With the 2012 British Open teeing off Thursday at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England, we break down some of the favourites and a few notable dark horse players.
Tiger Woods
World rank: 4
Age: 36
Country: United States
Odds to win: 9/1
PGA Tour wins: 74
2011 result: Did not compete
Although Tiger has not had an impressive showing at the Open in five years, he is favoured to win in 2012. Woods is a three-time Open winner (1999, 2005, 2006) and can never be counted out.
Luke Donald
World rank: 1
Age: 34
Country: England
Odds to win: 18/1
PGA Tour wins: 5
2011 result: Missed the cut
Donald looks to become the first Englishman to win the British Open on home soil in 43 years. The world’s No. 1 ranked player has never won a major and wants this tournament to be his first. His best finish at the Open was a tie for fifth in 2009.
Rory McIlroy
World rank: 2
Age: 23
Country: Northern Ireland
Odds to win: 16/1
PGA Tour wins: 3
2011 result: Tied for 25th
The young Northern Irishman is a U.S. Open champion so he knows what it takes to win a major. He had a third-place finish at the British Open in 2010 and tends to play well in Europe.
Lee Westwood
World rank: 3
Age: 39
Country: England
Odds to win: 15/1
PGA Tour wins: 2
2011 result: Missed the cut
Like Donald, Westwood is aiming to become the first Englishman in 43 years to win the British Open in England. With 22 wins on the European Tour, Westwood is one of the most dangerous players when competing in his home continent.
Phil Mickelson
World rank: 16
Age: 42
Country: United States
Odds to win: 33/1
PGA Tour wins: 40
2011 result: Tied for 2nd
With a second-place finish last year, Mickelson was close to winning his first career British Open. The perennial contending lefty has won The Masters and PGA Championship but would love to add a third major to his resume.
Padraig Harrington
World rank: 59
Age: 40
Country: United States
Odds to win: 18/1
PGA Tour wins: 5
2011 result: Missed the cut
Although he is currently ranked 59th in the world, Harrington is considered one of the favourites to win the event based on his past accomplishments. He won back-to-back British Opens in 2007 and 2008 and has had six top-five finishes in Major tournaments.
Ernie Els
World rank: 40
Age: 42
Country: United States
Odds to win: 40/1
PGA Tour wins: 18
2011 result: Missed the cut
The aging South African hasn’t fared well at the Open in recent years, missing the cut the in 2011 and 2010. But, he has finished in the top 10 at the event eight times and won it back in 2002.
Bubba Watson
World rank: 6
Age: 33
Country: United States
Odds to win: 55/1
PGA Tour wins: 4
2011 result: Tied for 30th
This will be Watson’s fourth appearance at the British Open and he is looking to have a breakout performance. The 2012 Masters champion has been slowly climbing the ranks and hopes to keep ascending following a strong performance at St Annes.
Dustin Johnson
World rank: 17
Age: 28
Country: United States
Odds to win: 50/1
PGA Tour wins: 6
2011 result: Tied for 2nd
Johnson did not play at The Masters and missed the cut at the U.S. Open earlier this year. But he won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June, so he has some momentum heading into the British Open. With a second-place finish at last year’s tournament expect him to make a run.
Graeme McDowell
World rank: 12
Age: 28
Country: Northern Ireland
Odds to win: 33/1
PGA Tour wins: 1
2011 result: Missed the cut
McDowell has said heading into this tournament he feels it’s a wide-open field and believes a European will win the event ahead of a strong American contingent. The Northern Irishman thinks this course will play to his strengths.
Other notables competing in the Open Championship include top-10-ranked players Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose and Hunter Mahan, as well as last year’s winner Darren Clarke.
A total of 156 players will compete at Royal Lytham and St Annes with the leading 70, and those tied for 70th place after two rounds, qualifying for the final 36 holes.
To view a list of the complete field at the 2012 British Open click here.