Expert selected British Masters betting tips from Today’s Golfer.
Tom Jacobs reveals his British Masters betting tips ahead of the DP World Tour event from The Belfry.
Sir Nick Faldo returns to host the Betfred British Masters as the DP World Tour kick starts its Back 9 Swing, offering elevated prize funds and Race to Dubai points.
A strong field will tee it up on the Brabazon course with tour stars, including home favorites Matt Fitzpatrick, Aaron Rai, Matt Wallace, and Harry Hall. Denmark’s Hojgaard brothers are also confirmed, along with defending champion Niklas Norgaard.
European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald also lines up this week, no doubt keeping half an eye out on prospective picks with Bethpage Black just around the corner.
Before getting into my betting tips for the week, here’s everything you need to know about the Betfred British Masters…
British Masters key details
Dates: August 21-24 August
Venue: Brabazon Course, The Befry, Sutton Coldfield (Par 72 – 7,336 yards)
Format: 72-hole strokeplay with 36-hole cut
Purse: $3,500,000, with the winner receiving an ~$600,000
Race to Dubai / Ryder Cup points: 5,000 / 1,500
Favorites: Matt Fitzpatrick 11/1, Aaron Rai 11/1
Defending champion: Niklas Norgaard (DEN), -16
How to watch the British Masters
US viewers can catch all the action on the Golf Channel.
All times EDT
Thursday, August 21: The Golf Channel, 7.30 am
Friday, August 22: The Golf Channel, 7.30 am
Saturday, August 23: The Golf Channel, 7 am
Sunday, August 24: The Golf Channel, 7 am
UK viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports Golf.
All times BST
Thursday, August 21: Sky Sports Golf, 12.30 pm
Friday, August 22: Sky Sports Golf, 12.30 pm
Saturday, August 23: Sky Sports Golf, 12.30 pm
Sunday, August 24: Sky Sports Golf, 12.30 pm
British Masters tee times
Tee times and groupings can be found here.
British Masters betting tipsThe Longshot: Eddie Pepperell 90/1 e/w (Betfred 10 Places 1/5)
Regular readers may remember us being on Eddie Pepperell at the NEXO Championship a fortnight ago, and we were almost rewarded with an each-way payout at 80/1. Now as big as 30 points bigger (10 if you take the places as advised) after finishing 10th that week, and I am willing to back him again at an event he’s already won.
Sure, when Pepperell won the British Masters it was over 5 years ago, and held at a different course (Walton Heath), but he does love playing on the British Isles as he’s proven again recently, and he’s shown form at The Belfry as well.
In 2021, Pepperell finished 11th here, but he was the 54-hole leader after back-to-back rounds of 68 on Friday and Saturday, and given the form he’s in now, I could see him competing again.
There are concerns about his driver, something he has been able to get away with in his past two starts on links, but at 90/1 with 10 places on offer, I will chance that he is strategic enough to play his way round this tree-lined course.
Pepperell ranked 5th in SG Approach at the NEXO Championship, and if he can put together a similar week with his irons and couple that with a tidy short game, I see no reason why he can’t get in the mix at another British Masters, an event where he has finished 1st, 2nd and 11th across three different courses.
Clearly hungry for a return to the DP World Tour, the British Masters has come at a fine time for Pepperell, and I think he can rise to the occasion at big odds again.
The Outsider: Andy Sullivan 45/1 e/w (Paddy Power, Sky Bet 6 Places 1/5)
Andy Sullivan is in fantastic form, finishing 17th or better in 6 of his last 8 starts, and only missing one cut in that span. For a player advancing in years and someone who has struggled in recent seasons, that’s really eye-catching form, and we know at his very best, he is a winner.
He’s got a decent history in the British Masters as well, posting three top 9 finishes in the event. One of those came at this course, finishing 6th in 2021, but two years ago, when finishing 15th was when he came closest to success. He was the 54-hole leader that week, and while he wasn’t able to convert here two years ago, his form is far better now than it was then, so he might be more bulletproof in the same position this time around.
Sullivan’s ball striking has been solid during this 8-event stretch, which has seen him post two 7th-place finishes, but there is still room for improvement across the board, which suggests to me we haven’t seen the best of Sullivan yet in this run. If he was using up all his best form and getting nothing out of it, that would be more concerning, but at the moment it looks like he’s scoring well and has room to play even better if he can get red-hot with his irons for a week.
