US Open Golf 2017: Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview

After numerous near-misses, Dustin Johnson finally got a major victory under his belt at the U.S. Open last year.

He goes into 2017's U.S. Open at Erin Hills, Wisconsin, which begins on Thursday, as the world No. 1 and bookies' favourite.

However, Johnson has not enjoyed the best form of late, missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament earlier this month having finished outside the top 10 in his two previous competitions.

Unlike in the build-up to the 2017 Masters—which the 32-year-old had to pull out of at the last minute—there is not quite as much buzz around Johnson ahead of this year's U.S. Open.

Many will fancy the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth or Jason Day to go all the way.

Here are the odds for the favourites ahead of the start of the second major of the year, via OddsShark.com:

Dustin Johnson: 6-1

Rory McIlroy: 9-1 

Jordan Spieth: 10-1 

Jason Day: 11-1 

Jon Rahm: 16-1 

Hideki Matsuyama: 20-1

Justin Rose: 20-1

Sergio Garcia: 22-1

Rickie Fowler: 22-1

Henrik Stenson: 25-1

While Johnson may not have the best current form, his results at recent U.S. Opens show clearly how much he enjoys the tournament.

Victorious last year, he finished tied for second in 2015 when a three-putt at the last saw him hand Spieth the triumph, and he was tied for fourth in 2014.

The Erin Hills course will play a huge role in deciding the winner this year, and Johnson has the length to excel on the 7,741-yard Milwaukee track, per Sky Sports.

Like many of his fellow competitors, though, the American has admitted to knowing little about the course, which only opened in 2006.

"I know nothing about it," Johnson said, per the Guardian's Ewan Murray.

The USGA's Mike Davis shed some light on the new venue, per the U.S. Open:

Second-favourite McIlroy, 28, will be eager to impress at the U.S. Open having fallen slightly short at the Masters in April, finishing tied for seventh but six shots back from winner Sergio Garcia.

The Northern Irishman will be playing alongside Day and Augusta runner-up Justin Rose for the first two rounds, and it would not be a surprise should the eventual champion come from that group.

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Despite recently being troubled by a rib injury, McIlroy believes "all the pieces are in place" for him ahead of the the action at Erin Hills, per Jeff Babineau in Golfweek.

Australian Day, 29, goes into the 2017 U.S. Open with decent form, having lost out on the AT&T Byron Nelson title only in a play-off against Billy Horschel before finishing 15th in the Memorial.

Rose, meanwhile, claimed his first major title in the U.S. Open in 2013 at Merion, and he will be looking to bounce back after performing brilliantly at the Masters only to lose out in a play-off to an inspired Garcia.