Jordan Spieth may be the overwhelming favorite to win the 2015 British Open, but odds are no guarantee. Spieth will still have to go to work and prove that he’s the best in the field of players that are going to compete in the 144th edition of the British Open from July 16 to 19. But if Spieth (or any other favorites) fails to annex the Claret Jug this year, then who’s it going to be? Will it be any of the three sleepers we have listed below?
[sc:Golf240banner ]The British Open hasn’t given Jason Dufner that many good memories to reminisce. In the five times he’s participated in the tournament, Dufner has missed the cut twice and finished no better than a tied for 26th (2013). One of those missed cuts was in 2010, his British Open debut, at St. Andrews—the same course this year’s edition of the event will be held.
Having said all that, Dufner should still attract attention from folks looking to punt on players with relatively higher odds. For one, Dufner enters the 2015 British Open on the heels of three straight Top 25 finishes; Dufner placed tied for eighth in the AT&T Byron Nelson, then settled for a T24 in the Memorial Tournament, before a T18 in the recently concluded US Open. Dufner has odds of +6,000 to win his second majors title at the British Open this coming weekend
Lee Westwood
Lee Westwood is still searching for his first win in this PGA Tour season, and he may be ripe to win one in the upcoming British Open. So far this season, Westwood has played in 11 PGA Tour events and finished in the Top 25 seven times, the last one being a T9 in the World Golf Championship back in May.
Although Westwood was visibly out of element in his last two events—he missed the cut in The Players Championship and placed a disappointing T50 finish in the US Open—his well-known tendency to play well at The Open should extinguish any fear of another underwhelming performance in Scotland. Westwood has never won The Open since he first joined the tournament in 1995, but has finished in the Top 5 four times over the last 10 editions of the event. That stretch includes his T3 in 2013 at Muirfield and a runner-up finish at St. Andrews in 2010, when Louis Oosthuizen was crowned the champion.
Look for Westwood to display his topnotch skills in putting balls from tee to green at St. Andrews, a driver-friendly course. Westwood is 44th on the PGA Tour in driving distance (295.3) and 22nd overall in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green with a .815 clip. He’ll have to work on his putting, though, as the course’s roomy greens should challenge Westwood, who is only 106th in birdie average (3.53).
Shane Lowry
We round up our list of sleepers with 28-year-old Shane Lowry. To the casual fan, Lowry’s name will likely not ring a bell, but the Irish is definitely doing his homework to become more recognizable. In 10 PGA Tour events he’s played in thus far this season, Lowry has finished inside the Top 25 four times, including a notable T9 performance in the US Open. Moreover, Lowry had a T9 finish at Royal Liverpool in last year’s version of The Open. As of this writing, Lowry (+4,000) is playing in the Scottish Open, where he is currently tied for second.
