US Open Odds 2012: Updated Odds for Golfs Top Stars

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods' chances to win at the Olympic Club only look more promising.

The 2012 U.S. Open is upon us, and it is integral for golf fans to be on top of the most up to date odds heading into Round 1 of the major.

Will it be last year's champion McIlroy coming out strong early? Does Woods have another spurt of greatness set to unleash in San Francisco? Will Luke Donald live up to his No. 1 ranking?

These are the odds for the top stars of the game heading into Round 1 of the U.S. Open.

Note: Odds courtesy of VegasInsider.com

Lee Westwood: 12/1

If it came down to momentum, Westwood easily possesses the strongest edge at this year’s U.S. Open.

He comes into Olympic Club winning his 22nd European Tour event at the Nordea Masters. He not only won the competition, he handily took care of the field. His score of 19-under par was five strokes ahead of second place.

With two other noteworthy finishes at both the Masters (third) and Wells Fargo (fifth) tournaments, Westwood will be a top contender at the Open.

Luke Donald: 12/1

The world's No. 1 golfer is quietly illustrating the most advanced level of consistency of any talent in the sport today.

Donald boasts three top-six finishes in his last four tournaments. He finished third at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, sixth at the Players Championship and first at the BMW PGA Championship in Europe more recently.

Come Sunday, there is no question Donald will be one of the top golfers on the leaderboard. With just one win this season, it will be integral for Donald to assert his dominance and come out victorious at a major event like the U.S. Open.

He has proven he has the talent to top the sport, yet the question really is whether he has the ability and the prowess to be considered the outright best in the game.

Rory McIlroy: 10/1

McIlroy boasted 12/1 odds Monday, and he is now the talent with the second-best odds to win the 2012 U.S. Open.

A score of 16-under par in last season's U.S. Open gave him the title, winning by a whopping eight strokes after Sunday.

The former No. 1 in the world will have plenty to prove this season, and this tournament could well be when he begins to get things going.

There is no question that McIlroy will be competing strongly with the field come Sunday. He has proven he is a major competitor at the U.S. Open and will come back just as strong in this 2012 tournament.

Tiger Woods: 6/1

When Tiger Woods throws on the red Nike gear on Sunday, it means a world of trouble for the rest of the field.

Woods is as fierce a competitor as the U.S. Open has seen, winning the event three times, most recently in 2008.

He picked up wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament in his last five tournaments, making him all the more feared at the Olympic Club. The win at Memorial gave him No. 73 of his career, tying him with golf legend Jack Nicklaus.

Expect the best of Tiger in the 2012 U.S. Open as he rides on significant momentum heading into Thursday.