British Masters 2024 Preview, Picks & Analysis

Far be it from me to criticise the DP World Tour but I can’t help but question the wisdom of scheduling the British Masters during the same week as the Tour Championship at East Lake. It means that there will be no Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Aaron Rai or Tommy Fleetwood at The Belfry for what should be one of the Europe’s biggest and best tournaments.

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will be in the field to keep an eye on several hopefuls. And one of those is Tyrrell Hatton. You may well wonder what a LIV golfer is doing in the field - he gets in because he has paid the requisite fines. And it is highly likely that he will be there or thereabouts come Sunday afternoon. It means there is unlikely to be a dull moment - and plenty of apologies for his bad language!

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

There will also be plenty of focus on Harry Hall, who won the ISCO Championship for his maiden PGA Tour title, a victory that has changed the Englishman's life for ever.

Also at The Belfry will be Dan Brown, who produced a stunning opening round of 65 to take the 18-hole lead at Royal Troon after coming through Final Qualifying to earn his major championship debut, and Matthew Jordan, who made it consecutive top tens at The Open.

Brown, who led the final men’s major of the year after the first round, joined the DP World Tour winner’s circle last year after triumphing at the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational and will be looking to continue his strong form from Royal Troon with another good showing on home soil at The Belfry.

"I’m really excited about playing in front of the home fans again so soon after The Open," said Brown. "Having their support last week was amazing, and I’m sure they’ll be out in force again at The Belfry. I’ve taken a lot of confidence from the way I played at Royal Troon, and I’m looking forward to another week on home soil taking on a strong field at a world-renowned venue."

Jordan joins Brown amongst the home contingent at The Belfry after a similarly positive week at Royal Troon in which he carded four successive rounds of level par to finish in a share of tenth for the second year in a row at The Open.

The 28-year-old will be making his sixth appearance at the British Masters this year after debuting in 2019, when he posted a sensational opening round of 63 to lead by two shots after the first round.

"The British Masters is always a special event for me," said Jordan. "The list of past champions is packed with legends of the game, from Sam Torrance and Thomas Bjorn to Seve and even tournament host Nick Faldo, so having the chance to add my name to that is a fantastic opportunity. I have some great memories from the tournament over the past few years, and I’m hoping to make a few more at The Belfry this year."

The British Masters is the first event of the Back 9 on the Race to Dubai and comes at a crucial time as players look to boost their ranking ahead of the DP World Tour Play-offs.

Brown and Jordan will be part of a strong British contingent at the tournament, which includes victorious Ryder Cup captain Donald and 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett - both of whom have hosted the tournament in previous years - as well as rising star and Junior Ryder Cup winner Kris Kim, who will be making his DP World Tour debut.

Kim, the 16-year-old English amateur starred in Europe’s victory at last year’s Junior Ryder Cup in Italy and recently made history as the youngest player to make the cut in a PGA Tour event for 11 years when he made the weekend at THE CJ CUP.

Kim, last year’s winner of the Boys’ Amateur title as well as the European Individual Championship and McGregor Trophy, is regarded as the outstanding teenage prospect in English men’s golf and showed his prowess in beating highly-rated American Miles Russell 5&4 in the Singles at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

"I am so excited to play at The Belfry later this year and I am incredibly grateful to the DP World Tour for the opportunity," he said.

"The British Masters is an event I have grown up watching and to have the chance to play is a dream come true. The event celebrates the best of British golf and having Sir Nick Faldo as the host is really cool. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to spend some time with him and learn from his experience."

Italy’s Guido Migliozzi will start the week as one of the favourites after his victory at the KLM Open in June. He was also second at the China Open, is riding high in the Race to Dubai and has an eye on claiming one of the coveted PGA Tour cards at the end of the season. Migliozzi’s ability has never bene in doubt but this season he has finally found some consistency. 

This year’s tournament will be the seventh - and fourth in a row - held at The Belfry, which returned as the venue in 2021 after a 13-year absence. The Sutton Coldfield venue has played host to 20 DP World Tour events since 1979, when Seve Ballesteros triumphed at the Lada English Golf Classic.

Last year New Zealand's Daniel Hillier won what was his first DP World Tour title at The Belfry. The 24-year-old made a 40-foot putt for eagle on the 15th hole before a birdie on the next and another eagle on the 17th.

Hillier carded a final round 66 to finish on 10 under par and also pocketed £468,000.

"I'm gobsmacked. I think it's going to take me a while to process to be honest," said Hillier, who started the final round three shots behind six joint leaders.

"Early on in the day, I was not feeling it at all. I was a little bit uncomfortable with the driver, didn't have many chances but obviously knew there were some chances coming in.

"I didn't think I would take them that well, but I'm obviously pretty ecstatic.

"I'm not going to lie, I was definitely looking at the leaderboard and seeing my name up there and thinking about what it would be like to finish it off, but it's all a bit of a blur really."

England's Oliver Wilson was one of six players to hold the lead after 54 holes but he had to settle for second overall, alongside American Gunner Wiebe, two shots behind Hillier.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Matt Fitzpatrick, in 2016 by Alex Noren, in 2017 by Paul Dunne, in 2018 by Eddie Pepperell, in 2019 by Marcus Kinhult, in 2020 by Renato Paratore, in 2021 by Richard Bland, in 2022 by Thorbjorn Olesen and last year by Daniel Hillier.

The Course:

The Brabazon course at The Belfry was designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas and came to prominence when it hosted the Ryder Cup. The parkland course is a par 72 measuring 7,253 yards. It is unrecognisable from its Ryder Cup days, with the hundreds of saplings now fully grown. The two most memorable holes are the risk-and-reward par four 10th, which can be reached from the tee, and the brutal finishing hole, a par four calling from a drive over water and an approach over more water to a three-tier green.

Form Guide:

Tyrrell Hatton returns to DP World Tour action desperate for a victory and some much-needed world rankings points. Don’t bet against him.

To Win:

Tyrrell Hatton. Impossible to ignore

Each Way:

Guido Migliozzi. Hugely gifted

Each Way:

Matthew Jordan. Underrated

Five to Follow:

Tyrrell Hatton. Looking for much-needed ranking points

Guido Migliozzi. Has few weaknesses

Matthew Jordan. Just needs to believe

Harry Hall. Now a PGA Tour winner

Ewen Ferguson. Fabulous talent

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Oliver Wilson. Still has his moments

Kris Kim. One for the future

Luke Donald. Remains a great iron player

Marcus Armitage. Striving for best form

Alex Fitzpatrick. Looking for a big finish to the year