Some of the best on the European tour will make the trip to Hertfordshire, England and the The Grove at Chandlers Cross for the British Masters this week. Originally known as the Dunlop Masters, this event was first staged in 1946 and has a long and storied history. Luke Donald will host this year’s event as they move from Woburn in Buckinghamshire to the Grove. That should make for an interesting experience with a chance to make some decent money from a sports betting perspective this week. In terms of the big names, we’re missing a number of the big guns this week. That means we’ll see some lesser-known players that are favored this week. The main players to look out for are Bernd Wiesberger, Alex Noren, Ross Fisher and Shane Lowry.
Event Details
Event: British Masters
Category: European
Date: October 13-16
Location: The Grove, Chandlers Cross, Hertfordshire, England
Matthew Fitzpatrick won this event a year ago at Woburn in its first installment since 2008 after it went five years without a renewal. Fitzpatrick will not participate in this year’s tournament, which means there will be a new champion crowned from a field that is headlined by Alex Noren, Bern Wiesberger and Luke Donald among others.
Past Five Winners
2016: Matthew Fitzpatrick -15
2008: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Playoff)
2007: Lee Westwood
2006: Johan Edfors
What To Know About The Course
The Grove only opened in 2003 but there has been enough action at this course to have a good idea for what to expect. The Grove was used for the 2006 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship when Tiger Woods dominated the field on the way to an eight-stroke victory. The course should provide an even test rom start to finish and it will likely favor Driving Accuracy. Good Scrambling and the ability to consistently hit Greens in Regulation should also be a statistic to consider when weighing who has the best opportunity to succeed this week.
The Field
Noren and Wiesberger will enter this week’s events as the co-favorites to win at +1050 odds with Donald also in the mix with some sportsbooks having him listed at +2250 odds as well. Andy Sullivan and Shane Lowry should also be in the mix at +2050 with Alexander Levy, Andrew Beef Johnston and Jeev Milkha Singh rounding out the field for this year’s event. There are some other intriguing bets on the board like Chris Wood, who has already won once in England this season. Thai golfer Thongchai Jaidee is a player who enters the week with some momentum after back-to-back Top 10’s. He also had a Top 10 result at this event 10 years ago.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Bernd Wiesberger over Alex Noren
It makes sense to stick with the co-favorites for this event when it comes to evaluating the head-to-head betting matchups as Noren is coming off a poor performance in Scotland while Wiesberger deserves to be at the top of this list. After a slow start last week, Wiesberger rallied back and ended up finishing seventh at Carnoustie, which followed a runner-up finish at the KLM. Wiesberger is in excellent form heading in to this event and we like him to produce a better score than Noren at this week’s British Open.
Top-Five Pick: Ross Fisher
Last year’s tournament marked the ninth time in a row that an Englishman has finished first or second at the event. Fitzpatrick was the fifth English winner in the last eight renewals of the British Masters and while he won’t be on hand for this year’s tournament it looks as though Fisher will be in a favorable position to carry the torch for his country. Fisher was the runner-up behind Alex Levy at the European Open and he finished second to Tyrell Hatton at the Alfred Dunhill Championship so his form suggests another strong finish this weekend with a good chance that he places in the top-five.
Top 10 Odds For The British Masters
Bernd Wiesberger +1050
Alex Noren +1250
Ross Fisher +1850
Shane Lowry +2050
Tyrrell Hatton +2050
Chris Wood +2250
Danny Willett +2250
Luke Donald +2250
Graeme McDowell +2850
Soren Kjeldsen +2850
