Yes, this is actually happening. There might be some value on riding Phil Mickelson as your underdog bet to win the 2012 British Open. Not a lot, but enough.

Mickelson isn't too much of an underdog. According to this article, Mickelson is 28/1 at JustBet Sportsbook, 35/1 at 5Dimes, and 33/1 at Bovada. Decent odds, but they're actually lower than several other prominent golfers in the field. Usually when these odds come out, it's Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson leading the field in terms of overall odds because these are the golfers that always get bet on come tournament time. However, it seems this year the secret is out on Phil's struggles at The Open, and his odds are significantly lower than usual.

I mean, Mickelson has struggled to win the British, but last year was his best finish at the major, ending up in second place at the end of the whole matter. I wouldn't say this is a lock (who'd be stupid to say that?) but Mickelson might be someone worth keeping your eye on if you want to ride a safer name and don't want to ride too much financial risk doing so.

Other Arizona golfers:

• Martin Kaymer is one of those golfers listed above Mickelson in terms of odds. He goes as low as 28/1 in one book, 33/1 in another, and 45/1 in another.
• Jim Furyk isn't too far behind Mickelson at 40/1 or 50/1 odds depending on which book you look at.
• Martin Laird is more of a dark horse at 66/1 or 125/1.

For more on the Open Championship, make sure that you check out our StoryStream as well as SB Nation's dedicated golf hub.