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British Open 2019: 5 dark horse picks who could win The Open Championship

By Cody Williams

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 15: Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland walks of the first tee during a practice round prior to the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 15, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 15: Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland walks of the first tee during a practice round prior to the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 15, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) /
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NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND – JULY 14: Erik van Rooyen of South Africa putts on the 18th green during the final round of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 14, 2019 in North Berwick, United Kingdom. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

4. Erik van Rooyen (100-1)

Though Erik van Rooyen has only played in the PGA Tour on six occasions throughout the 2019 season, he has acquitted himself quite nicely in each of those events. Highlighted by tying for eighth at the PGA Championship in May at Bethpage Black, Van Rooyen has three other finishes in the top 25 as well, in addition to making the cut and finishing tied for 43rd at the U.S. Open.

Since that solid yet unimpressive performance at Pebble Beach, the 29-year old South African has only played in three tournaments, all coming on the European Tour. In that run, he has been a bit up and down but has still shown signs of being capable of elite-level golf.

Van Rooyen ultimately tied for 16th at the end of June in the BMW International Open for a solid finish. However, he was a big letdown at the Irish Open as he finished at 1-over through the first two rounds and missed the cut. The good news, though, is that he rebounded to finish tied for 14th this past week at the Scottish Open.

This whole body of work, however, should bode well for Van Rooyen at the British Open. While young and still a bit inconsistent, he has proven his ability to compete on big stages and in any tournament that he plays in. While it may be hard to predict when that’ll happen at this point, you look at his odds and he seems well worth taking a flier on as a dark horse.

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