British Open Leaderboard 2016: Latest Scores and Standings from Thursday
We all know about the stars who seem most likely to dominate at the British Open. However, the top-ranked players don't always win.
Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are all excellent golfers, but that doesn't mean those from the second or third rank don't have a chance.
After a quick glance at the latest scores, we look at four British Open golfers who have a chance to take glory away from the favorites.
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While the first round is already under way, there is still time to give the following golfers serious consideration.
Phil Mickelson had perhaps the greatest victory of his career at the 2013 British Open. His style of play is not usually a match for links golf, but when he fired a closing-round score of 66, he came home with the Claret Jug.
That victory was not about a sudden change in Mickelson's style on the golf course, it was testimony to his all-around talent and ability.
The 46-year-old has long played with a go-for-broke mentality, and that attitude has helped him win Masters and lose U.S. Opens. But on that Sunday, it helped Mickelson pull off the greatest victory of his career.
Mickelson comes into the tournament as a 40-1 underdog, according to Odds Shark. While Royal Troon is likely to be a difficult challenge for him, he has proved to be good enough in the past, and if he pulls it all together, he could do it again.
Lee Westwood is a close-but-no-major-championship type of golfer, just as Mickelson was for so many years, Day was prior to last year's PGA Championship and Johnson was before winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont last month.
Westwood has experienced plenty of pain—he played with Johnson in the final round of the U.S. Open and had a chance to win before shooting an 80 in the final round. While that was brutal, he tied for second in the Masters, and he has shown he can play in the major tournaments.
More often than not, Westwood plays well in the majors, but he often gets undone by one poor round. If the 43-year-old British golfer can figure out what causes his loss of concentration, he will have a chance to win that elusive major.
The betting public is disrespecting Bubba Watson in the British Open. He comes into the tournament with odds of 66-1. That seems completely out of line for a golfer who has won the Masters twice and is clearly one of the top golfers on the tour.
The immediate thought on Watson is his prodigious distance when teeing off. The numbers bear that out as he ranks third in shots gained off the tee, according to PGATour.com.
However, that's not the only aspect to Watson's game that is worth noting. He ranks 37th in his approach shots, and when he is at his most accurate, he is in a position to string birdies together.
The problem for Watson is the British Open itself. He failed to make the cut in either of the last two years, and he finished 32nd and 23rd in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Still, if the American can get off to a good start, he could provide a bountiful payoff for his backers.
Hideki Matsuyama also has long odds of 66-1, and he may have better than an outside chance of contending in the British Open.
Matsuyama ranks 16th in the FedEx Cup rankings and 17th in the World Rankings. He has one victory this year in the Waste Management Open and five other top-10 finishes, and the 24-year-old has earned nearly $3 million this season.
The Japanese finished tied for 18th in last year's British Open, and he has the short game to contend. He excels in his ability to execute his approach shots, and he ranks third on the tour in that area, according to PGATour.com.
Matsuyama has a chance, perhaps much better than the odds indicate.
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