The European Tour begins a nine tournament swing through the UK with this week’s Betfred British Masters. The event returns to The Belfry for the first time since 2008, though the iconic venue did host the UK Championship during last year’s COVID-challenged season. One of the oldest events on Tour, the British Masters made a successful return in 2015 after a six-year absence and has been a staple on the schedule ever since. Danny Willett serves as host this week with golfers getting an early Wednesday start to allow for an extra travel day ahead of next week’s PGA Championship. Coming off his T12 at the Masters, Robert MacIntyre opened as the betting favorite. Rasmus Hojgaard, who won in a playoff at The Belfry last year, is positioned as the fifth favorite on the opening odds. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Betfred British Masters at BookMaker.eu
Robert MacIntyre +1400
Martin Kaymer +1800
Bernd Wiesberger +2000
Sam Horsfield +2200
Rasmus Hojgaard +2500
Danny Willett +2500
Dean Burmester +2500
Matthias Schwab +2800
Andy Sullivan +3000
Thomas Detry +3000
Thorbjorn Olesen +3000
Calum Hill +3500
Justin Harding +3500
Adri Arnaus +4000
Jason Scrivener +4000
Laurie Canter +4000
Sami Valimaki +4000
Andrew Johnston +4500
Eddie Pepperell +4500
Jamie Donaldson +4500
Jazz Janewattananond +4500
Joachim B Hansen +4500
Fabrizio Zanotti +5000
Sean Crocker +5000
Connor Syme +5500
Guido Migliozzi +5500
Masahiro Kawamura +6000
Maximillian Kieffer +6000
Niklas Lemke +6000
Mikko Korhonen +6600
Wil Besseling +6600
Adrian Otaegui +7000
Jeff Winther +7500
Adrian Meronk +8000
Alexander Bjork +8000
Marcus Armitage +8000
Maverick Antcliff +8000
Min Woo Lee +8000
Odds Analysis
Dean Burmester +2500
After a strong run through the Canary Islands it’s hard to ignore Burmester. He scorched Golf Costa Adeje to the tune of 44-under over the last two events with a win and a T4. Upon his return to a more difficult layout the South African should be confident, but will his game translate that quickly? Many of the so-called experts don’t see him contending this week, but Burmester has shown he can handle whatever comes his way. And I doubt The Belfry will be a huge obstacle.
Laurie Canter +4000
If you think a change of scenery will help Canter than he’s a solid play at his current price. He wasn’t sharp in the Canary Islands finishing T40-T48 in two starts, but he had a strong showing through the UK Swing last year and is welcoming a return to the homeland. He was T13 at The Belfry last year, part of a run that included two top-5s among his four top-15s in a four start stretch.
Thorbjorn Olesen +3000
An interesting strategy in his tournament scheduling could pay dividends for Olesen this week. He teed it up for the first time this year in the Canary Islands going T5-T12 in two starts before skipping the third leg of the swing. With a few rounds to chisel off the rust I expect the Swede to be in the hunt this week. He closed last year’s UK Championship with a 68 to earn a share of 17th and he leads the Tour in scoring average and strokes gained: putting, though it’s a small sample size. Still, he has the goods to be successful on this track.
Bernd Wiesberger +2000
The Austrian gets back on the Euro Tour after competing in a number of PGA events. He was having a jolly time at Augusta until a closing 78 dropped him down the leaderboard to a T40 finish at the Masters. He continues to be one of the better ball-strikers and he finished fifth at The Belfry last year, his top showing of the season. He hasn’t had the results like he did in 2019 when he won three times, but he might be a better golfer due to his experience on the PGA side.
Danny Willett +2500
Since tournament hosts have done poorly in the past and Willett hasn’t been lighting the course on fire recently, I’m going to fade him this week. The fact is one cannot give his full attention to his game when dealing with the extracurricular activities. As host last year Lee Westwood wasn’t even close and no host has finished better than T8. And with Willett having three MCs in his last four starts he doesn’t offer much value at his price.
Course: The Belfry (Brabazon Course) – 7,255 yards, Par 72
The Belfry returned to the Tour last season hosting the one-off UK Championship, the first event at the historic venue in 12 years. The course is a tough one to navigate, making things a little more difficult. The sand wedge might be the preferred club since the Brabazon Course has plenty of strategically placed bunkers. Toss in the lakes and streams that dot the layout and managing the course is a prerequisite for success. The course is relatively flat even on the greens, so carrying a hot putter will allow players to make up strokes. None of the past four winners at The Belfry were better than -15 so don’t expect a shootout.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu.
