The Masters – will there be an upset to the betting?

Tiger Woods is the big miss at Augusta this year as the golfing world once again averts its gaze towards the Masters, which tees off later today.

With Woods absent for the first time since 1995 due to his recent back surgery, the bookies have been pricing up current champion Adam Scott and names such as Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Matt Kuchar as the favourites to don the Green Jersey come Sunday night.

But what about the rest of the field? Can there be an unfancied winner upsetting the odds? It may not seem likely when you see players priced up at 500/1 or greater. However, surprises have happened in the past.

So by way of inspiration to those lower down the ladder, below we take a look at some of golf’s most surprising tournament winners in recent years.

The biggest surprise wins in golf

We all have those days when everything goes according to plan. For most of us they are few and far between, but for these opportunistic golfing underdogs, they not only had four consecutive great days on the trot, they also had them during a major.

To beat the world’s best golfers over four gruelling rounds and on the most demanding courses takes a lot more than luck. In the tennis majors, you could put your house on one of four or five of the leading contenders raising the trophy aloft, certainly in the men’s game.

In golf, 15 of the last 18 major champions have been first-time winners of one of the big four competitions, and some (Todd Hamilton anyone?) have sprung from nowhere to steal the honours. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at some of golf’s most surprising winners.

Ben Curtis – British Open, 2003

As a virtual unknown and ranked 396^th in the world, it was a surprise when Ben Curtis even qualified for the field at Royal St. George’s. The 26 year old from Ohio, competing in his first ever major tournament and having never finished in the top 10 of a PGA Tour event, went on to shock some of golf’s biggest names.

Thomas Bjorn led the field on the final day by two shots, with just three to play, before coming horribly unstuck in a greenside bunker on the 16^th hole. Curtis kept his head and was the only player to shoot under par to become the first debut Open winner since Tom Watson in 1975.

Larry Mize – The Masters, 1987

Mize spent his career as a journeyman pro, winning just four times during a career which spanned over 20 years. However, one of these wins just so happened to be The Masters.

Augusta was the setting one of the most dramatic victories in the history of the Tour. Mize managed to birdie the 18^th to force his way into a 3-way playoff with two of golf’s greatest ever, Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros. On the first hole Ballesteros was eliminated. On the second playoff hole, a par four, Mize hit a second shot which landed well short of the green, making even par a big ask, whilst Norman sat pretty on the edge of the green. Mize’s third was a career defining shot which he sunk from 140 feet, giving him the birdie. Norman failed to sink the put and Mize took the spoils.

Francis Ouimet – US Open, 1913

Francis Ouimet, commonly referred to as the “father of amateur golf”, was a 20 year-old caddie who lived just across the street from the Country Club in Boston. Fortunately for Ouimet, the US Open that year was held at the course he knew best, and after initially declining to play, the cooperation of his employer soon helped to change his mind.

At the end of four day’s play, Ouimet was tied for the lead with Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, two Brits who were widely regarded as the world’s best golfers. The 18-hole playoff scheduled for the next day was subsequently won by Ouimet, who pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of golf and singlehandedly sparked American interest in the sport.

Rich Beem – PGA Championship, 1995

Rich Beem was resigned to the fact that a career in golf simply wasn’t economically feasible after quitting the Dakotas Tour in 1995 for a job in Seattle selling car stereos. A few years later however, he decided to give it one last try.

The comeback went well for Beem, winning the Kemper Open in 1999. He went into the 2002 Open Championship on the back of a good run of from, including a win two weeks previously in the International. On the final day at Hazeltine, with Justin Leonard three shots ahead and Tiger Woods still in the pack, few gave Beem a chance. Beem held firm and as Leonard fell away the anticipated onslaught from Tiger never came. Beem, the former stereo salesman, had won the PGA Championship.