Steve Palmer's British Masters preview, best bets, free golf tips, course guide

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the British Masters at Close House on the European Tour, starting on Wednesday.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from midday on Wednesday

Best bets

Lee Westwood
3pts each-way 10-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
Chris Paisley
1pt each-way 60-1 Betfred
Marc Warren
1pt each-way 50-1 BoyleSports
Connor Syme
1pt each-way 45-1 Betfred

Analysis

The European Tour starts in earnest this week with the Betfred British Masters at Close House, stepping up a gear after a low-key fortnight in Austria provided the first post-lockdown action.

There was no mainstream television coverage of the Austrian events, but the cameras will be firmly trained on Close House for an intriguing event at an attractive venue. The field is dominated by UK-based players, who are licking their lips at the prospect of there being six UK-staged Tour events before the end of next month.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Lee Westwood 10-1

The role of tournament host can be a demanding one, even for a gregarious character such as Lee Westwood, but the unusual circumstances in which this British Masters are being played may actually help the Ryder Cup star focus enough on his own golf to triumph.

Typically, the host has too many off-course duties to allow full concentration on his day job, but no spectators are permitted at Close House this week and, for obvious reasons, the Tour wants to keep the number of people on the site to a minimum. It is a no-nonsense, no-frills week with a Wednesday start and Westwood should be able to hit the ground running at a course he knows better than anyone.

The Worksop-born 47-year-old opened the Colt Course in 2011 and is their attached touring professional. It is his practice base and he was teeing up regularly there during lockdown – Westwood has a significant edge on his rivals in terms of course knowledge.

The racing enthusiast lost two stone during lockdown, impressing on his exercise bike, so European golf fans will see a leaner, fitter, healthier Westwood on their TV screens. The old version showed he could still claim European Tour titles – the 2018 Nedbank Challenge and 2020 Abu Dhabi Championship were both won against top-class opposition – and the new Westwood could be even more dangerous.

Given his course comfort and apparent vigour, it was a shock to find the most decorated player in the field available at double-figure odds. With a half-decent week on the greens, Westwood will surely contend, and the 25-times European Tour champion looks a favourite to trust. He faded over the weekend to finish 15th in the 2017 edition at Close House, but this seems a much better opportunity.

Next best bet

Chris Paisley 60-1

Another player who knows Close House well is Chris Paisley, a Hexham lad who lives half an hour down the road and had an army of supporters for the 2017 event. An opening round of 73 left him tailed off that year – the fan club may have added a layer of pressure – and the quieter nature of this year's event may aid his cause.

Paisley was a Tour maiden in 2017, but he won the South African Open a few months later in fine style, bravely winning a duel against local hero Branden Grace. The 34-year-old has a touch of class, particularly on and around the greens, and he carded a 61 in the 2018 Web.com Tour Championship when coming close to gaining a PGA Tour card.

Paisley's Challenge Tour victory came in England in 2012 and the likeable local is good enough to contend for British Masters glory. He has been keeping his eye in by playing Florida mini-tour events and arrived back at the weekend.

Other selections

Marc Warren 50-1

Connor Syme 45-1

Complete your staking plan with two Scots who enjoyed a profitable trek to Austria for the early post-lockdown European Tour skirmishes. Marc Warren got his career right back on track with a gutsy victory in the Austrian Open, carrying his own bag throughout and overcoming some poor weather to edge home by a shot.

Warren, a four-times European Tour champ, has always been blessed with enormous talent and has a textbook swing. He has seemingly found a fresh desire at the age of 39 after a long barren spell and Close House is the sort of layout where he could impress. Warren has a fantastic record in UK events, including winning at Gleneagles in 2007 and losing a playoff for the BMW PGA at Wentworth in 2013, and he was a solid 15th at Close House in 2017.

Syme finished fourth in the Austrian Open and the accurate 25-year-old Kirkcaldy man should stay largely out of trouble at Close House. He won on the Challenge Tour last season and has made a bright start to life on the main circuit. Betfred are paying to ten each-way places.

Players to note

Marcus Kinhult
The defending champion finished 14th in a post-lockdown Nordic League event to warm up for this. The Swede is talented and well capable of retaining his crown.

Steven Brown
The Colt Course is inspired by Harry Colt, who designed Wentworth, where Steven Brown plays most of his golf. The Portugal Masters champ may feel at home.

Close House course guide

Course Colt Course, Close House Golf Club, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
Prize money €1.25m (€208,375 to the winner)
Length 6,872 yards
Par 71
Field 132
Course records- 72 holes 260 Paul Dunne (2017) 18 holes 61 Paul Dunne (2017)

Course winner taking part Paul Dunne

When to bet By 7am Wednesday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12pm on Wednesday

Last week - Euram Bank Open 1 J Stalter (125-1), 2 R Mansell (200-1), T3 C Blomstrand (200-1), A Knappe (200-1), R Sciot-Siegrist (80-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview The Lee Westwood Colt Course at Close House was opened in May, 2011, when Westwood was world number one. The Worksop-born player is based by Close House and had lots of input into the redesign of the layout, which was originally crafted by Scott Macpherson. The design of the hilly course is inspired by the legendary architect Harry Colt, who created Wentworth and Sunningdale. The Colt Course staged the 2017 British Masters, which was won by Paul Dunne with a 20-under-par total when it was playing as a par-72, finishing on October 1. Walton Heath and Hillside hosted the two subsequent British Masters, prior to this return to Close House. There are three par-five holes – the seventh, tenth and 17th – which are all fairly short by modern standards. Five of the par fours are sub-400 yards. This is a short and fiddly but fairly easy course, which demands a tidy short game. The 221-yard par-three fourth hole is arguably the most difficult. The greens are set to run around 11 on the stimpmeter.

The story of last year Marcus Kinhult bravely claimed his maiden European Tour title with a one-shot success over Matt Wallace, Eddie Pepperell and Robert MacIntyre

Weather forecast A mixture of sunshine and showers throughout, with light to moderate breezes

Type of player suited to the challenge Paul Dunne won the 2017 edition at Close House thanks largely to his razor-sharp short game – and touch on and around the greens, many of which have run-off areas, is vital for success

Key attribute Touch/putting

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