Niall Lyons has three outright tips for the Betfred British Masters 2024.
British Masters 2024
The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England, hosts the 2024 British Masters.
The Belfry held this event back in 2007 and 2008 before taking a long break and returning as host in 2021 and this is now the fourth year on the spin it has held this fine event.
It fails to attract the field it deserves to be honest and I'd only wish these types of events became more prominent (see my Tour Championship tips here) in the schedule in terms of prize money.
Some of the best in the world knocking it around the Belfry would be a fine tournament and although most are missing we do get one star name in the shape of Tyrrell Hatton. It's not easy to hit greens around here and scrambling comes to the forefront as a big part of the jigsaw here.
Hillier was 5th in that department when winning last year whilst the two previous winners Olesen and Bland ranked 4th and 1st in that stat respectively.
Let’s look at the key stats from the last three renewals.
British Masters Tips
- 1pt each-way H.Hall 66/1 (1/5 6) Spreadex, Sporting Index
- 1pt each-way L.Canter 33/1 (1/5 8) Sky Bet
- 1pt each-way J.Smith 40/1 (1/5 8) Sky Bet
Harry Hall @ 66/1 (Six Places)
Keeping a close eye on those dropping in class a little from the PGA Tour often proves beneficial and although Matt Wallace was tempting again around the 25/1 mark I slightly prefer a recent winner across the water in the shape of Harry Hall.
Accuracy and length from the tee are neither of Hall's strengths but looking at the tables above it's worth noting how little the contenders gain off the tee here at the Belfry. Olesen ranked 64th OTT when winning, and last year Hillier was 25th.
Therefore Hall's lack of clout with the driver shouldn't prove much of an issue here and instead we should look to his superb short game as a pointer as to how he could score around here.
He ranks 2nd on the PGA Tour this year in strokes gained around the green whilst he lies 34th in Scrambling. He is mixing it with the best in the game in these departments and a trip to the Belfry should be perfect for him.
It's a different scene to what he's used to but only last month he won a 5 man play off at the ISCO Championship and shouldn't show the same frailties as many do on this tour if he gets a chance of the win on Sunday.
Laurie Canter @ 33/1 (Five Places)
Laurie Canter may be a shade inconsistent but it could pay to tap into that now and again and at 33/1 he looks worthy of a few quid this week at the Belfry.
We last saw the Englishman finish a very respectable 25th in the Open Championship alongside the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth and it was only the start of June when he won the European Open beating Thriston Lawrence who went a long way to winning the Open himself.
In between that it was a very mixed bag but it's worth noting that his only top tens this year have been 4th, 2nd, 7th and a victory. When he tends to play well he often goes close and with his short game in decent nick lately he could score well around here.
He ranks 21st on tour in scrambling this year and in particular has played well around the greens these last couple of months. He has yet to better 30th here in two tries, but he did shoot four under par rounds back in 2021 and only missed the cut on the number in 2022.
His ceiling is high which is why I'm prepared to give him a go here at 33/1.
Jordan Smith @ 40/1 (Eight Places)
Things haven't been firing for Jordan Smith of late but around a track like the Belfry where if his long game fired he could gain plenty on the field in that department and turn things around.
His usual impeccable long game has been missing for a while now, ever since his runner up finish in the BMW International Open. It is worth noting though that the fields in the Scottish and Open Championships were much stronger and there were uncharacteristic elements to his game those weeks.
His irons can bounce back in a flash and I suspect they might just do at the Belfry. He missed the cut last time out at the Czech Masters but that was an unseen course and a second round of 69 may be a sign that there's not an awful lot wrong.
His short game may be the issue here regardless as he doesn't stack up against many others in that department around the same price point, but he is one of those who can gain plenty with his long game on a good week and a return to these shores may just be the tonic he needs.
