Rory McIlroy might be ranked number three in the world but he has been working on changes to his swing, and is confident those will come to fruition in time for the US Masters in April.

The young Northern Irishman had a stellar 2011 and won the US Open title by a record number of shots, but many golf fans will remember his final day nightmare at the US Masters last year.

The 22-year-old took the lead on day one at the Masters in 2011 and by day four he was four strokes ahead of the chasing pack. The golf odds made him overwhelming favourite.

However, on the final day at Augusta he threw away his lead and visibly struggled in front of the world media and he finished with a round of 80 and back tied for 15th in the standings.

The fact McIlroy came back stronger and won the US Open shows he is a resilient star but he is looking for further improvements and will be looking for more success in 2012.

He claims his swing revolution is “definitely on the right track” and he is just waiting for the day it all clicks into place without having to think about it – and if that happens sooner rather than later he could be many people’s pick for the US Masters. Fans of Betfair should remember this.

“I feel like I have taken big strides this year in my game and in the way I am swinging the club and in my consistency, as well,” said McIlroy.

“I should be well and truly ready for Augusta.”

McIlroy has joined a host of top players, including Luke Donald and Tiger Woods, in committing to the World Golf Championships-Cadillac tournament at TPC Blue Monster at Doral Resort & Spa at the beginning of March.

All of the top stars present will be hoping for a confidence boost ahead of the US Masters, which takes place four weeks later.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the highlight of four top class quality days of racing at the Cheltenham Festival and is the prize that all trainers, jockeys and owners all want to win.

This year Long Run returns looking to defend the crown he won last March in a memorable race where he got the better of two former winners in Kauto Star and Denman up the hill at Prestbury Park.

Preparation for Long Run haven’t been as ideal as this term, he has been beaten twice already by Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase and King George, whilst he will be denied a run at Newbury this Saturday following the postponement to their card. Anyone looking ahead to the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup will be wondering if he can get back to his best.

Despite the setbacks this season, the Nicky Henderson-trained champion is still ante-post favourite and regarded as the one they all have to beat at Cheltenham next month.

12-year old Kauto Star will be aiming to match the number of Gold Cups won by Best Mate when he lines up in the blue riband event on the final day of the Festival. Paul Nicholls’ star chaser has been right back to his best this campaign and the Betfair horse race betting reflects this.

Unfortunately there will be Denman this year, he retired earlier this season but there could be the opportunity for one or two smart novices to step up in class.

The best of the younger horses in the last few months has been Grand Crus. He finished second to Big Bucks in the World Hurdle in 2011 but has taken to fences with relative ease. The seven-year old has won all three of his starts this season, including his victory in the Feltham Novices’ chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Joe Perry knows he is going to have to show some significant improvements to his game if he is going to start challenging in the big tournaments. The 37-year old failed to qualify for December’s UK Championship, following a disappointing second-half of last season, something that prompted Perry to return his game to how it had been before he made some unsuccessful tweaks and changes.

The beginning of 2012 has looked a lot more positive for Perry, however, with the Chatteris cueman already securing a place at an Asian ranking tournament as well as reaching the final of the 12th Players’ Tour Championship. The snooker betting odds suggest he could challenge for titles.

Perry will now go into this month’s German Masters with a real belief that he could once against start mixing it with the best. Perry’s first round match will be against Ali Carter, meaning the 37-year old will have no time to ease himself into the tournament.  Those looking at www.betfair.com should remember this.

Perry has admitted last year’s disappointments have, perhaps, benefited his game in the long run, revealing he knows the level of snooker has significantly improved over recent years and he will have to work harder to keep competing.

“Not making it to the UK Championship was the big disappointment. I lost in my qualifier to a player who I had always beaten previously, but in hindsight it might have been a blessing in disguise,” he said.

“I was trying a few different things in an attempt to improve my game, but they were actually setting me back.”

“I’ve gone back to my old way of doing things since and had a nice resurgence in form. I’m potting and playing well again.”

“The competition has never been greater in the sport. There is no such thing as an easy game at any stage of the qualifiers or actual tournaments now and that’s why it is so important to eat well and look after yourself.”

Justin Rose says he is ready to get back onto the golf course at the Farmers Insurance Open in the US this week following the birth of his second child recently.

Rose’s daughter Charlotte was born on New Year’s Day and the Englishman freely admits his mind has not been on golf since the turn of the year as his hands have been full with domestic and family issues.

