Pro Golf Now
Fansided

2017 Open Championship: Top DraftKings picks at Royal Birkdale

By Brandon Raper

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 17: The Claret Jug is seen on the 1st tee during a practice round prior to the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 17, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 17: The Claret Jug is seen on the 1st tee during a practice round prior to the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 17, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Ian Poulter Open Championship
TROON, SCOTLAND – JULY 16: Ian Poulter of England hits his second shot on the 1st hole during the final round of the AAM Scottish Open at Dundonald Links Golf Course on July 16, 2017 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /

Ian Poulter has his share of history to bring to the table at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Nine years ago, when Padraig Harrington won the Open by four, Poulter was right there to see it happen. Entering the fourth round of that ’08 Open, Poulter was six shots behind the lead, held by Greg Norman.

Poulter had just one thing on his mind that day when he went off – keep it close, and let the chips fall where they may.

"“I remember hanging tough,” he told the Guardian. “I knew that Sunday was going to be a gruesome day. I didn’t have the expectation of: ‘Right, I’m going to shoot a low one here to go and win it.’ I was just trying to move up the board. I made an early birdie and thought at that point, if I could post a great score then anything could happen.”"

Seemingly anything that could happen that day did. While Harrington’s monstrous 5-wood on No. 17 sealed the deal, Poulter still acquitted himself quite well overall. He rolled with the punches, posting a red number and watching as the rest of the field came back to him.

That’s something of a mirror to Poulter’s year in 2018 so far, starting from behind the 8-ball and grinding out a win whenever possible. He was on the verge of losing his PGA Tour membership not too long ago, and had a stay of execution thanks to an flaw in the points calculation method. The results have come along, with a tie for second at The PLAYERS Championship, and a tie for ninth this past week at the Scottish Open.

At a meager $7,500 in DraftKings this week, Poulter’s upside in this Open more than justifies the cost.

Home/British Open News