US Open Golf 2015: Latest Odds and Betting Tips for Golf's Top Contenders
If you're looking for a long shot at the 2015 U.S. Open, it may be hard to fathom, but Tiger Woods might be your best option. Did you ever think you would see the day when one of the greatest golfers in history had 50-1 odds to win the U.S. Open?
Per Odds Shark, that's the reality.
| Rory McIlroy | 7-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 8-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 16-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 18-1 |
| Justin Rose | 18-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 18-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 50-1 |
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Woods is coming off the worst 72-hole performance of his career at the Memorial, a tournament he once seemed to own. Obviously, confidence in him winning a major isn't particularly high in the golf community. That's exactly why he's a solid betting option in this tournament.
Don't get it twisted, he's not a guy you should be plopping down huge chunks of cash on. But he is still Tiger Woods.
We've seen him in stretches this season still display the skill level that once separated him from every other player in the world. The problem is a lack of consistency. After a nine-hole practice round at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, the site of the 2015 U.S. Open, Woods sounded optimistic about his prospects of improving his play through some key adjustments.
Per Bob Harig of ESPN.com, Woods said:
"I had to make those. It's more of a commitment than anything else. I had to make a commitment and I have. And things are starting to come together piece by piece. All the big change is already in and now it's just refining it and actually now playing more golf, playing more tournament golf.
"
Do you trust that Woods can put it together? Golf is a cruel game. There's no doubt Woods has put in the work, but hard work doesn't always render results on the golf course. Yet at 50-1, Woods is still a tantalizing option that I couldn't pass on if I were looking for a player who could produce a huge return on a small investment.
Shorter Odds
Rory McIlroy
Having risen to the status Woods once carried as a perennial favorite for every major, there will be multiple reasons why McIlroy might win every tournament he enters for the foreseeable future.
He's had a top-five finish in each of his last four PGA Tour tournaments. That run includes a win at the Wells Fargo Championship and World Golf Championship-Cadillac Match Play event. However, he missed the cut on his last two outings at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, both of which are a part of the European Tour.
Harig believes the less-than-stellar performances might be due to McIlroy's workload. He wrote:
"The [two missed cuts] would normally be a bad sign, but those events were on the back end of a five-week stretch which saw him win the WGC-Match Play Championship, tie for eighth at the Players Championship and then win the Wells Fargo Championship.
"
Even with the recent stumbles, McIlroy is still one of the smartest picks to make. He has risen to the occasion in majors recently to at least put himself in contention. If he's contending, he's dangerous.
Jordan Spieth
Of the players with the most attractive odds, Jordan Spieth is my pick to win the tournament. The winner of the 2015 Masters has been on a consistent rise through the ranks of the elite, and he's established himself as the best young American golfer.
At just 21 years old, Spieth has demonstrated poise beyond his years and a refinement to his game that many of the top players have yet to attain.
He did miss the cut at The Players Championship, but he rebounded with top-three finishes at two of his next three tournaments. Expect him to stay strong and reaffirm his status as one of the best players in the world.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