Not yet 40, Sullivan still has time on his side to make a real impression on the DP World Tour again, and as someone whose last two victories were by 9 strokes in Portugal and 5 in the English Championship, we know he has the ability to put his foot down when the time is right.
His 6th, 9th, and 15th place finishes on this course, especially the 15th two years ago, where he was the 54-hole leader, all show that he has the ability to play round The Belfry, and at 45/1 I will chance him while he’s in good form.
The Banker: Rasmus Hojgaard 16/1 e/w (Betfred 10 Places 1/5)
Some will find Rasmus Hojgaard hard to trust after failing to convert his 54-hole lead yesterday, but he was chased down by one of, if not the most, in-form players on Tour, and I can forgive him given his bounce-backability in the past!
Yes, I have just managed to shoehorn the word bouncebackability into a sentence, but that is something Hojgaard has shown in the past, having won the Omega European Masters on his next start after throwing away a 3-shot, 54-hole lead at the Cazoo Classic a fortnight before.
In 2020, Hojgaard won the UK Championship two starts after blowing a good chance at the Hero Open, and in 2023, he won the Made in Himmerland three starts after going close at the KLM Open. Simply put, Hojgaard tends to follow up disappointment with success, and he can do so here again at The Belfry, a course he’s clearly enjoyed in the past.
In addition to his 2020 UK Championship win, Hojgaard finished 3rd in this event 12 months ago, as he bounced back from a poor opening-round 73 with rounds of 67-71-65 to close out the week strong.
Two starts after finishing 3rd here, Hojgaard beat Rory McIlroy at the Irish Open, and that victory is likely going to be enough to get him into the Ryder Cup. He needs to finish T29 or better to secure a spot on the European team this week, and while there is a concern he might buckle under such pressure, I will take the recent examples of him following up contention with a win, and back him this week again.
Ranking 3rd in Driving Distance and 12th in Driving Accuracy last week, he seemed to have it on a string off the tee, and he was far superior to anyone else on Approach. Despite losing the lead on the final day, Hojgaard was the best iron layer on Sunday, gaining over 4 strokes on approach in the final round.
Clearly the putter is a worry in contention, and that was his downfall again yesterday, but based on his ball striking, course form, and ability to win when going close recently, I think Hojgaard is still a bet. Go book your spot on the team in style, Rasmus!
The Bonus Pick: Jesper Svensson 25/1 e/w (Paddy Power, Sky Bet 6 Places 1/5)
Jesper Svensson enjoyed a fruitful end to the PGA Tour season, and while he didn’t make it with an 18th place finish at the Canadian Open and a 14th place finish at the 3M Open, on either side of his 16th at the Open Championship.
Despite not making the playoffs, there were some good moments for Svensson on the PGA Tour, and now he’s back playing in familiar surroundings and at a frankly lower level, so we can be more confident of him getting into contention, especially at a course he’s already played well at.
The Swede finished 5th on debut last year, improving as the week went on, and he should benefit from that first look. He is the sort of player that can drive the ball long and straight around this golf course as Niklas Norgaard Moller did en route to victory last year, as he ranked 1st for Distance and 4th for Accuracy, to rank 1st in SG Off the Tee overall. Svensson would need to follow this route, but he is certainly capable, having ranked 3rd in SG Off the Tee last week and 11th in Total Driving.
He could only finish 29th last week, but Svensson recorded 18 birdies, just two less than Frederic Lacroix, who recorded the most in the field, and one less than eventual winner Marco Penge. Even better, he led the field in birdies on the final day, recording six in the final round, and he can take that into this week at The Belfry.
Last week, he ranked 1st in SG Off the Tee, 11th in Approach, and 15th in SG Tee to Green. That is a really solid outing for a player who finished down the pack, and similar ball striking numbers this week should see him ease himself into contention.
With the benefit of course knowledge and form this week, I think Svensson puts himself in the mix in what is just his second start on the DP World Tour this season. Adapting to a new tour has proven tough, but he was solid enough when returning for the first time last week, and he should be all the better for the run out.
About the author
TG’s resident golf betting expert.
During the day, he works for betting comparison site Oddschecker, and at night he hosts the Lost Fore Words podcast, previewing and reviewing the action from the world of tour golf.
