Rory McIlroy takes over as PGA favourite after completing Quail Hollow hat-trick

Golf punters need to be quick off the mark this week, with the Betfred British Masters starting on Wednesday morning and finishing on Saturday afternoon.

Danny Willett is hosting the event from The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, with Robert MacIntyre, Rasmus Hojgaard, Martin Kaymer and Thorbjorn Olesen among notable entrants.

The PGA Tour action comes from Texas - the AT&T Byron Nelson - which has attracted a stellar field as a final warm-up for the US PGA Championship. Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is making his first appearance since claiming the Green Jacket, while Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka are also in the field.

It is another member of the elite who has been hogging all the headlines though - Rory McIlroy is back to winning ways after completing a hat-trick of titles in the Wells Fargo Championship.

McIlroy, 20-1 ante-post for Quail Hollow glory, moved from 15th to seventh in the world rankings and has been getting hacked in the US PGA Championship betting. The Northern Irishman, a two-time US PGA champion who has won before at this year's venue, appears to be settling as a 10-1 market leader.

McIlroy, an eight-shot victor in the 2012 US PGA at Kiawah Island, will head there next week as clear favourite unless Johnson, Rahm or DeChambeau excel in the Byron Nelson.

Both of last week's champions - Garrick Higgo was the 12-1 winner of the Canary Islands Championship - are taking this week off. Higgo has moved up to world number 51 and is playing in the US PGA next week.

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