However, he is finally due to play at Torrey Pines this week as he sets his sights on breaking his Major duck in 2012. Rose hopes playing in America, rather than joining the top four in the world over in Abu Dhabi this week, will stand him in good stead to challenge for the Masters and the US Open later this year. Fans of the best the open betting need to remember this.

He said on his website: “It’s been a real privilege to have the time to enjoy the birth and not have to rush off to work. Saying that, it’s now been seven weeks off and I’ve realised how much I’m beginning to miss competing and how refreshed I feel.

“It’s great to feel that way heading into the year. I’m excited about the year ahead and I feel my game has held up really well over the off-season.”

Rose says he knows where his game needs fine-tuning if he is to challenge the likes of Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and the rejuvenated Tiger Woods this season and he feels in good shape for the gruelling campaign ahead.

“I’m clear on what needed improving. Hopefully the areas I’ve been focusing on will pay off,” Rose added.

Rose will hope to begin the year with victory in the Farmer’s but faces a decent field in San Diego with Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and the returning JB Holmes all competing.

Mark Williams predicted a “great week” at Alexandra Palace in response to ending Stephen Maguire’s purple patch in an opening round 6-4 victory at the BGC Masters on Sunday.

The Ebbw Vale native appeared to be coasting when taking a 57 break in the opening frame but a fightback from Maguire left him needing the black.

Breaks of 72 in the second and 64 in the third saw the Welshman edge closer to victory before runs of 35 and 53 guaranteed a 4-1 interval lead. Anyone looking at the best snooker betting will have been wondering if an upset was on the cards.

The pair continued to trade blows, Maguire reducing the deficit before Williams went 5-2 ahead, only for the Scot to take the next two frames and threaten an upset.
Williams, a winner of 18 ranking tournaments, finally closed out the match in the next frame with a break of 51.

Williams, who now faces Neil Robertson or Mark Allen, told worldsnooker.com: “I should have won 6-2, I had a couple of glorious chances, but after that I knew it be tough.

“I was probably the better player tonight throughout but Stephen was favourite to beat me once he made it 5-4. I like the new venue and if the crowds keep turning up it will be a great week.”

Monday’s action from north London sees the UK Open champion and World Championship runner-up Judd Trump take on Stuart Bingham and Shaun Murphy take on Martin Gould.

Murphy can be backed at 1/2 with Ladbrokes, while opponent Gould is on offer at 13/8 in the match betting.

It’s always a brave move for professional sportsmen to question the commitment or ability of their team mates. It can sometimes reap dividends, providing the player in question with the motivation to prove those close to him wrong, but more often than not any public statement of discontent ends up backfiring massively, proving disharmony within a team and showing that not all the players are pulling in the same direction.

As such, you could excuse New York Jets fans for feeling just a little anxious this week after leaked comments from an unnamed source in the Jets dressing room. The comments concerned the form of QB Mark Sanchez, who, although notching up a career-high 26 touchdown passes this season, also racked up a career-high 26 turnovers, something that many believe contributed to the losing run the Jets experienced at the end of the season. People looking at NFL Betting Odds need to bear this in mind.

With Sanchez a man clearly full of confidence in his own ability, it would seem that some of the Jets players are running out of patience with a man who badly needs to do some damage limitation on his public image after the season ends. The unnamed source revealed that the players would like the Jets coaches to bring in another QB to provide Sanchez with competition for a starting place. Fans of Betfair will be keeping an eye on things.

With the Jets players apparently keen on bringing in Peyton Manning should the Colts make him available, despite Manning having question marks hanging over him at the moment, it would seem that any solution to the Sanchez problem would be a good solution right now for a franchise seeming to be in desperate need of a change.

Shaun Murphy is desperate to turn on the style when he walks out in front of the raucous crowd at Alexandra Palace for the Masters in January.

The world number six has never been at his best at the non-ranking but highly-prestigious event and it is the only one of the three big events [after the World and UK Championship) he has still yet to win. The best snooker masters betting shows he is in with a chance.

“I’m kind of due a good run in that,” the 29-year-old 2005 world champion said. “I’ve never got through to the second weekend in the tournament so it will be good if I can get that monkey off my back.

“It’s our third ‘major’ and I’ve won the other two and it’s an event I want to be doing well in.
I’ll be practising hard over Christmas and into the New Year as there’s plenty of time to relax when the season finishes.”

The Sale-based star named ‘the Magician’ will be up against the highly-talented and on-song world number 12 Martin Gould in the first round that gets under way on 15 January in London.

Despite winning the Players Tour Championship Grand Finale and the inaugural Brazil Masters this year, it has been a fairly disappointing year for Murphy.

