5 dark horses who could upset and win The Open Championship 2018

2. Ian Poulter (+5000)

As per usual, things have been somewhat all over the place for Ian Poulter throughout this season, playing on both the PGA Tour and European Tour. After some struggles early in 2018 though, the Englishman has really put together a run of solid golf throughout the year with some undoubtedly clutch moments and highlights of how he’s been playing.

Since winning at the Houston Open — a tournament that he had to win to qualify for The Masters Tournament the next week — Poulter has finished in the top 25 in six of his last seven tournaments in both America and overseas, with the only exception being a T44 at Augusta. That run also includes showing out at tied-25th at the U.S. Open, which was an absolute bear at Shinnecock Hills this year, as we all remember.

What’s more, Poulter has been able to put forth some impressive outings at the British Open throughout his career to this point. Though he has missed the cut in three out of his seven times playing in The Open Championship, he also has two top-10 finishes (including T3 in 2013) and has an additional top-15 finish as well, which came last year for the England native.

In most majors, looking at a 42-year old player as a potential dark horse winner might seem a bit crazy. However, for a player like Poulter that seems to be possibly getting better with age playing in a tournament that offers big opportunities for older players, this could be a perfect match at Carnoustie.