Brooks Koepka is the hottest golfer right now and the favorite to take the British Open (aka The Open Championship) but the hottest doesn’t always win it all in the majors. With that said, let’s take a look at three other players who are not on most bettors’ radars to win the 2019 British Open, yet clearly have what it takes to shock the world in Northern Ireland.
Fleetwood is still searching for his first win of the 2019 PGA Tour season, but at least he seems to be trending upwards again. After a forgettable 48-place finish performance at the 2019 PGA Championship last May before an even worse 65th-place, the 28-year-old Southport, England native finished 13th at the Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands before having a T23 at the Irish Open in the European Tour. Fleetwood’s ability to strike the ball will come in handy for him at Royal Portrush, and could very well carry him into a solid and deep run. Fleetwood is 25th on the Tour in putting per hole with a 1.787 mark. Fleetwood has made the cut in all 13 PGA Tour events he’s started this season with four top 10s.
Schauffele has yet to win a major title in his career, but boy it seems like it’s just a matter of time before he hits the bull’s eye. Schauffele came close to that goal when he finished with a T3 at Pebble Beach last June during the 2019 US Open. Just to further demonstrate how competitive Schauffele is when a lot is on the line, he’s finished inside the top 10 in five of the last 10 majors he’s participated. Furthermore, he’s made the top three in all of his last five starts at a major. Schauffele is currently fifth on the Tour in earnings and is 21st overall in greens hit in regulation. Schauffele was a runner-up in last year’s British Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland.
At odds of +3000 to win the 2019 The Open, betting on Thomas doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all. After all, it was just last year when the native of Goshen, Kentucky and product of the University of Alabama was on top of the PGA rankings. Thomas was 36th at the Travelers Championship late last July and prior to that, missed the cut at the US Open. He also missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Course back in May. The uninspiring trend he’s established of late clearly explains why he’s been valued the way that he is today, though, he’s still generally seen as a capable golfer every start he makes.
