his inability to play “to an acceptable level”.

All eyes, and cameras, will be on his chipping after the shocking display in Phoenix in February.

Standing under the Oak Tree in front of the clubhouse on Sunday, Sir Nick Faldo summed up the foreboding concerning Woods’ challenge and questioned why he chose Augusta of all places.

“If it was me I would have liked to have tested it and get some rust off,” Faldo said. “We’re all waiting with bated breath. I assume we’ll see a different swing. You’re not coming here out of curiosity. It’s the toughest chipping, but you’re chipping off perfect lies. It’s all nerve.” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

The first round of the US Masters will be shown live on StarHub TV Ch209 at 3am on Friday.