U.S. Open Odds 2013: Vegas Lines for Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and More

Betting on golf is never an easy endeavor. The 2013 U.S. Open doesn’t figure to be any easier.

Just as Tiger Woods reemerged as the top golfer in the world, winning three of his previous four tournaments, he floundered at Muirfield two weeks ago.

Sometimes it takes an aligning of the stars, a perfect storm of factors to fall into place for a golfer to take his game to its biggest heights. Then again, sometimes it takes a little bit of luck, too.

Regardless, bringing it all together has eluded Woods over a five-year stretch. The last time we saw him crowned king at a major championship was at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Will this finally be the tournament that Woods adds another title to the other 14 that are currently collecting dust in his trophy case?

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds and overview of the top contenders to watch this week at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA.

Latest 2013 U.S. Open Odds

Golfer	Odds
Tiger Woods	9-2
Adam Scott	20-1
Graeme McDowell	20-1
Matt Kuchar	20-1
Phil Mickelson	20-1
Rory McIlroy	20-1
Justin Rose	22-1
Brandt Snedeker	28-1
Charl Schwartzel	28-1
Lee Westwood	28-1
Luke Donald	33-1
Sergio Garcia	33-1
Dustin Johnson	40-1
Jason Day	40-1
Jim Furyk	40-1
Keegan Bradley	40-1
Steve Stricker	40-1
Webb Simpson	40-1
Hunter Mahan	50-1
Jason Dufner	50-1
Louis Oosthuizen	50-1
Matteo Manassero	50-1

*For full list of U.S. Open odds check Bovada. These odds are current as of Monday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m. ET

Favorites to Watch

Tiger Woods (9-2)

For a moment, forget about Tiger Woods’ performance the last time we saw him, at Memorial. It’s not that it never happened, but golfers—even the best in the world—are entitled to turning out a bad round or two.

Don’t forget, though, about the world’s top golfer’s current major’s drought. Sportscenter pointed out the scope of that drought and provided some comments from Woods about that and his thoughts on his chances at Merion:

Woods’ clear confidence in himself to capture another major is a large result of his success not just over the last few months, but also after a career of great moments and victories.

We know he’s going to be in contention, but will he be able to do the little things like finishing holes? We’ll see soon enough.

Adam Scott (20-1)

Winner of the Masters earlier this season, Adam Scott is having a tremendous year. He could add another key storyline to golf in 2013—a chance to accomplish the unattainable golf Grand Slam—if he wins this week at Merion.

However exciting that possibility may be on the surface, the chances of it happening are incredibly slim. You have to look back to Padraig Harrington, who won The Open Championship and PGA Championship consecutively in 2008, to find the last time a golfer won back-to-back majors.

Scott, though, is playing great golf and has the type of skilled approach and short game that it takes to succeed at the tight Merion Golf Course.

Phil Mickelson (20-1)

Phil Mickelson has been the definition of erratic throughout the course of his golf career. The four-time major tournament winner has also been hit-or-miss at the U.S. Open.

However, he has turned in some impressive performances at the yearly competition. Lefty has finished in second place five times during his career and has two top-10 finishes during the past two years.

When honed in, Mickelson has the natural ability to not just be better than his competition but leaps and bounds above them.

Which Mickelson will show up at Merion? That’s the question you have to ask yourself.