British Open: Dark horse candidates to raise the Claret Jug

Tyrrell Hatton – 80/1

Hatton heads to the British Open looking for his second top-five finish in what will be his 8th time playing in the event. He placed T-5th back in 2016 at Royal Troon.

Coming off a strong finish at the U.S. Open, Hatton looks to carry over his final two rounds there into the British Open. After starting 70-74, he would card 69-69 on the weekend, which was good enough to get him up to T-21st. The 74 really hurt his placing, as a par that day would’ve bumped him up to a T-9th at -5.

He is one of the better golfers this season in SG around the green, ranking 11th (.392). He has struggled to convert those chances, ranking 108th in putting and 192nd in scrambling. He does give himself plenty of opportunities, finding himself towards the top in sand save distance.

What’s odd about his putting is his three-putt avoidance. For someone who rarely one-putts (177th), he is 8th in three-putt avoidance. There is clearly something at play here, as he is consistently able to make his second putt. When scoring chances present on other holes for similar length putts, he is unable to convert.

A hot putter can get you to the top of the leaderboard, as Justin Rose showed during the U.S. Open. Hatton has the rest of his game figured out. If his putter gets warm, expect to see him in the top 10 on Sunday.