Masters: final round stats

Last updated: 11th April 2010

Historical trends and statistics make good reading for Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson ahead of the final round.

The stats say that there are only two possible winners of the 2010 Masters at this stage of the event.

When Zach Johnson slipped his arms into the green jacket in 2007 he didn't just surprise people by doing it with the ultra-conservative strategy of laying up on every par-five - he also became the only winner since 1990 to have emerged from outside the top two players after 54 holes of competition.

Given that this year's top two Lee Westwood (the leader on 12-under-par) and Phil Mickelson (one shot behind on 11-under) also have a four- and three-shot margin over their nearest challengers, Tiger Woods and KJ Choi, most accept that the trend looks set to continue.

Here are some stats and figures pertinent to the round four shootout.

Lee Westwood stats

In 48 major appearances prior to this week Westwood had never held the lead after any round until tied for the lead after round two alongside Ian Poulter.

The Englishman has twice led after round three of PGA Tour events - he went on to win the Freeport-McDermott Classic in 1998 and finished tied for second at the 2008 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Westwood has so far recorded three sub-par rounds - the only other time he has done this in a major was also at Augusta National, when he was tied sixth in 1999.

Westwood has held the 54-hole lead on 26 occasions on the PGA, European, Japanese and Sunshine Tours. He has gone on to claim victory 15 times. Only twice did he finish outside the top three.

Nine times he led by exactly one shot after three rounds, winning six times.

Westwood leads the Greens in Regulation stats this week - he has hit 43 of 54 so far for an average of 79.63%.

He has three-putted four times so far (Mickelson, Woods and Choi have each done so twice).

He has found Augusta's bunkers four times so far: in round one he got up and down both times but in round three he failed twice.

He has converted 18 birdie opportunities - four more than anyone else in the field has managed.

He has played the front nine better than the back nine all week. He is eight-under-par for the front nine and four-under for the back nine.

Favoured holes: 15th (birdied it every day), 2nd (one birdie, one eagle), 3rd (two birdies) and 6 (two birdies).

Least favourite holes: 5th (two bogeys, one par) and 14th (an ugly double bogey six on Friday).

Round four scoring average at Augusta National - 74.86. (Broken par twice in seven final rounds, never recorded a final round in the 60s, lowest final round was 71 in 1999.)

Phil Mickelson stats

Mickelson has also recorded three sub-par rounds this week. In 17 previous visits to Augusta National he has only once managed four sub-par rounds in one event - when he finished third in 2001.

The Californian is attempting to join seven other players who have won the green jacket on three or more occasions.

Mickelson recorded back-to-back eagles on the 13th and 14th holes in round three and he has some previous with this feat - he made consecutive eagles at the 2001 Open Championship, on the par-five sixth and seventh holes at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The last time he recorded two eagles in one round was during the final round of the 2006 BellSouth Classic which he won.

Mickelson has been in second place after 54 holes 17 times - winning just three times from that position.

He has started the final round exactly one shot behind the leader on 10 occasions - three times he progressed to victory.

He has found sand only twice all week - but is yet to get up and down in two.

His total of three eagles this week is equalled by Kenny Perry. Tiger Woods has made two but no other player has made more than one.

Unlike Westwood, Mickelson's strength has been the back nine. He is just two-under-par for the front nine and a whopping nine-under-par for the back nine.

Favoured holes: 3rd (birdied it every day), 13th (he is five-under par for the hole this week), 14th (one birdie, one eagle and good memories from his previous wins here) and 15th (two birdies).

Least favourite hole: 2nd (oddly managed just one birdie this week on the course's easiest hole).

Round four scoring average at Augusta National - 71.56. (50% record of breaking par in 16 final rounds, four times recorded a sub-70 final round with a best of 67 last year.)

Round Three Leader stats

In 2009 Angel Cabrera was the only 54-hole leader or co-leader in a major to proceed to victory.

In the last three years (2007-09) 54-hole leaders have not fared too well in the majors - only four of 12 have won. In the previous three years 10 of 12 won.

So far in 2010 the third round leader/co-leader has won eight of 14 times on the PGA Tour and four of nine times on the European Tour.

Of the last 11 sole leaders at the 54-hole stage in the Masters, seven were victorious (Woods in 1997, 2001 and 2005, Olazabal in 1999, Singh in 2000, Mickelson in 2006 and Immelman in 2008). Four leaders went backwards - most famously Greg Norman in 1996, but Fred Couples in 1998 and Jeff Maggert in 2003 both lost two-shot leads and Stuart Appleby couldn't maintain a one shot advantage in 2007.

Tiger Woods stats

Woods has come from behind to win 21 times in his 71 career wins.

In 2009 Woods three times overhauled a last round deficit of three shots or more: he came from five back to win at Bay Hill, from four back to win the Memorial, and from three back to win at Firestone.

Famously all of Woods' 14 major wins have come when he was leading at the 54 hole stage.

Round four scoring average at Augusta National - 70.93 (Broken par 9 of 14 times, four times recorded sub-70, lowest final round score is 68.)

KJ Choi stats

Choi also tends to favour leading prior to completing a win - six of his eights PGA and European Tour wins have come when he was ahead after three rounds.

However, when he won the Memorial at Muirfield Village in 2007 he overcame a five-shot deficit.

Round four scoring average at Augusta National - 72.80 (Broken par just once in five final rounds - a 69 in 2004.)

Course stats

The 505-yard par-four 11th hole is playing the most difficult this week with a scoring average of 4.301 - there have been only nine birdies all week.

The 575-yard par-five 2nd hole is the easiest with a score average of 4.633.

Young Italian amateur Matteo Manassero leads the putting with a mere 81 strokes, two fewer than Tom Watson, Bill Haas and Ryan Moore.