Steve Palmer's free British Masters predictions & golf betting tips

When to bet on the British Masters

By 7.30am on Thursday

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Where can I watch the British Masters?

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's British Masters predictions

Thriston Lawrence
3.5pts each-way 25-1 BoyleSports

Matt Wallace
3pts each-way 22-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Frederic Lacroix
2.5pts each-way 33-1 bet365

Richard Mansell
2pts each-way 35-1 bet365

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Steve Palmer's British Masters preview

Tyrrell Hatton is clear favourite for the British Masters on his return to the DP World Tour and the LIV Golf rebel can be backed at 7-1 to triumph at The Belfry.

Hatton, who has not featured in a non-Major on the DP World Tour since finishing 31st in the Dubai Desert Classic in January, does not appear to represent great value on his Belfry debut. He three-putted the final hole of LIV UK a month ago, gifting Jon Rahm victory, then was 25th of 54 in LIV Greenbrier last time out.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Thriston Lawrence 25-1

The second-highest ranked player in the British Masters field is Thriston Lawrence – only Hatton has a superior world ranking – and the South African is not getting the respect he deserves in the outright market.

A four-time DP World Tour champion at the age of 27, Lawrence has built on a strong amateur career, becoming a prolific winner as a pro. His last DPWT success came last summer in the BMW International and his last Sunshine Tour victory came last week.

Lawrence won the SunBet Challenge in his homeland on Sunday – a three-round affair which he used as a gentle loosener after some time off. He opened with a 62 and romped to a five-shot triumph, providing a timely injection of confidence for the remainder of the DPWT season. He is targeting one of the ten PGA Tour cards earned through the Race to Dubai standings.

Lawrence, sixth in the Race to Dubai going into the British Masters, was superb in the Open Championship a month ago. Nobody outscored him over the weekend at Royal Troon and he finished fourth, building on three second-place finishes he had on the DPWT earlier in the year.

Driving was a strength for Lawrence in the SunBet Challenge and he could prove the man to beat at The Belfry if he carries that long-game form to England. He has a solid record in the UK and Ireland and steady previous results at The Belfry (36-39).

Next best bet

Matt Wallace 22-1

Four-time DPWT champion Matt Wallace deserves great respect in this grade. He won six times on the Alps Tour before becoming a DPWT star, then made his PGA Tour breakthrough last year, winning the Corales Puntacana Championship.

Wallace birdied every hole of the back nine on his way to a sensational Saturday 60 in the DP World Tour Championship in December, eventually finishing second, and the Londoner is always to be feared when he returns to his home circuit.

Wallace has excelled in top company, finishing third in a US PGA, and he was fourth on the PGA Tour in the Byron Nelson in May. He nearly won the 2019 British Masters and should prove a serious threat this time given he has been producing good golf in much better events than this one. A tie for 41st in the Open was followed by 24th in the 3M Open and 28th in the Wyndham Championship. He finished 19th in his only previous Belfry start.

Other selections

Frederic Lacroix 33-1
Richard Mansell 35-1

Back-to-back victories for Frederic Lacroix seem entirely feasible. The 29-year-old Frenchman is perfectly suited to The Belfry, where long and accurate driving is the key to success. He is typically magnificent from tee to green. Putting has been a weakness, but he was brilliant on the greens over the weekend in Denmark, and should have fresh swagger with putter in hand after his maiden success.

Lacroix, who won three times on the Alps Tour in 2019, made a great start to this year after graduating from the Challenge Tour. A quiet spell followed, but he has got right back to his best in recent weeks, finishing 20th in the BMW International, third in the Czech Masters and first in the Danish Golf Championship.

Lacroix had missed four consecutive cuts going into his Belfry debut in 2022, but he finished 21st and nobody outscored him in round four. Last year he missed the cut the week before and was languishing at 364th in the world rankings, but he finished 34th at The Belfry. This week he arrives as world number 135 and in the form of his life.

Local lad Richard Mansell knows The Belfry very well and the course plays to his strengths. He was 12th in the Challenge Tour event there in 2021, then eighth in the 2022 British Masters, matching Lacroix for the best Sunday round.

Mansell was 28th in last year's British Masters. He has posted four top-threes on the DP World Tour and may be ready for a breakthrough at the age of 29. He fired a course-record final-round 61 for tenth place in the Scottish Open last month, then was 50th in the Open and tenth in the Czech Masters. His mind was probably wandering forward to his Belfry opportunity during last week's missed cut in Denmark.

Course guide for the British Masters

• Course Brabazon Course, The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England
• Prize money $3.5m ($583,450 to the winner)
• Length 7,336 yards
• Par 72 – three par-fives; 12 par-fours; three par-threes
• Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Tyrrell Hatton (36), Thriston Lawrence (74), Thorbjorn Olesen (86), Matt Wallace (96), Keita Nakajima (100)
• Course records - 72 holes 273 Lee Westwood (2007 British Masters) 18 holes 62 Oliver Bekker (2021 British Challenge)
• Course winners taking part Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Rasmus Hojgaard, Thorbjorn Olesen, Daniel Hillier
• When to bet By 7.30am on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Thursday
• Last week – Danish Golf Championship 1 F Lacroix (35-1), T2 R Langasque (33-1), L Bjerregaard (100-1), 4 D Ravetto (90-1), T5 J S Olesen (100-1), A Saddier (50-1), C Blomstrand (125-1), P Figueiredo (500-1), J Dean (50-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview The Brabazon Course hosted the Ryder Cup in 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002. Several Tour events have been staged at The Belfry, including the International Open (2000-2003), the British Masters (2006, 2007, 2008, 2021, 2022, 2023), and UK Championship (2020). The 2021 British Challenge (Challenge Tour) was also at the Brabazon. There is more water on the layout than just about any inland course in the British Isles, so scoring can be volatile, and the front nine particularly demands accuracy. The back nine is more open, although heavily bunkered
• Story of last year Daniel Hillier claimed a maiden DP World Tour title, firing a Sunday 66 to win by two shots
• Weather forecast Sunny and calm, with temperatures peaking at 23C
• Type of player suited to the challenge Strong ball-strikers have traditionally thrived at this venue, which features a series of long, punishing par-fours
• Key attribute Accuracy

Steve Palmer's British Masters key stat

Three of the last eight winners of DP World Tour events at The Belfry have been English

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