3 Dark Horse Golf Picks for the British Open at FanDuel Sportsbook

The final major of the season has arrived and the golf's best players will play the true links course at Royal St. George's for the 2021 Open Championship.

John Rahm won the U.S. Open last month, and he's the British Open favorite and tops the power rankings.

But before you wager to win on the top players, recall that Hideki Matsuyama beat the odds as a longshot to win this year's Masters at +4000 or greater, and Phil Mickelson cashed in for long shot bettors at +21000 to win the PGA Championship.

With that in mind, here are some dark horse picks to win the British Open, and golfers who could also cash in on top finishing position prop bets at FanDuel Sportsbook.

British Open Golf 2021 Dark Horses

1. Tommy Fleetwood (+3500)

Tommy Fleetwood tied for 2nd at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush where his scrambling play shined, and T12 in 2018 at Carnoustie when he led the field in greens hit. The 30-year-old Englishman has shown he can thrive under a variety of links conditions, and when the weather is at it's worst, he can excel where others flounder. Fleetwood ranks top-5 playing in windy conditions over his last 11 rounds, according to Fantasy National. Fleetwood can hit more irons off the tee as needed at Royal St. George's, and his strength around green is among the best, along with his links credentials.

2. Matthew Fitzpatrick (+4000)

Matthew Fitzpatrick enters the Open Championship coming off a playoff loss in last week's Scottish Open. That strong showing and improved play moved him into the top-20 of the world rankings. The 26-year-old Englishman is not yet a PGA TOUR winner, but his stat profile is strong. Fitzpatrick excels on and around the greens, ranking top-10 in putting and short game over his last 36 rounds on firm greens. Over that stretch, Fitzpatrick also ranks top-12 in tee-to-green, off-the-tee, ball striking, and is No. 2 overall in strokes gained total. Fitzpatrick has not had much success in four British Open starts, as he's missed the cut twice and has no top-30 finishes. But his stat profile, including strong driving accuracy and top-10 in greens in regulation gained and fairways gained, suggests Fitzpatrick is ready to have his best performance yet in the British Open.

3. Martin Kaymer (+18000)

Those who scoffed at Phil Mickelson's PGA Championship win at huge odds might also completely dismiss Martin Kaymer. The 2014 U.S. Open champion has not found the winners circle on the PGA TOUR since on, but the 36-year-old German's play and performances have improved greatly over the past 12 months. Kaymer finished runner-up at the BMW International Open last month and also T26 at the U.S. Open after opening with a 77. Rarely is luck more apparent than in an Open Championship, where wind, weather changes and weird things are more common. Royal St. George's has been most exposed to strange bounces and results, and luck and huge longshots have prevailed with Darren Clark'es 2011 win here and Ben Curtis winning the Open in 2003 at Royal St. George's. Don't dismiss former No. 1 ranked player Martin Kaymer at these huge odds, or potential top finishing position prop bets.

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