Reflecting on a patchy 2011, Murphy added: “If I was to pick out a low it would be the World Championship where I lost to Ronnie in the second round.

“I never looked like playing anywhere near to the standard that I know I can and just didn’t do myself justice against Ronnie, falling too far behind early on.”

In a career that spans 13 years, Murphy has won four ranking titles, including the world championship six years ago, the 2007 Malta Cup, the 2008 UK Championship and the 2011 PTC Grand Finale.

Former world champion Graeme Dott has urged sport stars to communicate their problems to help alleviate the stresses they may be experiencing.

Dott has openly admitted he suffers from depression and revealed his advice and sadness following the tragic death of Welsh footballer Gary Speed.

“I think the problem is that people suffering from depression don’t come out and admit it, which is probably what’s happened with Gary Speed,” said the 2006 world champion.

“It’s hard, I’m sure it was a very similar situation for Gary. It’s very sad. He’s probably kept it bottled up and had his lowest possible moments to do what he’s done.”

Speed, who had been football manager of Wales for 10 matches, was found dead in November at his home in Chester aged 42.

Although Dott, a three-time world finalist, has always been very open about his condition, the Glaswegian admitted that recovery was ongoing and that he would probably be on medication for the rest of his life. People looking at the snooker betting odds will be impressed by his openness.

“It keeps me on an even keel,” the Scot added. “I don’t think it’s hard to talk about depression – the hard part is admitting what’s wrong. Once you say it you feel a bit better just because you’ve been speaking to somebody.

“Anyone whose is feeling really low needs to speak, whether it’s to friends or a counsellor. They’ve got to seek help. The other option is getting medication to try and treat it.”

Having come close to quitting the sport, Dott has jumped back up to number seven in the world and will face Ali Carter in the opening round of the Masters at Alexandra Palace which takes place between 15-22 January.

Judd Trump believes that John Higgins and Mark Selby are the two players he now sees as the main threat on the Tour.

The 22-year-old UK champion has been a professional for six years and although three-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan was the man to beat, Trump’s focus is now elsewhere. Those placing online snooker bets should remember this.

“They both play a different game to me,” admitted Trump about current world champion Higgins and world number one Selby.

“Mark’s a little bit more negative, plays good safety and he’s a little bit slower. But John’s tough, just an all-round great player, the most consistent of the last 10 or 15 years.”

Bristol’s top cueman witnessed close-up the skills of Higgins in the final of the World Championship in April. The 36-year-old Scot trailed 10-7 overnight and then 12-9 before battling back with his trademark grit to come through 18-15.

It was a huge learning curve for Trump who wasted a number of chances after knocking in breaks of 104 and 99 before seeing the world crown presented instead to ‘The Wizard of Wishaw’.

Despite the strengths of Selby and Higgins, Trump added: “I don’t really fear anyone any more. I just want to be the best in the world, to get to the top of the game and dominate it for as long as possible. That’s always been my aim since I was little.”

England’s second in command, Andy Farrell, is hopeful that cross-code flanker, Chris Ashton, can play a large part in the national side’s Six Nations campaign, which kicks off in February, next year.

The 24-year-old is highly regarded in rugby circles; a prolific scorer, he was instrumental in England’s Six Nations win in 2011, setting a new record for tries scored. Ashton topped the score sheet at the recent World Cup, as well, scoring six, to share the honour with France’s Vincent Clerc. Those looking ahead to the 2012 Six Nations Betting should bear this in mind.

However, despite having a drawer stuffed with recommendations from his peers, Ashton is undisciplined, perhaps due to his young age. He was present for a now-infamous night out in New Zealand, during the World Cup, when a number of England players are alleged to have sexually harassed a local hotel worker.

Closer to the present, Ashton was the “catalyst for a mass brawl”, to quote the Mirror, in the Northampton Saints’ recent match with the Leicester Tigers. Ashton dragged the Tigers’ Alesana Tuilagi across the ground by his hair, a manoeuvre that landed Ashton with a four-week ban. People placing a Rugby Bet would have been shocked.

Andy Farrell, who is on hire from the Saracens, at England, hopes that rugby fans will see past Ashton’s bad behaviour: “strip everything back and look at the guy as a rugby player. He works harder than any other winger”. Farrell added that Ashton was “outstanding” against the Leicester Tigers.

If Aston can keep his head, he could be the linchpin in England’s Six Nations campaign. He will face competition for the two positions he favours, wing and full-back, with pressure coming from Bath’s Matt Banahan, Mark Cueto, of the Sale Sharks, the London Irish’s Delon Armitage, and his teammate at Northampton, Ben Foden.