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

Best bet

Rasmus Hojgaard to win British Masters
1pt each-way 9-2 Sky Bet

Already advised after round two

Rasmus Hojgaard to win British Masters
1pt each-way 10-1 general

Story so far

A birdie at the final hole of the third round meant Renato Paratore retained the one-shot advantage he had at the halfway stage of the Betfred British Masters, the Italian shortening from 4-1 to 13-8 through Friday's action at Close House.

Paratore, an ante-post 50-1 chance, has not dropped a shot all week, performing much better than when he visited Close House for the same event in 2017. Only three players scored worse than him that week, but he has returned with a 16-under-par total through 54 holes.

The 23-year-old Roman won the 2017 Nordea Masters, so is chasing his second European Tour title in Saturday's final round. Justin Harding, who won the Qatar Masters last year, is alone in second place, while Rasmus Hojgaard, the Mauritius Open champion, is a further shot behind in third spot.

Sam Horsfield carded the best of Friday's rounds – a 61 which included three eagles to claim a share of fifth place.

Leaderboard
-16 Renato Paratore
-15 Justin Harding
-14 Rasmus Hojgaard
-13 Dale Whitnell
-12 Sam Horsfield, Ashley Chesters
-11 Robert Rock

Best prices
13-8 R Paratore, 5-2 J Harding, 9-2 N Hojgaard, 18 S Horsfield, 22 S Whitnell, 25 A Chesters, 40 R Rock, 90 bar

Final-round preview

Renato Paratore has kept his nose in front, but the disparity between his odds and those of Justin Harding arguably disrespects how prolific a champion the South African has become over the last few years.

Harding at 5-2 is much more appealing than Paratore at 13-8, given the former has won twice on the Sunshine Tour, twice on the Asian Tour and once on the European Tour from May, 2018, onwards.

Harding is a tempting option, but preference remains for Rasmus Hojgaard, who was recommended by Racing Post Sport at 10-1 after two rounds. The Danish powerhouse is alone in third place, two shots behind, and 9-2 seems a generous offer about him securing a second European Tour title at Close House.

The 19-year-old has got superstar potential – his compatriot Thomas Bjorn is convinced that Denmark has got a serious player on its hands – and this fairly low-grade gathering has provided nothing to fear. Masters-winning caddie Jonathan Smart is on his bag – and they are a fearsome combination.

When Hojgaard won the Mauritius Open at the end of last year, Paratore was one of his playoff victims, and he can upset the Italian again. Hojgaard won the McGregor Trophy as an amateur in 2016 at Royal Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, and he has taken a similar shine to Close House.

Paratore and Harding tee off at 1.30pm on Saturday for the final twoball. Light rain and a moderate breeze is forecast for Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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