2014 British Open odds: With Tiger Woods still unpredictable, who should be favored?

After Sunday’s action wrapped up, the focus of the golf world shifted to Hoylake and the 143rd Open Championship. For years, the Open has been notorious for making champions out of longshots. If you had Stewart Cink (or almost Tom Watson), Louis Oosthuizen, or Darren Clarke taking home the Claret Jug, you are either a liar or you know something that I don’t. Even 2013 champ Phil Mickelson thought he may never win the Open. The point is, this is sometimes a quirky tournament where anything can happen. Let’s take a look at the latest odds and see if we can’t pick a winner.

I think the winner should come from this group of betting favorites.

Justin Rose (16/1) - Justin Rose broke onto the scene as a teenager during the 1999 Open. As he heads to Royal Liverpool this week, he is looking like the player we all thought he would be back then. He has won his last two starts and should be considered the unquestioned favorite, even if the odds don’t say so. An Englishman hasn’t won the Open since Nick Faldo in 1992.

Adam Scott (14/1) - Second and tied for third. That’s how Scott has played the last two Open Championships. His recent move to the Bahamas should help him play well this week. While you may not think of a lot of similarities between the Caribbean and the United Kingdom, they both offer breezy, oceanside setups. Scott has all the shots to play well this week. If he can roll in some putts, he could take home his second major championship.

Rory McIlroy (10/1) - Rory comes into the Open as the betting favorite and fresh off an up and down performance at the Scottish Open. Rounds of 64, 68, and 67 helped give Rory another top 20 finish, but a Friday 78 kept him from winning. His 64 was a course record at Royal Aberdeen and proves he has the game to win the Open, but for whatever reason, he hasn’t been able to put it all together. Aside from 2010, when he finished third, he hasn’t finished inside the top 25 and has said before that he (and his high-ball hitting ways) isn’t a huge fan of links golf.

You certainly wouldn’t want to count out these guys.

Tiger Woods (16/1) - Woods came back from injury three weeks ago at the Quicken Loans National. It was an underwhelming performance that lead to a missed cut. Was his poor showing a result of rust or injury or both? We may never know the answer, but you would be foolish to count out a man with three Claret Jugs. He got to Hoylake early and has already played a few practice rounds.

Phil Mickelson (20/1) - Last year, Phil Mickelson won the Scottish Open and kept the train moving the following week at the Open. It was a two-week stretch that even Mickelson himself didn’t see coming. Thanks to a magical final round at the 2013 Open, we now view Mickelson as a more complete golfer. If he’s able to repeat, he would be the first to do so since Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008.

Rickie Fowler (40/1) - Last week at the Scottish Open has to be considered a success for Rickie Fowler. A top 10 finish and a final round 65 bode well for his Open chances. As Rickie has mentioned a few times, he loves playing links golf. He is a creative player that enjoys the challenges that links golf presents. At 40/1, it might be wise to throw a couple bucks on Fowler.

The last 5 Open Champions seemed to come from the most unexpected spots on the odds board. Maybe the winner is in this group.

Angel Cabrera (50/1) - The last three Open Champions (Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Darren Clarke) had one thing in common: they were all in their 40s. Well how about another 40-something that always seems to play well in major championships? Cabrera finally notched a non-major win a couple weeks ago at the Greenbrier and finished 11th at last year’s Open. Plus, he can light up at Hoylake without fear of burning the place down.

Miguel Angel Jimenez (80/1) - If a guy in his mid-40s can win, how about a guy that just turned 50? Golf’s most interesting man hasn’t shown his age this year. As we head to Hoylake, he is in position to make the European Ryder Cup team. Also, as Tom Watson proved in 2009, just because you may be a little older, doesn’t mean you can’t try and win this thing. Jimenez finished 4th at the Masters. He’s also won on the European and Champions tours this year. A run at the Claret Jug is not out of the question, and he was in it on the weekend last year at Muirfield.

Shane Lowry (125/1) - Now, this is an outside-the-box guy to keep an eye on. Rory McIlroy’s Irish buddy may seem like a long shot, but Lowry has quietly put together a nice season with a couple top 10s. The reason to watch him came during last week’s Scottish Open. A T4 finish and weekend scores of 68 and 65, following that strong showing at Wentworth, could build some momentum heading into this week.

John Daly (250/1) - Ah, why the hell not? He has made the cut in three of his last four Opens. Plus, he is still one of the most entertaining guys in golf.