4 long shots who could replicate Harman's Open Championship win

Of the four major championships, The Open tends to provide long shots with the best opportunity at glory. The nature of links golf - the wind, rain, unpredictable terrain, and deadly pot bunkers - helps level the playing field and can create lucky bounces that ultimately decide who hoists the Claret Jug.

Players like Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, and last year's winner, Brian Harman, were all well down the betting board before they etched their names in history.

Here are four players who could follow in Harman's footsteps with a surprise major victory this week at Royal Troon.

Aaron Rai (+6000)

If you've been paying attention to PGA TOUR golf over the past few weeks, you'd have seen Rai's name near the top of the leaderboard on multiple occasions.

The Englishman is playing as well as anyone in the field. He's recorded five straight top-20 results, including a runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a T4 last week at the Scottish Open.

Rai is one of the most accurate drivers of the ball in the field, which goes a long way in avoiding the thick fescue or fairway bunkers. He's also a fantastic iron player.

Akshay Bhatia (+8000)

Bhatia is in the midst of a breakout campaign on the PGA TOUR. He earned his second title in April, nearly won the Rocket Mortgage Classic, finished T5 at the Travelers Championship (a signature event), and recorded his first career top-20 finish. He's also projected to make the 2024 Presidents Cup team.

All that's left is for him to contend in the year's final major, and Royal Troon should allow him to do so. He hits a ton of fairways and is a great long-iron player - two strengths that play anywhere, not just major championship venues.

Russell Henley (+15000)

Henley is stringing together a consistent season and came T7 at the U.S. Open. He ranks 16th in DataGolf's rankings, which use strokes-gained data across all tours to compare players. That's much higher than name-brand players such as Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and Cam Smith.

The comps between Henley and Harman are almost too convenient. They both have last names that start with "H," are former Georgia Bulldogs, and are shorter hitters with exceptional iron games. Plus, Henley is +15000 to win, the same odds as Harman's last year.

Tom McKibbin (+20000)

There always seems to be a younger player who pops up on the Open Championship leaderboard that North American fans learn plenty about in the early rounds.

McKibbin, who plays exclusively on the DP World Tour, could be that golfer this year. The 21-year-old lost in a playoff two starts ago at the Italian Open and is playing great golf this season. He ranks 10th in the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai rankings.

McKibbin made the cut and came T41 in his first career major championship start at Pinehurst, which isn't the easiest venue to play. The Northern Irishman should feel right at home playing links golf in cool, likely wet conditions. Plus, playing practice rounds with Open Championship winners Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke can only help his preparation.