2012 U.S. Open: 7 Players with the Best Chance to Win

While the Masters has a tradition of flukey first-time major winners (Trevor Immelman, anyone?), the U.S. Open has been a proving ground for some of history's greatest champions. The winner's list reads like a who's who of Hall of Famers (except for Michael Campbell).

This year's championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco should be no different, where seven players from the world's top 25 have the best chance to add their names to history.

Check out my picks and tell me yours in the comments.

Phil Mickelson (World No. 9)

Despite having grabbed four other major wins, the U.S. Open has been the prize Mickelson just can't capture—he's finished second five times in his career.

But in a year in which he's already had four top-10 finishes and stared down Tiger Woods to win at Pebble Beach, Mickelson is a must-watch player. He finished T10 at Olympic in 1998 and knows how to win major championships.

Rory McIlroy (World No. 1)

The defending U.S. Open champ is a talented driver of the ball—a must on any U.S. Open setup. Armed with even more major championship experience since his rout last year at Congressional, expect Rory to be in contention all week.

Steve Stricker (World No. 7)

Time is running out for the 45-year-old Wisconsinite, but the Olympic Club suits his game.

Stricker recorded a T5 finish at Olympic in the 1998 U.S. Open, and he's a clutch putter, which is paramount at any major. This could be the week that Stricker finally breaks through.

Matt Kuchar (World No. 15)

Another player with fond Olympic Club memories from 1998 (he finished 11th as an amateur), today Kuchar is a more mature player who's captured three tour wins and the 2010 money title.

He's coming off a solid T3 at the Masters and always looks like he's having fun on the course—a must at a treacherous U.S. Open setup like this.

Justin Rose (World No. 10)

Rose is having a career year, stacking up three top-10s, making every cut and capturing a victory at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. He finished T8 at Augusta and boasts the tour's third-lowest scoring average this year.

Nobody goes very low at a U.S. Open, but the reliable Rose is a solid choice that I'd pick for almost any major.

Lee Westwood (World No. 3)

Westwood is the perpetual bridesmaid in major championships—he's finished in the top 3 seven times—but he's primed for a breakthrough year. He leads the tour in total driving (a measure of both distance and accuracy), and at the U.S. Open, that might be the most important skill.

He's coming off a win at the Indonesian Masters and a T3 at the more famous "American" Masters. This may be the year he finally masters a U.S. open course as well.

Hunter Mahan (World No. 5)

Unlike his fellow flashy dressers Ian Poulter and Rickie Fowler, Hunter's got the look of a golf star and the game to back it up. This Californian rocks sunglasses and the best record on tour this year: two wins, three top-10s and the top spot on the money list.

He took down Rory McIlroy at the WGC-Accenture Match Play and is my top pick to do it again in San Francisco this June.