Ernie Els, South Africa (100-1)
In truth, it’s kind of shocking that Els is being given 100-1 odds to win The Open Championship this year. The Big Easy hasn’t won all season on the PGA Tour and has missed seven cuts, including the Masters and U.S. Open.
However, it would be foolish to count the smooth-swinging Els out of this year’s tourney at Royal Troon. He’s played well here before, posting a second-place finish in the 2004 British Open when Todd Hamilton defeated him in a four-hole playoff.
Additionally, Els has played well on links courses in general. He has 13 top-10 finishes at the British Open dating back to 1992, with his last win coming just four years ago when he won over Adam Scott by making birdie on the 72nd hole at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
Finally, despite a rough overall season, Els is coming off his best finish of the year when he placed fifth at the Quicken Loans National late last month.