Clutch Pro Tour: The Shire - Steve Palmer's preview, best bets, free golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Clutch Pro Tour event at The Shire, Hertfordshire.

When to bet

By 8am Friday

Best bets

Steven Brown
2pts each-way 16-1 Coral, Ladbrokes, Sky Bet
Ben Stow
1.5pts each-way 25-1 general
Alfie Plant
1pt each-way 33-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Banstead Downs Golf Club in Cheam was originally scheduled to be the venue for the Clutch Pro Tour's opening Major of their season, but tournament organisers have switched to a different track with the event fast approaching.

The main tours have suspended play because of coronavirus, but the one-round Clutch Pro Tour event is going ahead, and several bookmakers were betting on it when Banstead Downs, Surrey, was the host.

The late switch to The Shire in Hertfordshire, confirmed over Wednesday night, saw firms suspend betting, but the layers slowly but surely reopened their books through Thursday morning, revealing almost identical markets to that for Banstead Downs. The field is largely unchanged.

Betfred, Coral/Ladbrokes and Sky Bet all took the same position on the venue switch. All bets will stand, unless punters request their bets to be voided prior to the tournament start time of 8am Friday.

Betway took a different stance. They voided all bets placed on their old 'Banstead Downs' market, and they opened a fresh 'The Shire' market.

Callum Shinkwin, a regular title contender on the European Tour, is the favourite. The Hertfordshire man will be delighted with the venue change.

Palmer's top tip

Steven Brown 16-1

Shinkwin has top billing for the Clutch Pro Tour gathering at The Shire, but the local lad suffered a hammer blow in the final round of the Oman Open last time out.

Shinkwin carded a Sunday 77 in Oman, dropping out of contention and finishing 25th, and that was one of a series of European Tour winning chances he has let slip through his fingers. This is obviously an enormous drop in grade and the favourite must be respected, particularly in his home county at a course with six par-fives, but he is a European Tour maiden with a lot of withdrawals on his form figures over the last year or so.

The lack of silverware and fitness concerns mean Shinkwin can be resisted, and preference is for the next in the betting – Steven Brown, who got off the mark on the European Tour in the Portugal Masters in October.

Brown, who won the 2011 English Amateur at Woburn, is attached to Wentworth and comfortable on parkland layouts in the south of England. The Ashford-born swinger may enjoy The Shire, a par-72 playing to 6,900 yards for the event. It is the only course in England which was designed by Seve Ballesteros.

In the last six months, Brown has moved up from 609th in the world rankings to 253rd, and form figures of 21-60-47 from the Saudi International to the Qatar Masters indicate he was in solid nick in much more esteemed company prior to the coronavirus European Tour shutdown.

Next best bet

Ben Stow 25-1

Wiltshire man Ben Stow is widely regarded by his peers as one of the best ball-strikers in the business and only injury problems have stopped the 28-year-old making more of an impact on the professional game.

Stow has won on the Challenge Tour – the 2018 Prague Challenge – and could easily develop into a European Tour champion if he stays healthy. He just missed out on graduation from the Challenge Tour last year. In the small pond of The Shire, the University of Kentucky alumni seems a big fish.

Other selection

Alfie Plant 33-1

Complete a three-pronged attack with Alfie Plant, who won the Silver Medal at the 2017 Open Championship for being the leading amateur. The 27-year-old Bexley boy won the 2016 Lytham Trophy by seven shots and clearly knows his way round a links, but he has also excelled inland, winning the 2017 European Amateur at Walton Heath.

He has finished fifth and 18th in his last two MENA Tour outings, building on an excellent 2019 PGA EuroPro Tour campaign.

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