British Open 2011 Field: 10 Names out of Top 50 Who Can Win Their First Major

More than any major, the British Open seems to produce winners that aren't expected.

The courses don't tend to be as long as the ones that are seen in the American majors. When courses play long, the elite players tend to be the ones who rise.

Rather than length, these courses tend to be protected by things like true fairway bunkers, or just exceptionally deep green-side bunkers.

It seems as though that helps even out the fields a little, although the British Open has produced plenty of favored champions.

The last time the British was played at Royal St. George's was 2003. There, Ben Curtis, ranked just inside of the top 400 in the world, was the last man standing and won his first major.

We're not looking for another Ben Curtis here. Sure, it can happen again, but anyone who thinks that they have a true beat on the No. 396-ranked player in the world is lying.

Finding that again is impossible. That was Curtis' first professional major and even people in the golf world had no idea who he was.

No, if that happens again, we'll let the player remain unknown until the tournament is well underway.

As a matter of fact, most of the players listed here are relatively big names, although none have won a major.

Note: These players are listed in order of their rankings. The players with the better rankings are listed early.

Rickie Fowler

World Ranking: 52

Best Major Finish: 2010 British Open, T14

Best British Open Finish: Same

The hype and expectations around Fowler are definitely too much. With a fading Tiger Woods, it's understandable to want to see a new American step up, but Fowler is still very young and with the exceptions of guys like Woods and Rory McIlroy, players don't tend to win majors this early in their lives.

Having said that, this is list is comprised of long shots, not favorites. If we're looking at rankings, Fowler is certainly one of the top guys outside of the top 50.

The talent of Fowler is obvious; his problem is that he has buckled under pressure when having a chance to win.

I don't know that I see that changing for the first time at a major championship, but if we're looking at top contenders outside of the top 50, he easily qualifies.

When Ben Curtis won, he did so by making a clutch putt without having any idea that it was for a win. He was a few groups ahead and the leaders, specifically Thomas Bjorn, were fading behind him.

Maybe Fowler can follow in those footsteps.

Sergio Garcia

World Ranking: 53

Best Major Finish: 2007 British Open, Second Place; 1999 and 2008 PGA Championship, T2

Best British Open Finish: 2007, Second Place

Sergio Garcia is actually not too much of a long shot. According to the Bodog Sports book, he's a 22:1 favorite, which places him behind only Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer, who are the top four golfers in the world.

Garcia's problem has always been his head. It's gotten him into some trouble on the course, and probably cost him some fans along the way.

The talent's always been there, and he has seven top-10 performances in the British Open. Included in that is a T10 that he put up in 2003.

He's gone a long way without winning a major and right now, the thought on him is that he's wasted his talent. But Sergio is still only 31 years old, which leaves him plenty of time to build his legacy back up.

Ross Fisher

World Ranking: 55

Best Major Finish: 2009 US Open, Fifth Place

Best British Open Finish: 2009, T13

Any British player should have something of a home-course advantage, as they're far more used to playing on links courses than players from other parts of the world are.

Fisher is having a decent year in Europe, as he's notched three top-10 performances and missed only three of 11 cuts.

The last win that Fisher notched came in August, where he won the Irish Open.

Despite seemingly having a home-course advantage, Fisher's success in the British Open is somewhat limited, although he has found ways to play the weekend.

In 2007, he missed his only cut and sandwiched his T13 in 2009 with a T39 in 2008 and T37 in 2010.

Jeff Overton

World Ranking: 58

Best Major Finish: 2010 British Open, T11

Best British Open Finish: Same

Jeff Overton is playing good golf this year, as he's made 15 out of 18 cuts.

Of those 15 cuts made, he's been in the top 25 four times with three of those resulting in a top-10.

Overton's actually something of an unheralded choice for the next American to win a major.

While Indiana and Great Britain aren't exactly similar, Overton has a pretty strong track record at the British Open, as he's never missed a cut.

