The barnstorming European Tour moves from China to the U.K. this week for the playing of the Betfred British Masters, contested for the first time at the Hillside Golf Club in Southport, England. At one time the British Masters was the premiere event on the Euro circuit, but lack of a corporate sponsor discontinued the stop for six years. The tournament was revived in 2015 and has started to gain traction by attracting the top British golfers in the world. Tournament host Tommy Fleetwood opened as the betting favorite at BookMaker.eu with odds of +710. Fellow countrymen Tyrrell Hatton ( +1700 ), Matt Wallace ( +2000 ) and Eddie Pepperell ( +2000 ) are lined up behind Fleetwood.
Odds to Win Betfred British Masters at BookMaker.eu
Tommy Fleetwood +710
Tyrrell Hatton +1700
Matt Wallace +2000
Eddie Pepperell +2000
Joost Luiten +2500
Jordan Smith +2500
Lee Westwood +2800
Andy Sullivan +3000
Victor Dubuisson +3500
David Lipsky +3500
Erik Van Rooyen +3500
Ryan Fox +4000
Ross Fisher +4000
Martin Kaymer +4500
Fabrizio Zanotti +4500
Richard Sterne +5000
Romain Langasque +5000
Sean Crocker +5000
Thomas Detry +5000
Tom Lewis +5000
Nacho Elvira +5000
Bernd Wiesberger +5500
Benjamin Hebert +6000
Paul Waring +6000
Paul Dunne +6000
Alexander Levy +6600
Sam Horsfield +6600
Adrian Otaegui +6600
Kurt Kitayama +6600
George Coetzee +7000
Minwoo Lee +7000
Maximilian Kieffer +7000
Scott Hend +8000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +8000
Matthias Schwab +9000
Lucas Herbert +9000
Jason Scrivener +10000
Pablo Larrazabal +10000
Robert Rock +10000
Shubhankar Sharma +10000
Callum Shinkwin +10000
Chris Paisley +10000
Adri Arnaus +10000
Andrea Pavan +10000
Gavin Green +10000
Stephen Gallacher +10000
Richie Ramsay +10000
Aaron Rai +10000
Joachim B. Hansen +11000
Odds Analysis
Tommy Fleetwood +710
It’s not always the best move to hang your hat on the favorite, but the stars are seemingly aligned for Fleetwood. Serving as tournament host in his hometown will provide inspiration and he’s definitely looking forward to it. “I can’t wait to host the British Masters in my home town,” he said. He picked Hillside because he loves it and his tournament history is favorable with a T13, T4 and T9 his last three starts. He’s enjoyed success on the links courses and finished T2 with Sergio Garcia at the Zurich Classic his last time out. However, there’s a reason why no host has won his tournament with all the extracurricular activities distracting. And I see better value picks further down the odds board.
Eddie Pepperell +2000
When talking about links performers Pepperell needs to be included in the conversation. He was T6 in last year’s Open at Carnoustie, had a pair of top-5s at the Scottish Open and lost in a playoff at the Irish Open. And he’s the defending champion of this tournament claiming a two-stroke win last year at Walton Heath Golf Club. Recent form is excellent with a T3 in THE PLAYERS Championship and T16 at the RBC Heritage.
Jordan Smith +2500
There’s plenty to like about Smith’s game. There are also some negatives that make me think twice about throwing down on him. He’s 9 for 9 this season with six top-30s and he continued his solid play with a T5 in China last week for his third top-15. However, he’s one Englishman who made the trip to China while several of his mates didn’t endure the grueling travel. And his links form hasn’t been the best. He did grab a podium finish at last year’s playing at Walton Heath, however.
Erik Van Rooyen +3500
Fond of playing links golf, the South African backed that up with superb results. He had a four-shot lead after 54 holes of the Irish Open last year, only to fade into fourth on the last day. He was also in the running at the Open, only to fade again on Sunday into a T17. Recent form is solid with a pair of runner-up showings in Qatar and Morocco, and two other top-15s in his last six starts.
Course: Hillside Golf Club – 6,953 yards, Par 72
Founded in 1911, Hillside Golf Club has long been considered a gem of England’s Golf Coast and will host this event for the first time. It stretches to just under 7,000 yards and at par-72 can yield favorable scores. The back nine is considered by many to be the best in Britain and just about every golfer to play that stretch raves about it. Not because it’s easy to play, rather because of the landscape. The front nine is no picnic with a typical links style layout that resembles Carnoustie. Hillside rests close to both Royal Birkdale and the Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club making up England’s Golf Coast.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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