Stanley and Yang look better picks than Mahan to win US Masters
Published:Hunter Mahan may look an appetising price at 40/1 to win the Masters in April after his success in the WGC Accenture Match Play, but Kyle Stanley and YE Yang look better options from a statistical standpoint to triumph in the opening major of the year.
In the last ten years, the Match Play winner has a fine record at Augusta, without managing to get their head in front.
Only David Toms has won the Match Play and missed the cut in the Masters, while seven of the other nine victors finished in the top 20 at Augusta, including all of the last six.
Tiger Woods is favourite in the Masters odds at 4/1 and this is understandable given that he has worn the Green Jacket or taken Match Play honours five times in the last decade, although never both in the same season.
Meanwhile, Woods also fits the criteria of having exited the Match Play at the second-round stage.
Four of the last nine Masters winners had been dumped out in the second round of the Match Play, but unfortunately for Woods, he may have been put in the wrong bracket.
Woods featured in the Sam Snead bracket at Dove Mountain and although this may be simply coincidence, the last five Masters victors to have taken part in the Match Play came from either the Bobby Jones or Ben Hogan sections of the draw.
If punters look at the eight players eliminated in round two from either of these brackets, Stanley and Yang head to Augusta with strong chances of success.
Many will be put off Stanley given that he will be making his Masters debut and Augusta is known to be a struggle for those with little experience of the course.
Fuzzy Zoeller was the last debutant to triumph in 1979, although Charl Schwartzel was making only his second appearance when winning last year.
Stanley already has a PGA Tour victory to his name this season and looks reasonable value at 50/1 to win the Masters, especially given that he also currently leads the FedEx Cup standings to show the strength of his form at present.
Alternatively, Yang is double value at 100/1 and has finished inside the top 20 of the Masters in each of the last two years, showing some pedigree for the course.
