British Open: Five golfers who can stop Jordan Spieth

Philip Reid looks at who could come between the world number two and the Claret Jug

Rickie Fowler - World ranking: 5th - Odds: 16/1

Tight in the market, especially after his Scottish Open win, but Fowler seems like a player who is ready to take the next step up to win a Major championship. A joint runner-up to Rory McIlroy at Hoylake in a year where he contended in all four Majors, this year has been slower but that win in Gullane could provide the spark and his work with coach Butch Harmon has definitely made him a better all-round player with a more consistent swing.

Sergio Garcia - World ranking: 10th - Odds: 33/1

No wins so far this season but the Spaniard has knocked on the door - two runners-up finishes among three top-fives on the PGA Tour - and he comes in a little under the radar for this latest tilt at the British Open. He has plenty of baggage from past Open near misses, finishing runner-up to Padraig Harrington in 2007 and to Rory McIlroy last year, but loves the nuances of links golf and should be up for this one.

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Shane Lowry - World ranking 45th - Odds: 33/1

Punters have chipped away at his odds in recent weeks, as Lowry - who has kicked on from a top-10 in the BMW PGA with another top-10 in the US Open - has shown consistent form. This is his fourth British Open appearance, with a best finish of tied-ninth at Hoylake last year, but has also knocked on the door in past Aldfred Dunhill Links here and has a grá for the Old Course.

Tommy Fleetwood - World ranking: 47th - Odds: 66/1

With the cool, soft conditions, this Open actually has similarities with how the links plays during the Dunhill Links. Which is why the Englishman is worth more than a second look: he is a combined 37-under for the last two Dunhills, including closing rounds of 68 and 67 on the Old Course for fifth in 2013 and second in 2014.

Danny Lee - World ranking: 69th - Odds: 150/1

Guess who's the second hottest player on the planet these days? The 24-year-old Kiwi's response to a missed cut at the US Open has been to go 25th-1st-3rd in his last three appearances, that win coming in the Greenbrier Classic. But for a brain-freeze moment in the final round of the John Deere, when he was handed a one stroke penalty for lifting and cleaning his ball on the fourth, and Lee would also have been in that play-off won by Jordan Spieth.

Philip Reid

Philip Reid

Philip Reid is Golf Correspondent of The Irish Times