British Open 2013: Full Expert Expectations for Golf's Underrated Stars

Much of the talk heading into the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield has focused on the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and the sport's elite players. That is certainly understandable, but with so many surprise players winning the tournament over the past few years, it's worth digging a bit deeper.

Essentially every major championship is a tossup these days because the fields are so deep and talented. There is no shortage of contenders at the British Open this year, and that was confirmed by the expert picks released prior to the event as there was no true consensus choice.

Here is a full breakdown of how some of the most respected expert golf analysts expect three of the top underrated stars to fare at Muirfield.

Matt Kuchar

American Matt Kuchar has had a fine year to this point, and he is quickly developing into the best player never to win a major championship. That distinction may not be attached to him for much longer, though, as he certainly has a shot at Muirfield. Kuchar already has two victories on the year, including wins at the prestigious Memorial Tournament as well as the Accenture Match Play event. In addition to that, Kuchar scored a top-10 finish at The Masters, so the 35-year-old star is ready to break through.

Kuchar is second on the PGA Tour money list, but it's likely that winning a major means much more to him right now. Even though Kuchar is sixth in the world golf rankings, he doesn't receive a ton of hype, but plenty of experts in the know realize that he is a real threat. That is why he seems to be the popular under-the-radar selection.

According to Jeff Babineau of Golfweek, the windy conditions are likely to favor Kuchar since he is one of the best ball-strikers in the game. Because of that, he believes the Kuchar will prevail. ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski is also on the Kuchar train, although he didn't use much reasoning to support his pick. He simply called Kuchar winning a "hunch." That may not be a scientific way of determining the winner, but Kuchar is definitely a guy who has the tools necessary to make it happen.

Brandt Snedeker

Brandt Snedeker is the personification of solidity on the golf course. He isn't flashiest player or the biggest hitter, but he does everything well and always seems to be in the mix. Snedeker has enjoyed a very strong year thus far as he is third on the money list and has one win to his credit. He has also finished second twice and has performed well in major championships with a sixth-place finish at The Masters and a 17th-place effort at the U.S. Open.

Snedeker's one issue is that he can't seem to close out big tournaments. Snedeker roared out to the front during last year's Open Championship as he tied Nick Faldo's record for the lowest 36-hole score at the British Open. Snedeker faltered in the final two rounds, however, and finished tied for third. He seems to be getting closer and closer to breaking through, though, and Mike McAllister of the PGA Tour speculates that this could be the year of 32-year-olds, which is great news for Snedeker.

It remains to be seen if there is anything to the 32 theory, but Snedeker is someone to watch regardless. Brentley Romine of Golfweek went out on a limb in selecting Snedeker to finally capture the Claret Jug this year. Romine seems to believe that the close call from last year will serve Snedeker well. Since Snedeker is also playing consistent golf right now, he definitely seems like a guy who is going to be in the hunt all weekend.

Graeme McDowell

Few players in golf are more inconsistent than Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell. There are stretches where he looks like the best player in the world, but there are also times when it looks like he shouldn't even be part of the PGA Tour.

McDowell's results this season echo that as he has three victories, but has also missed six cuts, including at The Masters and the U.S. Open. McDowell hasn't been very good in big tournaments this year for whatever reason, but he is coming off a French Open win and has a lot of momentum entering Muirfield.

The writers of Golfweek each selected a winner, sleeper and low amateur for the British Open. While none of them picked McDowell to win the tournament, Jim McCabe, Jeff Rude, Adam Schupak, Lance Ringler and Brentley Romine all labeled him as their sleeper. That may seem a bit odd considering the fact that McDowell is seventh in the world golf rankings, but the fact that he misses so many cuts hurts him in other rankings.

McDowell is just 59th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings because of his inconsistency, so it's probably fair to call him a sleeper at this point. McDowell is a former U.S. Open winner and finished fifth at the Open Championship last year, so he is a definite contender. Wojciechowski believes that his game is made to fit Muirfield as well, which certainly gives McDowell an advantage. You never know which version of McDowell might show up, but he has the talent to come out on top.

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