Jacobson to edge three-way battle to be top Masters Scandinavian

Six Scandinavians will tee it up at Augusta in the hope of being the first ever Masters winner from this region of Europe and it is Fredrik Jacobson that has the capability of challenging best.

The top Scandinavian market is of interest, with three players realistically battling it out for this honour.

Peter Hanson was the clear winner at Augusta 12 months ago when finishing third after holding the outright tournament lead after three rounds.

Since then, Hanson has added two titles to this resume and he is steady in both the driving and putting departments, which indicate he is a solid bet.

Hanson is 11/4 to be the top Scandinavian, but it is Stenson that heads this particular market at 15/8.

Stenson’s uncanny ability to hit greens in regulation on the PGA Tour this year suggests dropped shots will be at a premium and how much his game has improved in the last year is shown by his climb from 171st to 41st in the official world rankings.

The fact he was runner-up on his last start before Augusta at the Shell Houston Open indicates further the level of his current form.

However, preference is for a third Swede in Jacobson at 4/1 to finish as the leading Scandinavian.

Masters appearances have been fairly sparse historically for Jacobson, but he has finished inside the top 20 on two of his three visits, while he has top-25 finishes in six successive starts this season.

His strong putting should ensure he remains in contention, while he is also prominent in the PGA Tour statistics in terms of adjusted scoring.

Of the remainder, Thorbjorn Olesen is also 4/1, but hard to fancy after withdrawing after the first round of the Shell Houston Open, which may have been some way to do with a recent car accident.

Carl Pettersson is 9/1 and should not be totally discounted after finishing third at the PGA Championship last year and leading after the opening round, with Thomas Bjorn 10/1.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.