U.S. Open Golf 2012: Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and More Bad Bets to Avoid

The 2012 US Open begins on Thursday and it should be an incredible tournament with a ton of great golfers vying to win what is an important major at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California.

Gamblers who are wagering can find some great odds, such as Masters winner Bubba Watson at 50-1, last year’s champion Rory McIlroy at 14-1 and favorite Tiger Woods at 6-1.

There are some other competitors to be wary of, who are just not worth the risk at their current odds.

Let’s take a look at who to avoid betting on in the 2012 US Open.

Odds Courtesy of Bovada.lv

Rickie Fowler, 33/1

Fowler may be the No. 20 ranked golfer in the world, but he’s only finished a full US Open tournament once in his career.

The 23-year-old tied for 60th place back in 2008 and followed it up by being cut, a DNP and another cut.

He hasn’t displayed the chops required to win a major and that is why, despite his promising talent, Fowler must be disregarded as a serious competitor in this event.

Luke Donald, 12/1

The world No. 1 golfer is getting far too much respect here. He’s never been a contender in this tournament or been able to win a major since he turned pro back in 1999.

His past five finishes at the US Open have been awful, with a T45 last year, preceded by a T47 in 2010 and cuts in 2007 and 2009. He withdrew from the competition in 2008.

There is no reason to back someone who just can’t find a way to win.

Lee Westwood, 10/1

Westwood is another overrated golfer that can’t close out a major. His best finishes at the US Open were a T3 in 2011 and three in 2008.

It’s impossible to back someone who has not proven the ability to win big tournaments in his entire career, especially when they are just behind Tiger as the favorite with the best odds to win in 2012.

Avoid Westwood and make a play on Woods or Phil Mickelson or any other established golfer that has a known ability to capture victory at majors.