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

By Cody Williams

SILVIS, IL - JULY 13: Brian Harman hits his tee shot on the second hole during the first round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on July 13, 2017 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
SILVIS, IL - JULY 13: Brian Harman hits his tee shot on the second hole during the first round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on July 13, 2017 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images /

4. Francesco Molinari (+10000)

Considering how seemingly little we’ve heard from Francesco Molinari this season, it’s not hard to see why his odds are so low. However, the potential headlines and the absence of a win on the 2017 season doesn’t tell the whole story. After all, there’s a reason that the Italian veteran is No. 19 in the Official World Golf Rankings coming into the British Open. That reason is that he’s been one of the most consistent players in the world in terms of high-end finishes.

On the PGA Tour alone this season, Molinari has only missed two cuts in the 15 tournaments that he’s played. That’s just the start of his impressive performance this season, though. Molinari has been big time with four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour and an incredible 11 showings in the top 25. That means he’s finished in the top 25 in over one-third of his PGA Tour events this season, which is just simply remarkable.

Working even more in Molinari’s favor is how he’s been finding his success. While his putter hasn’t been incredible and while he can’t keep up with the big-hitters that are out there these days, he’s more precise than most of them. He ranks third on the PGA Tour this season in driving accuracy and second on the tour in Strokes Gained: Approach-to-Green. If that continues in the conditions this week, he’ll be a factor come Sunday.

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