World Number Two Lee Westwood intends stepping-up his U.S. Masters preparations by spending this weekend at Augusta National.

Westwood, along with long-time caddy Billy Foster, will get a first look at the Georgia golfing gem in nearly 12 months since the Briton golfer ended in second place and three shots behind Phil Mickelson.

Westwood went into last year’s closing round one stroke clear of Mickelson but found himself having to play second fiddle to the American who carded a last day 67 to Westwood’s 71.

This year will mark Westwood’s 12th appearance at Augusta since 1997 and coach, Peter Cowen is quietly confident his 37-year old compatriot can break through for a first Major success.

“Lee’s likes Augusta National and he really gets a buzz whenever he has competed there,” said Cowen from Malaga where is on hand for this week’s Andalucian Open.

“He’s performed well there on quite a few occasions not only last year, so if the week is right for him, I am confident he’ll walk through the door to victory.

“But there has got to be a lot of circumstances that has to be right for that to happen.”

In particular, Cowen cited last year’s third round when Mickelson virtually set-up success during a 35-minute fireworks display on Saturday when the American eagled both the 13th and 14th holes and then birdied 15th to pick up five shots in three holes.

“Without Mickelson doing what he did on Saturday afternoon, I believe Lee would have won,” said Cowen.

“To go eagle, eagle and then birdie as Phil did was just ridiculous. It’s almost unheard of, and certainly that second shot into 14.

“Any normal person could have dropped shots at eight, nine, 10 and 11 when Phil knocked it into the woods but he played those four holes in one-under par that was also incredible.

“Then we all saw how it kept his game going at 13, 14 and 15 and around Augusta National you need to keep holing those crucial putts as he did.

“You also need that little bit of luck as we also saw from Phil when he hit a spectator with his tee shot down the 10th on Saturday and instead of landing in the bushes, his ball ricocheted back to the fairway.

“A lot of people have singled out Mickelson’s eagle at the 13th on Saturday as being pivotal but I believe that shot was made easier because he already had two green jackets on his back.

“If he hadn’t been presented with two earlier green jackets (2004 & 2006) that shot on 13 would have been a e difficult.”

Cowen first went to Augusta in 1994 as coach to then British Amateur champion, Iain Pyman.

But after last year’s disappointment of seeing Westwood go so close, Cowen returns for an 18th straight year confident the current World No. 2 can succeed in capturing a much-anticipated maiden Major Championship.

“Lee just didn’t putt well that last day and for anyone to win at Augusta, you have to putt well, so if Lee’s got his putting boots on he can win the Masters,” said Cowen.

“So he’s going to be up there this weekend with he and Billy spending two days by themselves just plotting the course before that fly to Houston for the Shell Houston Open.

“But I like what I have been seeing from Lee of late and his game is good, and I feel he’s going to be peaking at the right time which is a key to Majors success.”

And asked if he felt Westwood’s career would be incomplete if he didn’t capture a Major, Cowen responded: “Everybody would make a lot more about it if Lee did a Major.

“Just take Tony McCoy last year who had been riding in the Grand National for 15 years and all of a sudden he wins the Grand National.

“So would his career have been incomplete if he had not won the Grand National?

“I don’t think so because he had been a champion jockey for 15 years in a row, and what more could he do?

“The thing about the Majors is that there is only four a year and that is what is so good about all this speculation because out of all the great players playing the game at present there can be only four Major winners this year.

“And I’d like to think that Lee can be one of them.”