BRITISH MASTERS
Location: Southport, England
Course: Hillside Golf Club
Yardage: 6,953
Par: 72
Tournament Preview
Hillside Golf Club in Southport plays host to the British Masters this year for the first time. The home course of tournament host Tommy Fleetwood, Hillside is an undulating links course filled with bunkers throughout. Water appears on a handful of the holes, with brooks crossing fairways and ponds protecting greens. The exposed coastal course will have wind as its greatest defense. We will look for good wind players who have had success on link courses.
Key Stats to Winning at Hillside Golf Club
• Greens in Regulation
• SG: Approach
• Driving Accuracy
Past Champions
2018 - Eddie Pepperell
2017 - Paul Dunne
2016 - Alex Noren
2015 - Matthew Fitzpatrick
2008 - Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
DraftKings Picks
Eddie Pepperell - $10,500 (20/1)
The defending champion looks like a great place to start up top. Fleetwood knows this course better than the field, but past results have shown that hosting this tournament hinders results. The highest finish for a British Masters host has been solo eighth by Justin Rose last year. Hatton should be a fine pick as well, but Pepperell has recent form on his side. His last start was a T16 at RBC Heritage. He is a links specialist and his short game will keep him in contention should he end up on a sand dune around the green.
Bernd Wiesberger - $8,000 (50/1)
Wiesberger has been trending nicely the last couple starts with a T23 at Hero Indian Open and T14 last week at the China Open. He is a golfer who time and again has posted a good score on a links course. Wiesberger is ranked 21st on tour in greens in regulation. He will have no problem handling the wind this week.
Richie Ramsay - $7,200 (100/1)
Ramsay is a golfer to have your eye on who appears to be returning to form. He is a three-time winner on the European Tour and recently has been showing signs of life. He has made his last four cuts in a row and finished T14 at the China Open last week. The Scotsman is another good wind player and has had many high finishes on links courses over his career. He is extremely precise off the tee and is ranked 36th in driving accuracy.
Tapio Pulkkanen - $6,800 (125/1)
My bottom price-tier pick this week appears to be a steal at $6,800. Pulkannen's price is due to his consistency, or lack thereof. He recently put together two good weeks in a row, finishing solo eighth at Trophee Hassan II and T14 at the China Open. Hopefully the good form will continue for another week. Pulkkanen is a bomber who can putt. He has shown he can play link courses well. He finished T4 at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last year.
