Sleepers and favorites for the Open Championship

One the best parts of the 2016 PGA Tour is that it has been consistently difficult to handicap who is going to win the purse at each tournament, and the Open Championship at Royal Troon this weekend is no exception. That might be rough for fans just waiting to see who raises the Claret Jug at the end of Day 4, but loads of fun for anyone in a golf pool or a fantasy sports ring. Here are six picks for the Open Championship, which starts on Thursday, July 14.

The Sleepers

Rafa Cabrera-Bello: His name isn’t one that grab headlines like fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia, but 32-year-old is a staple on the European Tour and quite popular among the experts in the daily fantasy sports world. He finished tied for 21st at the Scottish Open last week and previously finished fourth in the Open de France, boasting 12 top-25 finishes on the this season, six of those being place in the top ten. In addition, he has made three of four Open Championship cuts over the last four years.

Charl Schwartzel: The 2011 Masters champ is another favorite on the DFS circuit, and a more familiar name on the PGA Tour, although he has made more headlines over the last couple of days for switching from Nike to PXG. Despite not having played at Royal Troon before, ESPN.com’s golf experts reportedly see the upside in Schwartzel due to his long play on par-4, a must for some of the Old Course’s toughest holes.

Branden Grace: Schwartzel’s fellow countryman Grace gets better with every open that he plays. Even though he hasn’t finished inside the top 20 in four cuts made at the tournament, he is coming off a fifth-place tie in the U.S. Open at Oakmont. He is believed to have the confidence and mental fortitude to handle Royal Troon, where weather can be as nasty as some of its par-ruining bunkers.

The Favorites

Adam Scott: Scott is topping everyone’s power rankings heading into Thursday, partially because he has finished in the top 10 in 11 of his past 22 majors. But he is also a favorite because of his Open history. According to CBSSports.com, the Aussie is tied for making the most Open cuts (five), has the most top-10 finishes (four) and has one of the top scoring averages (70.0). Expecting a big weekend from him is not overrated.

Sergio Garcia: There is an incredibly large contingent of both experts and fans that think this might be the weekend that Garcia wins a major and the fact that the last three have been won by first-timers gives backers some hope that Garcia will continue that trend. But the Spaniard is also playing good golf as of late, and has ranked top-10 in three of his last five Opens. Plus, he should already be mentally prepared for playing a rough course like Royal Troon after tying for fifth at Oakmont, another doozy of a course.

Dustin Johnson: Even a complete golf novice can see that DJ has bent the current tour to his mercy. In addition to two straight victories, Johnson has made the cut at the Open Championship six straight times, two of which ended with a top-10s. The odds are in his favor, and a couple well-timed birdies can catapult him to a win at Open — and a No.1 ranking in the world.