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The 2018 PGA Championship is just around the corner and, no doubt, all golf fans (and betting fans) will be beavering away in trying to pinpoint the man who will hoist the Wanamaker trophy aloft at Bellerive Country Club in under two weeks time.
Given that Italian Francesco Molinari walked away with the 147th Open Championship it seems the golfing landscape is ripe for another left-field major champion so, with that in mind, here are a few golfers to consider in the lead-up the final major of 2018.
Alex Noren
The big Swede, Alex Noren seems likely to make his mark on the major championship landscape and although everything suggests that he could excel upon the links course of The Open Championship, don't write off his chances of featuring at Bellerive Country Club just yet.
The world number 13 won the HNA Open de France recently and has finished inside the top three on five occasions in 2018 so far - most importantly managing the feat three times at golf courses across the pond. Worth a look at 50/1 in some quarters.
Luke List
Back-to-back missed cuts at the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship are concerning but a resurgent third-placed performance at the Scottish Open and surviving four days at Carnoustie Golf Links have us believing again.
List is widely-renowned as one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour (5th at the time of writing) and if he can keep the ball in play it could be a real weapon around the 7,400-yard track in Missouri. Tee to green he is as good as anyone so it's quite obvious that if the short stick behaves he could make his mark.
Eye-watering odds of 150-1 will confirm that this one's a left field punt.
Xander Schauffele
Anyone who has followed Schauffele's rise through the ranks might question his inclusion in a list of 'Sleepers' for the week in Missouri. The fact remains that the winner of last year's Tour Championship will likely be off the radar of many, as we can all be guilty of focusing our attention on the likes of Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm et al when it comes to golfers who could break their major championship duck each and every time they come around.
Despite his inability to get over the line at Carnoustie last time out, Schauffele will be a major champion soon. You will get odds of 50/1 in some places for him to go one better this time around.
Marc Leishman
Despite a slide down the rankings in 2018, Leishman is a player who comes to the fore as the golfing season edges towards its conclusion. He took the penultimate event in last year's FedEx Cup Playoffs - the BMW Championship - while finishing within the top three on three separate occasions in a span of only four events.
It wouldn't take very much for the Aussie's game to revert back to its peak when he was then ranked as number 12 in the Official World Golf Rankings. You can get odds of 66/1 if you fancy a resurgence.
Tony Finau
If you've read this far then, as a final treat, here's possibly the canniest and safest bet of all our 'Sleepers'. Tony Finau is a long, straight hitter (check), he's an improving golfer trending towards a 2018 victory (check) and, most importantly, he has played some great golf at recent major championships (check).
Finishing within the top-10 at each of the three previous majors, the American world number 28 makes great sense at a likely price of 50/1.
