Had Brandt Snedeker not picked up a rib injury a few weeks ago, I would have backed him to do very well at the Masters.
Form
I think McIlroy's schedule at the start of the year was too sparse so I reckon it is good that he has opted to play at this week's Valero Texas Open as he fine tunes his game ahead of the Masters.
Rory doesn't have to chase the dollar so he does not have to play every week, but nothing helps your game more than having a pencil and scorecard in your hand in a sanctioned tournament and he hasn't done that enough in 2013.
However, I've been watching the Ulsterman closely this season and I think he is on the verge of clicking; he had a good final round at Doral and at the Shell Houston Open last week he showed glimpses of form, particularly on the Saturday when he put together a string of birdies.
One of my highlights of the weekend, though, was when Denis Pugh purposely shanked a shot in the Sky Sports Shot Centre, which you can see in the video below, and the rebound nearly removed his left kneecap!
My colleague certainly has a chequered past when it comes to our interactive device, having previously missed the screen high with a driver and chopping a three wood under it - but it is more difficult than it looks.
You sit down in your seat talking about golf and then the producer says: 'Right, get up there and hit a few shots with your leather shoes on and somebody else's clubs'.
It's far from easy.
ROB'S TEXAS OPEN TIPS
I went with
Rory last week and I am going to go for him again at
8/1 with Sky Bet, but I also think
Charl Schwartzel at
9/1 will do well. If they both get their eye in, they will be major contenders at the Masters, too.
Sky Sports will show all four days of the Masters (April 11-15) live and in high definition, while there will also be special 3D coverage for certain portions of the event. Check out our Augusta microsite here for more details, as well as news, features, blogs, player profiles, and videos.
