The Open Championship Field 2013: Highlighting Underrated Groups

The 142nd Open Championship features a field full of world-class players—many of whom are grouped together. While some star-studded trios will get a ton of attention over the first two days, certain threesomes may go a bit more under the radar.

Muirfield Golf Links should be a difficult venue with punishing rough, firm surfaces and swirling winds on the unique layout that constantly keeps even the best golfers on the planet guessing.

There are plenty of tantalizing pairings to keep an eye on, but below is a breakdown of some that may go overlooked.

Note: Statistics and tournament history are courtesy of PGATour.com and the Official World Golf Ranking. British Open information was obtained from the official website, where the complete field can be found too.

Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero and Hunter Mahan

Organizers purposely put Fowler and Manassero together to showcase two of the game's best young talents alongside each other for the first 36 holes.

While Fowler has only won once and is probably more of a household name at this point, it's the 20-year-old Manassero who has notched victories in each of his first four seasons on the European Tour.

Both Fowler and Manassero have games suited to the links style of golf required at Muirfield, and both have the adaptability to weather whatever Mother Nature throws their way. That duo will be intriguing in and of itself as each young gun chases his maiden major.

Mahan has been heralded for his immense potential since the beginning of his PGA Tour career, but it hasn't materialized into major hardware. The 31-year-old is entering his prime, though, and he just contended heavily at Merion for the U.S. Open trophy.

Putting has been Mahan's frequent letdown, but entering the final round in the year's second major, no one in the field was rolling the rock on the tough greens in Ardmore, Pennsylvania better than Mahan.

This trio might not have the same star power or track record of success as some of the other marquee groupings, but don't be surprised if at least one of them makes a lot of noise this week.

Thorbjorn Olesen, Jim Furyk and Paul Lawrie

If not for an opening-round 78 at Augusta National, it's very possible Olesen could have been this year's Masters champion with how well he played the last three days (-10).

The 24-year-old Danish phenom has missed six of his past eight cuts, and he fell apart at the Scottish Open with a third-round 77 after a promising first 36 holes.

Because of that, there won't be all that much fanfare surrounding Olesen going in, but no one really knew who he was before he played with Tiger Woods in the third round of last year's Open, where he shot 71 to Woods' 70.

Despite the recent poor form, it's possible Olesen could have a coming-out party thanks to his phenomenal ball-striking.

Furyk has been relatively quiet in 2013, with the biggest highlight being his hole-out for eagle on the 72nd hole at the Valero Texas Open to tie for third—his best result of the season.

Considering how successful Furyk has been, it's somewhat surprising he's only won one major. With his stock pretty low, it might be time for him to spring a surprise.

Since at tie for seventh in his first start of 2013, the 1999 British Open champion Lawrie—who had a resurgence of sorts in making the European Ryder Cup team last year—has fallen off the map.

Lawrie has not sniffed contention in any tournament since then, and his best result was a tie for 14th in the Volvo China Open.

Webb Simpson, Branden Grace and Jamie Donaldson

Younger players who break through with major success often have a hard time building on it, but that's not really been the case with Simpson.

The 2012 U.S. Open winner has struggled at times in 2013, but he still has four top 10s and is 13th in the FedEx Cup points standings. His 35th all-around ranking is evidence of a stellar game without many weaknesses, which is the very type it takes to succeed at Muirfield.

Grace experienced a different kind of breakout in 2012 by winning four times on the European Tour. That's already more wins than Simpson has on the PGA Tour.

The 25-year-old South African has had his fair share of rough patches, but he bounced back at the Scottish Open after two missed cuts and valiantly finished second to Phil Mickelson in a playoff.

So don't sleep on Grace to have his first truly notable result in a major this week.

If you're looking for a sleeper, though, few are as stellar but unheralded as Donaldson. He's a late bloomer at the age of 37, but he ascended inside the top 30 in the world after winning in Abu Dhabi in January.

Donaldson navigated a difficult course and beat the likes of Olesen and Justin Rose by just one stroke at same event where Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy missed the cut.

After defending his Irish Open title well, the Welshman followed it up with a joint-sixth effort at the Alstom Open de France. This recent return to form makes Donaldson an outside contender for the claret jug despite a limited history in major championships.

Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero and Hunter Mahan

Organizers purposely put the pair of Fowler and Manassero together to showcase two of the game's best young talents alongside each other for the first 36 holes.

But while Fowler has only won once and is probably more of a household name at this point, it's the junior 20-year-old Manassero who has notched victories in each of his first four seasons on the European Tour.

Both Fowler and Manassero have games suited to the links style of golf required at Muirfield, and both have the adaptability to weather whatever Mother Nature throws their way. That duo will be intriguing in and of itself as each young gun chases their maiden major.

Mahan has always been heralded for his immense potential from the beginning of his PGA Tour career, but it hasn't materialized into major hardware. The 31-year-old is entering his prime, though, and just contended heavily at Merion for the U.S. Open trophy.

Putting has been Mahan's frequent letdown, but entering the final round in the year's second major, no one in the field was rolling the rock better than him on the tough greens in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

This trio might not have the star power or track record of success as some of the other marquee groupings, but don't be surprised if at least one of them makes a lot of noise this week.