Steve Palmer's Masters first-round threeballs preview, best bets, free golf tips

Steve Palmer's golf tips, best first-round threeball bets for The Masters, which starts on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event and Golf, 2pm Thursday

Best bets

Padraig Harrington to win 1.41pm threeball
3pts 20-21 bet365

Justin Thomas to win 4.15pm threeball
3pts 8-11 general

Christiaan Bezuidenhout to win 5.10pm threeball
2pts 5-4 general

Brooks Koepka to win 7.33pm threeball
1pt 7-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

Preview

Padraig Harrington may well be the most enthusiastic competitor in the Masters field - the golf-mad Irishman is thrilled to be back at Augusta for the first time in seven years - and there are reasons for believing the veteran can take command of his threeball.

Harrington was keen to put the Ryder Cup behind him - it was almost Mission Impossible for the European skipper to defeat an awesome American line-up at Whistling Straits last September - and the 50-year-old has thrown himself back into life as a touring pro.

Harrington ended last year with 12th place in the Portugal Masters and eighth in the Dubai Championship. This season, he opened with superb efforts in back-to-back Rolex Series events - 20th in Abu Dhabi and ninth in the Dubai Desert Classic - and the three-time Major champion clearly retains plenty of ability.

Four top-eight Masters finishes show Harrington can handle Augusta. Playing partner Mike Weir is unable to cut the mustard at the highest level these days - and the powder-puff Canadian left-hander will be a long way behind Harrington off the tee in the soggy early conditions.
Austin Greaser, the third member of the group, is an amateur debutant who seems likely to find the occasion and the course overwhelming.

Three of the last five Masters defending champions have missed the cut - and little can be expected of Hideki Matsuyama this week. The Japanese star has been suffering with back and neck problems in the Masters build-up, withdrawing from the Texas Open last week after just 27 holes.

Justin Thomas can beat an ailing Matsuyama and amateur debutant James Piot in their threeball. Thomas, one of the deadliest iron players of his generation, should set up plenty of birdie opportunities, as he usually does at Augusta, where he was fourth in 2020.

Bernhard Langer has made a habit of defying the ageing process, but at 64, surely even the German fitness fanatic will start to find the lengthened Augusta a struggle. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, an accurate operator with a sharp short-game, can defeat Langer and Masters debutant Cameron Davis in their threeball. Bezuidenhout is making his third Augusta start, having finished in the top 40 in his first two.

The final threeball option which appeals is Brooks Koepka, who can be fancied to retain his composure best in the last group on the tee. Rory McIlroy's desperation for a Green Jacket puts inevitable tension in his shoulders, while Matthew Fitzpatrick may also feel uncomfortable. This is heady company for Fitzpatrick - a PGA Tour maiden alongside a pair of four-time Major champions on the grandest stage of all.

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