British Masters Betting Tips & Predictions – Thursday 9th May 2019

Top class golf returns to British shores this week with another renewal of the revamped British Masters. When Sky Sports pulled out of their title sponsorship agreement there were fears the British Masters would drop off the schedule again but Betfred stepped in to keep the tournament alive. That’s great news for British golf fans and for Tommy Fleetwood who gets the chance to host following in the footsteps of Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.

Fleetwood is taking the British Masters to the town he grew up in, Southport, and the highly regarded Hillside Golf Club. Although this year’s renewal lacks some of the star power of recent renewals, Fleetwood has been followed to Hillside by some of the biggest names in British golf so a competitive and exciting renewal is promised for the thousands of fans who will descend on Hillside.

Course Info

The British Masters has visited some of the jewels in British golf design since returning to the schedule in 2015 and Hillside Golf Club is very much worthy of standing alongside Woburn, Close House and Walton Heath. Indeed, the links venue has already hosted European and Senior Tour golf and promises to do a great job on its return to the big leagues.

It’s not often you find a sub 7,000 yard par 72 golf course on the European Tour. Those who think they’ll be able to overpower Hillside will be in for a rude awakening this week though. This is as true a test of links golf as the other world class venues which sit on this particular part of the Irish Sea coast such as Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Birkdale, the latter of which is literally next door.

Recent Winners

The British Masters is the Lazarus of golf tournaments. It was once a very important tournament on the European Tour schedule but looked to have been wound up after the 2008 renewal. Sky Sports and the European Tour did a very good job in bringing it back to life all be it in a different form. Whereas Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño’s win in 2008 was the third edition to be held at the Belfry in a row, the British Masters is now a travelling show.

The constant change in venues should, in theory, allow different styles of golfer to win the British Masters. However, the winners since 2015 were all high class players in decent form who avoided trouble off the tee and set up scoring chances with some excellent approach play. It seems that having control of your ball is a key skill when playing at new courses. That should be the case again given the challenges posed by Hillside this week.

Analysis: Solid Links Form Vital

Ask a European Tour player what they think of links golf and you’ll likely hear them say that they don’t play enough of it on tour. It is an acquired taste but for many, links golf is golf as it should be played. It demands excellent accuracy, expert control of ball flight and a razor sharp short game. Links golf is also not to everybody’s liking so it is important to back only players who have shown an aptitude for links golf in the past for the 2019 British Masters. That’s especially true given the challenging weather conditions forecast for the first two days of play.

Fleetwood Can Make Up for Birkdale Disappointment

The amount of pressure on Tommy Fleetwood’s shoulders for the 2017 Open Championship was unbelievable. Given that Fleetwood grew up playing his golf at Hillside and had more experience than anybody in the field of Birkdale and the Southport conditions, he was expected to make a real charge for the Claret Jug. It wasn’t to be but Fleetwood can put that disappointment firmly in the rear view mirror by winning on his return to Southport.

Nobody knows Hillside better than Fleetwood. His caddie, Ian Finnis, also knows the course inside out which is sure to give his man a real advantage. Fleetwood is in decent form and has fewer world class players to beat than the other British Masters hosts so the 9/1 that the sponsors Betfred are quoting seems a fair price.

Lewis’ Links Form Make Him a Danger

Tommy Fleetwood would be the most popular winner of the British Masters but all British golfers are going to get huge support from the galleries this week including Tom Lewis. The 28-year-old has not kicked on in the way that he or those who played with him as an amateur hoped he would have been able to but he will be very encouraged with the start he’s made to this season.

Lewis has had some good results against strong fields this season and has picked up some of his best professional cheques on links golf courses. Providing he avoids the trouble lurking in the shape of pot bunkers and trees and foliage, Lewis should set up enough birdie chances to compete at the top of the leaderboard at odds of 50/1 with bet365.

Is a Tough Test What Wood Needs?

Chris Wood had a long hard look at his golf game over the last year or so and decided that he needed to make a change to his swing for his longevity in the game. It’s always tough for players working through changes in technique on the course and Wood’s recent results reflect that. It’s clear his confidence has taken a beating but paradoxically a tough challenge may be exactly what he needs.

Wood cannot afford to get bogged down in swing feels at Hillside. His only chance of not sinking is by simply playing golf and dealing with the test presented to him on each shot. A return to that sort of point and shoot golf could just snap him out of his funk and see Wood claim a place at 125/1 with Coral.

Final Verdict: Tommy Fleetwood to Win

Tommy Fleetwood is all set to put the media duties to one side and concentrate on what matters once the British Masters gets underway. His laid back demeanour should help him cope with the pressures of the week whilst his links game and familiarity with Hillside should give him the edge needed to become the first winning host of the British Masters at 9/1 with Betfred.