Overton's only improved after finishing T70 in 2008, recording a T13 in 2009 and T11 in 2010.

Fredrik Jacobson

World Ranking: 63

Best Major Finish: 2003 US Open, Fifth Place

Best British Open Finish: 2003, T6

Fredrik Jacobson hasn't enjoyed a great deal of success at the British Open. He's only made the cut just over half of the time and has only been in the top 20 twice.

But his best performance came in 2003, where he tied for sixth place and only missed a playoff by three shots.

Jacobson has also won this year. That win came at the Travelers Championship. Overall, he's 15 of 18 in cuts made, recording eight top-25 performances and three top-10s.

What could put him in good position this week is that he's one of the top putters on tour, which helps at any tournament, especially British Opens.

Camilo Villegas

World Ranking: 71

Best Major Finish: 2008 PGA Championship, T4

Best British Open Finish: 2009, T13

Villegas was once one of the top golfers in the world, but 2011 hasn't been a great year.

His third-place finish at the FedEx St. Jude Classic was his only time in the top 25 this year.

He's included here more on name value and past accomplishments than anything else.

The overall talent is obvious and he's won big events, with two FedEx Cup playoff wins coming in 2008.

Brian Davis

World Ranking: 87

Best Major Finish: 2003 British Open, T6

Best British Open Finish: Same

Who was Fredrik Jacobson tied with in 2003? Brian Davis is that man, as he also missed a playoff by three shots. His overall career at the tournament is similar to Jacobson, although Jacobson has been a little better.

Davis is another guy who should have a home-course advantage at the British Open.

His career has not followed along those lines, as Davis has made only two cuts at his National Championship.

The first came in 1999, where he was T68, while the second came in 2003, with a T6.

Again, like Jacobson, that T6 came at Royal St. George's, so something obviously happened that week at that course that he liked. Familiarity with a course can never be overlooked.

Additionally, Davis is playing well this year, as he's made 16 of 21 cuts this season and has notched six top-25 performances.

Robert Rock

World Ranking: 108

Best Major Finish: 2007 British Open, T7

Best British Open Finish: Same

If he didn't have anything else going for him, Rock would be included because he'll be playing this major under much different circumstances than he played the last one.

At the US Open, Rock had travel issues which caused him to reach Congressional just before the start of the event.

He didn't have the benefit of a practice round, but still managed a T23.

Rock's actually been a good player in Europe this year, with five top-25 performances since February. One of those was a win at the Italian Open, which earned him a spot in the US Open.

Being from England, Rock knows the links game and shouldn't be at all overwhelmed by the challenges that are likely to occur.

Sean O'Hair

World Ranking: 109

Best Major Finish: 2010 British Open, T7

Best British Open Finish: Same

Recent years have not been terribly kind to Sean O'Hair.

He was once pegged as one of the next big things in golf, but that hasn't been validated by his success. Although with three wins, he's still one of the most accomplished American golfers under 30.

The British Open has always been kind to O'Hair, who has made six cuts in six tries there.

His most recent performance there was in 2010, when he tied for seventh place.

As stated above, his accomplishments suggest that he has the talent and mental ability to win. In 2011, he's made the cut in less than half of his events, but still has three top-25 performances.

Henrik Stenson

World Ranking: 123

Best Major Finish: T3, 2008, 2010 British Opens

Best British Open Finish: Same

When Henrik Stenson won the 2009 Players Championship with a dominant final-round performance, he earned a spot in the top five in the world rankings.

Considering that he had won a lot in Europe before, it looked like he would stay there for a long time.

Unfortunately for Stenson, that has not been the case. Now, he’s barely in the top 125, which is amazing considering he had three Challenge Tour wins, seven wins between the PGA and European Tours before winning at Sawgrass.

While he’s enjoyed limited success since that win, he's played good golf at the British Open, especially recently. In 2008 and 2010, he was tied for third. Those two performances sandwiched a T13 in 2009.