Steve Palmer's Betfred British Masters final-round preview, best bets, free tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm Saturday

Best bets

Dean Burmester to win twoball (5-6), Andy Sullivan to win twoball (8-13), Jordan Smith to win twoball (Evens), Sam Horsfield to win twoball (4-9)
2pts BoyleSports

Story so far

The Betfred British Masters at The Belfry is wide open with 18 holes to play - Eddie Pepperell is one shot ahead of a group of six players who are tied for second place.

Ten under par has been enough for ante-post 50-1 chance Pepperell to take the lead through three rounds. The Oxford man opened with a 70 on Wednesday and has followed up with a pair of 68s.

Pepperell, a two-time European Tour victor at the age of 30 and the 2018 British Masters champion, is 9-2 joint-favourite with Robert MacIntyre.

Pre-tournament general 12-1 favourite, MacIntyre, is among the gaggle sharing second spot. Tenerife Open champion Dean Burmester is alongside the Scot.

Leaderboard
-10 Eddie Pepperell
-9 Robert MacIntyre, Guido Migliozzi, Calum Hill, Adrian Meronk, Dean Burmester, Edoardo Molinari
-8 Justin Harding, Dave Coupland, Andy Sullivan, Matthias Schwab

Best prices
9-2 R MacIntyre, E Pepperell, 8 D Burmester, 9 C Hill, 11 G Migliozzi, A Meronk, 14 M Schwab, E Molinari, 16 A Sullivan, 18 J Harding, 28 D Willett, 50 bar

Final-round preview

Eddie Pepperell is chasing a third European Tour title, coming off progressive form figures on the Canary Islands Swing, and leader capped off a bogey-free third-round back-nine with a birdie at the 18th hole.

A rib problem blighted Pepperell's challenge in the UK Championship which was played at The Belfry last year, but he clearly likes the course and has been able to do himself justice this time around. The pacesetter seems to have as good a chance of anyone going into a cloudy, calm Saturday denouement, but it is difficult to be confident about an outright selection given the congested nature of the leaderboard.

Robert MacIntyre, seeking his first 72-hole strokeplay success on the European Tour under a conventional format, made only three birdies on a quiet Friday, but the Scot seems likely to be in contention down the stretch, while Dean Burmester is full of confidence after winning in Tenerife less than two weeks ago.

Guido Migliozzi is a two-time Tour champion, Calum Hill and Adrian Meronk have both been threatening a breakthrough in recent weeks, while Edoardo Molinari is a former Ryder Cup star who can draw upon bundles of experience.

Maybe Burmester, benefitting from an improvement in attitude of late and seeking to be ultra-positive, is the pick of the prices at 8-1. The South African has had a magical May whatever happens and could be the most relaxed in contention. But the outright market is a minefield - about 25 players will still feel they can win - and preference for a Saturday investment is a final-round twoballs accumulator.

Burmester (against Meronk at 12.37pm), Andy Sullivan (against Dave Coupland at 12.07pm), Jordan Smith (against Richard Bland at 11.33am) and Sam Horsfield (against Raphael Jacquelin at 10.43am) appear strong favourites. The acca pays around 15-2 with BoyleSports.

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport