US Open Odds 2013: Breakdown and Analysis of Top Favorites' Chances

While wet weather at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Penn. outside Philadelphia has stolen the headlines with the U.S. Open coming up on Thursday, the pre-tournament odds have made for some interesting discussion as well.

Not surprisingly, Tiger Woods is the odds-on favorite at 9-2, according to Bovada, despite his lengthy major drought. Top players such as Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are also in the mix with the likes of Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Adam Scott, Justin Rose and a few others receiving some love from the oddsmakers as well.

Essentially anyone in the field can realistically win the tourney, but most of the focus is on the top contenders. Here is a complete background of the betting-line favorites as the best golfers in the world attempt to tame the wild weather at Merion.

U.S. Open Odds

Golfer	Odds
Tiger Woods	9-2
Phil Mickelson	16-1
Graeme McDowell	20-1
Matt Kuchar	20-1
Rory McIlroy	20-1
Adam Scott	22-1
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

*Odds courtesy of Bovada

Tiger Woods

With four victories this year, Woods has regained the No. 1 ranking in the world and has been playing some of his best golf in years. Woods was unable to complete a late run at the Masters, however, so his struggles in major tournaments are still an issue. According to a tweet from CBS Sports, golf's most recognizable star hasn't won a major in more than 1,800 days.

Woods seemingly has a great chance to end that streak of futility each and every time he steps on the course for a major, but it just hasn't happened yet for whatever reason. There is even more concern than usual heading into the U.S. Open as Tiger is coming off an eight-over performance at the Memorial Tournament, which saw him shoot a third-round 79. Aside from that one round, though, Woods was fine, so it shouldn't be cause for alarm.

It's almost as if Woods' play heading into a major isn't a true indicator of how he'll ultimately perform. He has looked great ahead of majors many times in recent years and it hasn't resulted in victories. Woods enters the U.S. Open with a clean slate, so he must simply focus on the task at hand. The fact that he is paired with McIlroy to start the tournament could be a good thing as he seems to elevate his game when they play together, so I like the chances of Woods' rough stretch in majors finally coming to an end.

Phil Mickelson

As great as Woods has been this year, Mickelson has struggled in a major way. He does have one win to his credit, but Lefty has finished in the top 10 in just one-third of the tournaments he has played in. He has had an especially difficult time in big tournaments as he finished a disappointing 54th at the Masters and failed to make the cut at The Players Championship. Mickelson will do everything in his power to turn things around at Merion this week.

Mickelson has come agonizingly close to winning the U.S. Open on so many occasions as he has finished second an incredible five times. Mickelson always seems to be one or two shots away at the U.S. Open, so breaking through would be huge for him. It's interesting to note that Mickelson is taking a different approach than most players as he has been preparing for the event in his hometown of San Diego rather than at Merion, according to Jason Sobel of Golf Channel.

The reason behind Mickelson's absence is that he is home to attend his daughter's eighth-grade graduation, according to Bob Harig of ESPN.com. Mickelson's decision could come back to bite him, though, as he will have less time to adjust to the poor conditions at Merion. Based on that and the fact that he has been extremely inconsistent this year, it wouldn't be advisable to pick Mickelson to win this tournament.

Rory McIlroy

Woods will be the most talked about player in golf for as long as he competes, but McIlroy isn't far behind in that regard. The 24-year-old phenom has had a difficult 2013 after ascending to the top of the sport last year. He has finished in the top 10 in four of his nine tournaments, but he has yet to win and has been a non-factor for the most part. Despite that, McIlroy is among the top contenders at Merion and he is a name worth watching.

McIlroy won the U.S. Open in 2011 and there is no question that he wants to win this tournament again. As erratic as McIlroy's play has been in 2013, it seems like his biggest issues are mental rather than physical. He appears to have lost the edge he was playing with last year and that won't help him in majors. With that said, McIlroy is very comfortable with the style of course that he'll be playing on at Merion, according to Ron Sirak of Golf World.

McIlroy is also used to playing in poor conditions, so he should be very comfortable this week. At the same time, it's possible that playing alongside Tiger could rattle him. There isn't much rhyme or reason to McIlroy's play, but having won this tournament before, a rebound should be expected. Look for McIlroy to finish firmly inside the top 10, but don't anticipate a victory.

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