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

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry on the DP World Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Main Event & Golf from 1.30pm on Thursday

Best bets

Adrian Meronk
3pts each-way 22-1 general

Robert MacIntyre
2.5pts each-way 22-1 general

Jordan Smith
2pts each-way 28-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Victor Perez
1.5pts each-way 60-1 bet365

Richard Mansell
1pt each-way 140-1 bet365

Nicolai von Dellingshausen
0.5pt each-way 275-1 BoyleSports

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The Betfred British Masters has former Augusta champion Danny Willett hosting, Ryder Cup legend Lee Westwood helping out, and the Hojgaard brothers in attendance to dazzle their fans.

Whether any of that quartet are worth following for the betting community is open to serious question. The casual golf follower may be drawn to the groups which include the biggest names, but punters are advised to focus on others.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Adrian Meronk 22-1

The moment may have come for Poland's greatest ever golfer - Adrian Meronk seems primed for a DP World Tour breakthrough at the age of 28. The 6ft 6in powerhouse has been knocking loudly at the gate of the winner's enclosure - and he could come crashing through at The Belfry.

Meronk took a month off after finishing third in the Qatar Masters at the end of March and made an understandably slow start on his return to action in Girona last week. A pair of 71s left him well adrift, but he charged over the weekend and ended up only two shots shy of the playoff, again banking a healthy cheque for third place.

Meronk has finished in the top six in four of his last seven tournaments and this week he gets to tee up at a venue where he almost won 12 months ago. On his Belfry debut in last year's British Masters, Meronk fired rounds of 65 and 69 over the weekend, finishing a shot short of the playoff.

It seems only a matter of time before this ever-improving talent gets off the mark. He has won on the Challenge Tour and The Belfry represents a golden chance for a main-tour triumph.

Click here to read Steve Palmer's preview of the Wells Fargo Championship

Next best bet

Robert MacIntyre 22-1

Over the last six months, Robert MacIntyre has played some excellent golf in much better fields than this one, and the Scottish left-hander deserves plenty of respect at The Belfry.

MacIntyre finished 15th in the Genesis Invitational in February, carding four rounds of par or better at Riviera in top-class PGA Tour company, then he beat Sergio Garcia in the WGC-Match Play, before closing with a 69 for 23rd spot in the Masters at Augusta.

These are achievements that most of this week's field can only dream about. The hype machine has stopped MacIntyre going off at value prices in the past, but the 25-year-old clearly has plenty of potential and must be in the staking plan having downgraded back to the DP World Tour. He finished eighth in his only previous Belfry start.

Other selections

Jordan Smith 28-1

Victor Perez 60-1

Richard Mansell 140-1

Nicolai von Dellingshausen 275-1

The Belfry seems a perfect place for Jordan Smith to threaten a second DP World Tour title. Churning out greens in regulation is the key to success at this track - and nobody on the circuit is stronger in that department than Smith. He struggles on the greens, but the Belfry honours board is full of weak putters, and the long-game class of Smith can prove decisive.

Smith has never been happier with his equipment, having switched to a new set of Titleists at the start of the year, and he has already finished runner-up twice with them. Overdue silverware could easily come on Sunday for the 29-year-old Bath man.

Victor Perez followed eighth place in the ISPS Handa Championship with a frustrating missed cut in Girona last week, but the Frenchman appears to be finding his feet again after a year in the doldrums.

Given his long-game ability and his record of success in Britain - 2019 Dunhill Links champion, 2020 BMW PGA runner-up - the Scotland-based 29-year-old deserves a place in the staking plan.

Complete your attack with two lively outsiders. Richard Mansell lives up the road in Cannock and knows The Belfry like the back of his hand. The 27-year-old, a supreme ball-striker well suited to the layout, finished 12th in the Challenge Tour event at The Belfry in September. He topped the strokes-gained-off-the-tee statistics in Girona last week and is capable of making an impact on home turf.

Nicolai von Dellingshausen has been completely dismissed by the layers despite some bright recent efforts. The 29-year-old German closed with a 69 for 13th place in the Catalunya Championship on Sunday, following 21st spot in the Qatar Masters at the end of March. He was runner-up in the Tenerife Open last year.

Von Dellingshausen has enjoyed his Challenge Tour trips to England, with form figures of 2-4 in the Bridgestone Challenge (Luton), and there was no disgrace in a pair of 73s to miss the cut by a shot on his Belfry debut 12 months ago.

Players to note

Adrian Otaegui
The accurate Spaniard could easily bounce back from last week's missed cut with a bold Belfry effort. His form prior to Girona was excellent.

Edoardo Molinari
The Italian veteran, eighth at The Belfry last year, bounced back to form with sixth place in Girona on Sunday. He could grind another place this week.

Sam Horsfield
The Florida-based Englishman has had some injury issues this year, withdrawing at the halfway stage of the Saudi International, and may be a little too rusty to justify support this week.

Richard Bland
The defending champion will be a popular choice at the scene of his greatest triumph. The Belfry is a bit longer this year and the 49-year-old will probably be surrendering his trophy on Sunday.

The Belfry course guide

Course Brabazon Course, The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England
Prize money £1.85m (£308,395 to the winner)
Length 7,328 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 rankings in brackets) Adri Arnaus (52), Richard Bland (53), Lee Westwood (58), Dean Burmester (71), Robert MacIntyre (73)
Course records - 72 holes 273 Lee Westwood (2007 British Masters) 18 holes 62 Oliver Bekker (2021 British Challenge)

Course winners taking part Lee Westwood, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Rasmus Hojgaard, Richard Bland, Hugo Leon

When to bet By 7.30am on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event & Golf from 1.30pm on Thursday

Last week - Catalunya Championship 1 A Arnaus (40-1), 2 O Bekker (50-1), T3 L Canter (35-1), R McEvoy (500-1), A Meronk (33-1), T6 H Du Plessis (55-1), E Molinari (100-1), 8 B Wiesberger (25-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview The Brabazon Course, designed by Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss, hosted the Ryder Cup in 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002. Several European Tour events have been staged at The Belfry, including the International Open (2000-2003), the British Masters (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2021), and UK Championship (2020). Last year's 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. The 319-yard par-four tenth is driveable. The 497-yard par-four 18th is demanding, with a tee-shot over water followed by a long approach over a lake to a three-tiered green. A score between 11 and 15 under has won the five most recent Belfry events

Story of last year Richard Bland came through a playoff against Guido Migliozzi, becoming a European Tour champion at the age of 48, winning at the 478th attempt

Weather forecast Cloudy for the most part, with sunny intervals, all week. No rain, with temperatures peaking at 18C, and only gentle breezes throughout

Type of player suited to the challenge Strong ball-strikers have won the five most recent Belfry events. Johan Edfors, Lee Westwood, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Rasmus Hojgaard and Richard Bland are a weak set of putters, so it seems tee-to-green work is much more important at this venue

Key attribute Accuracy

Spotlight insight The average end-of-season putts-per-round ranking of the last five Belfry champions in the year of their victory is 107

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