The DP World Tour heads to Warwickshire this week for the British Masters at The Belfry, venue for some of the greatest memories in Ryder Cup history.
Despite clashing with the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta where many of Europe’s leading names will be battling it out for the $10 million first prize, there is still a strong field for this tournament, including those returning to action following the conclusion of the LIV Golf season.
Tyrrell Hatton is among that number as qualifying scores now count for the next Ryder Cup and a strong start will be required by those looking to assert their authority on proceedings, which in turn ensures the first-round leader market is an intriguing and competitive one.
British Masters First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best bet - Keita Nakajima each-way @ 35/1
Alternative bet - Andy Sullivan each-way @ 50/1
Alternative bet - Romain Langasque each-way @ 70/1
British Masters First-Round Leader Prediction
Best bet: Keita Nakajima each-way @ 35/1
Hatton is favourite for the tournament and to finish Thursday at the head of affairs, but he finished poorly on his last Belfry appearance two years ago and also has to recover from the return journey from LIV Indianapolis.
Preference instead is for Japan’s Keita Nakajima to be the player who flies out of the blocks.
He has missed the cut in all eight of his Major appearances but he is becoming a big factor in regulation tournaments and looks a good fit for this week’s examination.
He plays with great accuracy, which will come in very handy, particularly on the opening nine which is littered with water hazards.
Nakajima certainly found the test to his liking 12 months ago when he was fourth, opening with a 67 that was only one shot behind the first-round leaders.
Much of his golf this year has been played on the other side of the Atlantic, but he was third in a stacked field at the Scottish Open and confidence will be high following fourth spot at last week’s Nexo Championship, so he can make a big impression from the off.
Alternative bet: Andy Sullivan each-way @ 50/1
England’s Andy Sullivan went one better than Nakajima to finish third at the Nexo, which was his seventh top-10 finish since he was fifth at last year’s Belfry get-together.
The four-time DP World Tour winner is another who flourishes on tests of accuracy and other encouraging performances at this venue came when he was fourth in 2020 and then sixth the following year.
He got better as the week went on in Scotland, but that should provide some momentum as he attempts to make a bold bid for glory and there looks a strong chance he will be able to build upon that strong finish.
Alternative bet: Romain Langasque each-way @ 70/1
France’s Romain Langasque is one player who could be flying under the radar this week, particularly in the first-round-leader battle.
He was seventh in his last effort at the Danish Championship a fortnight ago, and while that performance will be tainted by the fact a closing 75 took him out of contention, he should be over that after giving the Nexo a swerve last week.
First-round leader punters should take note that he has had an opening effort in the 60s in each of his last seven starts and this is a course where he has put in some decent performances.
Eighth-placed finishes in 2022 and 2023 should not be sniffed at and he looks a hefty each-way price to be sat on the clubhouse lead following the completion of the field’s first-round efforts.
Key Tournament Stats
The Belfry has hosted the British Masters for the last six years
Sweden’s Alex Noren won the tournament for the second time 12 months ago
New Zealander Daniel Hillier is the only non-European to have won the tournament since 1999
Hillier joins Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Thorbjorn Olesen and Niklas Norgaard as the course winners taking part in this event
The Brabazon course is a 7,363-yard par 72
World number 23 Tyrrell Hatton is the highest ranked player in this week’s field
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
