US Open Odds 2012: Money Line for PGA's Top Players

Tiger Woods was once the face of golf, but the three-time U.S. Open champion is no longer the favorite as budding superstar Rory McIlroy looks to defend his title at the 2012 U.S. Open.

Last year, McIlroy took the golf world by storm by shooting a record 16-under-par, winning by an incredible eight strokes.

Although Woods has improved his play lately, the world’s most profitable golfer will have to pull an upset if he hopes to win his fourth U.S. Open championship.

The 23-year-old McIlroy is aiming to become just the 18th multi-time U.S. Open champion and just the first back-to-back winner since Curtis Strange accomplished the feat in 1989.

It’ll be incredibly difficult for McIlroy to pull the rare repeat, but the young Irishman plays with incredible resiliency.

After faltering at the 2011 Masters, he came narrowly close to winning the St. Jude Classic before double-bogeying the 18th hole.

According to VegasBettingLines.com, McIlroy faces 8:1 odds at winning the tournament, the best mark of a deep group.

With a victory at The Honda Classic in March, the Irishman proved he’s still capable of winning at any moment. However, history isn’t on McIlroy’s side to repeat.

Besides last year’s tournament winner, another heavy favorite is Lee Westwood.

The remarkably consistent Englishman is no stranger to the U.S. Open, having tied for third place in last year’s go-around.

As the third-ranked golfer in the world, the 39-year-old hopes to avoid the number three this weekend. 

With a recent five-stroke victory at Nordea Masters under his belt, Westwood enters the tournament with 14:1 odds.

The man dubbed “England’s Tiger” certainly is no stranger to pressure.

Look for him to make a strong showing as he tries to prevent McIlroy from retaining the title.

Despite never finishing better than third at any major, Luke Donald can’t be counted out.

The world’s top-ranked golfer has been on a tear since 2011, capturing six wins in 16 months.

After winning his second consecutive BMW PGA Championship just two weeks ago, Donald enters the tournament on a high.

Although he doesn’t have a major title under his belt, it’s hard to dismiss the confident No. 1 golfer in the world.

With 14:1 odds, it certainly wouldn’t be out of the question for the 34-year-old to prove his ranking and capture the championship.

No list of favorites would be complete without the incomparable Woods.

His list of career accomplishments reads far longer than a list of Kim Kardashian’s, but the winner of 14 majors just hasn’t been the same since his messy infidelity issues.

Although he won the Arnold Palmer Classic and the Memorial this year, he’s had his share of poor showings.

Woods missed last year’s U.S. Open due to injury, but if his tournament record is any indication of his chances, the former child prodigy has to be considered a favorite.

Tiger’s resume features three U.S. Open wins, two second-place finishes and three other top-10s.

While Woods isn’t dominating the green like we’ve grown accustomed to, he still remains one of the best in the game, evidenced by his No. 4 world ranking.

Although there’s no runaway favorite, the 2012 U.S. Open features a quartet of worthy challengers.

With the top-ranked golfer in the world (Donald), last year’s champion (McIlroy), arguably the greatest golfer in history (Woods) and the experienced underdog (Westwood), the competition should be fierce at this year’s tournament.