Paul Casey believes he can defy history and give Britain its first Masters champion since Nick Faldo in 1996.

Last Sunday the 31-year-old Ryder Cup star claimed his first victory in the United States when he beat JB Holmes in a play-off at the Houston Open.

Only six times has a player triumphed in a major the week after winning on the US PGA Tour but Casey insisted: “Good form is good form. Phil Mickelson and Sandy Lyle won on tour the week before they won the Masters. I want to win this week and I believe I can win.”

Fellow Englishman Justin Rose draws confidence from leading after the first round in the last three Masters. He said: “The biggest thing about winning a major is believing you can, and what's happened to me here has been key for me in terms of making that step.

“You never get tired of seeing your name up there at the top of the leaderboard. That's exciting.”
Lee Westwood, 11th last year, believes a new fitness regime will help him cope with Augusta's monster length of 7,435 yards. He said: “I'm hitting the ball 30 yards further than last season.”