British Open 2017: 10 dark horse golfers to win The Open Championship

5. Padraig Harrington (+5500)

Ranked at No. 134 in the Official World Golf Rankings, there hasn’t been terribly much to speak of from 45-year old Padraig Harrington in the 2017 season. In seven PGA Tour events this season, he’s made the cut only three times. Overall — meaning including European tournaments — he’s only made 5-of-10 cuts on the season. With that said, Harrington has turned it on a little bit in terms of consistency as of late.

He’s made his last four cuts coming into the 2017 British Open, and hasn’t been finishing poorly either. No, he’s not necessarily been in contention, but he has been playing a more steady brand of golf that you’d like to see from the veteran Irishman. However, that still might make it seem like he’s out of place when it comes to dark horses to win. That’s undoubtedly true when it comes to just this season, but if you look back over his career, it becomes clear as to why he’s included here.

This is the 10th time that Royal Birkdale has hosted the British Open. The last time that happened was in 2008. Who won that event? That would be Harrington. He posted an over-par score in a tournament where everyone was putting up big and bad numbers through all four rounds, but was light on mistakes and ultimately just played solid golf. While he’s much older these days, that history is promising enough to have to keep an eye on him.