British Open Predictions 2012: Underdogs That Will Become Household Names

The British Open is when the lesser-known golfers come out of the woodwork and win their first majors.

That's why you might be better served to put your money on anyone not named Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood or Luke Donald as the action kicks off on Thursday.

It wouldn't be any fun if all the pundits picked no-name golfers to win the British Open—everyone loves talking about whether Tiger is finally going to make his comeback, or whether Westwood is finally going to win his first major, or whether Rory McIlroy is going to establish himself as worthy of remaining on the PGA Tour.

But odds are, someone who's never won before is going to be hoisting the biggest check on Sunday. That's the way it's been in each of the last nine majors.

Even some of those who currently don't seem to stand a chance of winning will find themselves in the headlines over the next few days as they surge to the top of the leaderboard. Maybe they'll stay there; maybe they'll fall. But when all is said and done, we'll know their names.

Here's a look at some of the golfers who will finish far closer to the top of the heap than any of the oddsmakers give them credit for.

All odds courtesy of Bovada.

Hunter Mahan

It seems like Mahan's always on the cusp of making a name for himself but never quite gets there. He's someone who lingers near the top of the leaderboard early on, but never seems to be there when the checks are doled out on Sunday.

Mahan has never finished higher than a tie for sixth place in any major, but that career best came at The Open in 2007 (he also tied for sixth at the U.S. Open in 2009).

This year, Mahan already has two PGA Tour wins—in the Accenture Match Play championship in February, and in the Houston Open in April. Of late, he hasn't been awesome and he hasn't been terrible, finishing in a tie for eighth at the AT&T National and tied for 11th in the Travelers Championship.

He hasn't been awful in majors either, finishing tied for 12th at the Masters and tied for 38th at the U.S. Open. Could be worse. 

With two wins and four top-10 finishes, a win isn't totally out of the question, but it's not expected either—Mahan currently has 40-1 odds. Of all the long shots, he bodes to be the most likely winner, and even if he doesn't win, he can at least make a run. 

Peter Hanson

Heading into the final round at the 2012 Masters, Hanson led Phil Mickelson by one shot through 54 holes. At that point, nobody knew who he was. All they knew was that he lives in Sweden, was ranked No. 25 in the world and had no business beating Phil at Augusta.

He didn't. And Phil didn't win, either. Hanson finished third at the Masters, which is the closest he's ever come to winning a major. His best finish ever at The Open came in 2009, when he tied for 24th.

That track record doesn't seem to present the best of odds (he's a 50-1 long shot), but given the way he played at Augusta, Hanson can't be counted out.

At the end of February, Hanson finished tied for fifth in the Accenture Match Play Championship. A couple of weeks later, he registered a tie for fourth at the Cadillac Championship. A month after that came his Masters heroics. Perhaps he's due for another stellar performance.

He's only played in eight events this year, and he missed the cut at his most recent major—the U.S. Open—but that flash of brilliance in April was all Hanson needed to establish himself as a contender for the British Open title.

Charl Schwartzel

You may remember Schwartzel as the South African winner of the 2011 Masters who so desperately wanted his countryman Louis Oosthuizen to triumph over Bubba Watson this year.

After that exhilarating win at Augusta in 2011, this hasn't been the best of years for Schwartzel. He's registered only two top-10 finishes in eight events, and in majors, he's finished tied for 50th (the Masters) and tied for 38th (the U.S. Open).

But unlike some of the other long shots, Schwartzel has proven he can hold the lead till the very end in the most pressure-filled tournaments of the year. Plus, when he won the Masters, nobody expected it: Heading into the final round, his odds were 14-1. You also might remember that Rory McIlroy had 2-3 odds to win that year as play entered the final round, but then embarked on one of the biggest collapses in PGA Tour history—alas, so much for odds.

The point is, anything can happen. All it takes is a few days of playing well, and Schwartzel has done it before—this year and in years past. Plus, he has one of the best-looking swings in golf, as you can see above. Perhaps he can break the streak of first-time winners and reel in his second major this weekend.

Nick Watney

Watney fits perfectly into the category of long shots (50-1) who could realistically make a bid for the win at The Open. He's also another one of those guys who always seems to be in the mix after the first two days, but by the fourth, he's nowhere to be found on the leaderboard. 

Watney has tallied two seventh-place finishes in majors, one of which came at the British Open in 2010 (the other was at the 2010 Masters—a good year for Watney!). And while he has yet to register a win in 2012, he's only missed two cuts in 17 total events.

He had a decent outing at the AT&T National a couple of weeks ago, when he finished two-under in 10th place. At this year's majors, he hasn't been so impressive. He finished tied for 21st at the U.S. Open after shooting a 75 and a 73 in the middle rounds, and at the Masters, he flopped in a big way in the final round, shooting a 77.

This year, Watney has tended to play his worst in the final two rounds, even after good outings in the first two. At The Open, it will be all about sustaining the momentum, and if he can do that, a top-three finish isn't out of the question. 

Steve Stricker

Twelve PGA Tour wins, and yet not one of them has come in a major. The closest Stricker (66-1 odds) has been in the span of his 22-year career is a second-place finish in the PGA Championship way back in 1998. At the British Open, the best he's done is a tie for seventh in 2008.

If there's anyone who's due for a major win, it's this guy. He started the year off right with a win in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions back in January, but since then, it's been a bit of a struggle. Stricker couldn't even muster a top-three finish at the John Deere Classic last week, a tournament he'd won three straight times.

His outing wasn't terrible—he finished tied for fifth—but after three straight rounds of shooting in the 60s, he did himself in with a 70 in the final round, his highest score of the weekend.

There can't be any of that at The Open. Like Watney, Stricker has saved some of his poorest performances for the later rounds, so consistency will be the name of the game if he ever wants to get that elusive first major win.