Masters 2017 - The Internationals

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA is the best bet to win The Masters if you look beyond America and Europe. The Japanese player is enjoying the sort of spell that he will hope never comes to an end. He turns up and either wins or finishes in the top 10. Week after week. Much is made of the pause at the top of his backswing, and it is not something to be recommended, but Matsuyama has a glorious rhythm and sends it out there a long, long way. It goes without saying that he has no weaknesses, but if you were to pick out one part of his game where there is still room for improvement then that has to be his putting. He is streaky on the greens, but if he arrives at Augusta with a feel for the greens then he could be very difficult to beat.

This time last year, it would have been difficult to look beyond Jason Day as a likely winner. The Australian was on the crest of a wave, enjoying the sort of run that Matsuyama is having right now. But he failed to kick on. And his participation at Augusta was in question after his dramatic withdrawal from the WGC Dell World Match Play Championship following the tragic news that Day's mother has been diagnosed with lung cancer and had just 12 months to live. Day walked off the course after six holes of his match against Pat Perez. A tearful Day left Austin, Texas, to fly back and be with his mother and the thoughts of everybody involved in the world of golf are with him. Thankfully, the prognosis has improved and Jason is competing this week in Georgia.

Louis Oosthuizen has one of the best golf swings on the planet and must surely add to his Open Championship victory sooner rather than later. The best club in his bag is his temperament. The South African has always been able to take the rough with the smooth. In 2012 he holed his second shot at the par-five second hole during the final round and finished tied with Bubba Watson, who beat him at the second extra hole with that stunning wedge shot he hooked around the trees and bushes for a remarkable birdie. Oosthuizen also lost in a playoff at The Open at St Andrews in 2015. He will feel that the game owes him another major and knows that he has the game to win at Augusta.

Emiliano Grillo has rocketed up the world rankings during the past 15 months. The young Argentinian is capable of producing incredible bursts of scoring and has few weaknesses. However, he is inconsistent – he either plays brilliantly or is unable to hit a barn door from five yards. If he drives down Magnolia Lane with his A-game, he will be a tough man to beat.

It would be a great story if Marc Leishman were to claim a first major. He nearly won The Open at St Andrews in 2015 and recently took the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill at the end of an emotional week for the 33-year-old. It was his first PGA Tour victory in five years and proved he is in form at the right time.

Two years ago, Leishman was due to play at Augusta when he was forced to withdraw because his wife was ill. It turned out that Shelley Leishman had suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome. She fell into a coma, her organs began to shut down and she was given just a five per cent chance of survival. Thankfully, she has made a fully recovery and is now expecting the couple's third child. It was heartwarming to see Leishman's two young sons rush on to the 18th green at Bay Hill, with one of them asking him: "Daddy, does this mean you finally won a trophy?"

It would be too much to expect Leishman to complete the fairytale by winning The Masters – or would it?