US Open Golf 2015: Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview
Golf immortality is what's at stake in the 2015 U.S. Open, as an extremely talented field of American and international players will compete to have their names etched in the history books by winning the year's second major.
There are plenty of storylines surrounding many of the tournament's competitors. Rory McIlroy enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the world, but Jordan Spieth continues to nip at his heels. Phil Mickelson will attempt to complete the career Grand Slam yet again after previously notching six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open. Tiger Woods continues his enigmatic play and is coming off a 14-over performance in the Memorial.
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Not only are those golfers making headlines, but the course that will play host to this year's tournament is as well. Chambers Bay is a new course, opened in just 2007. It is unlike any other U.S. Open course, as the links-style setup features huge fairways and greens, barely any trees and some unique elevation changes. It will certainly provide a different look to America's most prestigious tournament.
With the U.S. Open now just a few days away, let's take a look at the tournament's updated odds and preview the favorites to watch this year at Chambers Bay.
U.S. Open Odds
| Rory McIlroy | 6-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 7-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 16-1 |
| Justin Rose | 18-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 18-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 18-1 |
| Adam Scott | 20-1 |
| Jason Day | 22-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 25-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 28-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 28-1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 33-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 33-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 33-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 33-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 33-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 33-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 33-1 |
All tournament odds provided by Odds Shark.
Favorites to Watch
Rory McIlroy
A player who needs no introduction, McIlroy has been absolutely on fire since winning the 2014 Open Championship and claiming the world's top spot. Since that victory in July of last year, the Northern Irishman has accumulated five more victories and four runner-up finishes. However, he enters the U.S. Open in a bit of a slump.
McIlroy's remarkable stretch came to an abrupt end following his win in the Wells Fargo Championship. He missed the cut in his next two starts (the BMW PGA Championship and Dubai Duty Free Irish Open) and has now missed out on weekend action three times this season—he missed just one cut in all of 2014.
Two of McIlroy's last four rounds have been dreadful, as he shot a 78 in the BMW PGA Championship's second round and opened the Irish Open with an 80. Still, the world No. 1 remains calm and explained what he did to prepare for the U.S. Open after those disastrous outings during an interview with Maggie Hendricks of USA Today.
"I didn't touch a golf club last week," McIlroy said. "I had played five weeks in a row, and mentally, I was ready to have a little break. I just got away from it, did some other things I enjoy, got back to Florida on Sunday and started to practice."
We'll see if his short time off elevates his game enough to compete for his fifth major title.
Jordan Spieth
The world's No. 2 player got a taste of winning majors earlier this year after his impressive performance in the Masters. Spieth will be looking to keep that trend going at Chambers Bay, and he's regained his form in the nick of time after some brief struggles.
Spieth has been on an absolute tear in 2015, notching two victories and earning three runner-up finishes. However, the 21-year-old phenom had a bit of a rough stretch, missing the cut in the Players Championship and notching a disappointing tie for 30th in the Byron Nelson, his hometown event. Luckily, he got back on the right track after a fourth-round 65 earned him a tie for third in the Memorial.
Now, with his swing back in form, Spieth sets his sights on the U.S. Open. However, he isn't taking Chambers Bay lightly, as he's already had some difficulty during practice rounds, according to an interview with Bill Nichols of The Dallas Morning News, saying, "That golf course is just ridiculously difficult. People are saying all around that it's unfair. But it's not too unfair that you can't shoot a 78."
Spieth added, "You literally have to land the ball in a one-yard circle to get it within 20 feet. It can be done, but I just didn't do it. I absolutely love the golf course, but I just felt like the greens were too hard, too difficult."
Known for his flair for the dramatic, Spieth will likely need to conjure up some magic to navigate Chambers Bay and notch his second consecutive major victory.
Dustin Johnson
Rounding out the tournament's top-three favorites is Dustin Johnson. Ranked No. 7 in the world, the big-hitter enjoyed an impressive stretch of golf earlier this season; however, he's embarked on a roller-coaster ride of late.
Following his win in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, Johnson notched three top-10 finishes, including a tie for sixth in the Masters, but he paired them with some forgettable showings in the Zurich Classic and the Players Championship. Adding to his recent woes, Johnson withdrew from the FedEx St. Jude Classic last week with an illness after starting the tournament with several bogeys through nine holes.
Still, Johnson's ability to hit the long ball could very well work in his favor at Chambers Bay. He currently leads the PGA Tour with an average distance of 317.6 yards off the tee. His ability to bomb it down the fairway gets him closer to greens, allowing him to approach with a lofted club and land his ball softly. That shows up in his numbers, as he ranks fifth on tour in scoring average.
Considering Chambers Bay is known for its brutal greens surrounded by fescue—and players will likely have a difficult time holding their approach shots—Johnson's big drives will give him an upper hand in this department.
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