The second major of the 2010 season, The U.S. Open is set to tee off this Thursday, June 17th. This year’s venue is Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA. The Open was last held here in 2000 with Tiger Woods winning the championship. This was the first of three career victories in this tournament for Woods. This course will once again be set up to present a brutal challenge to the world’s greatest golfers, as the U.S. Open is traditionally the toughest test they face all season. Here is a review of the top contenders and their current odds to win it all.
Tiger Woods 5-2
With the all the off and on course trouble that Tiger has had over the past seven months it is hard to believe that his game and head are where they need to be to win this week. Since returning from his self imposed hiatus from golf due to problems in his personal life he has yet to contend in the handful of tournaments he has played. You cannot discount the fact that he is still arguably the best player in the game, but given the severe playing conditions of a U.S. Open anything less than perfect will not be good enough this week.
Phil Mickelson 7-1
The U.S. Open is the one Major that has been within Mickelson’s grasp numerous times but one he has yet to win. With five previous second place finishes dating back to 1999, it has to be the one tournament that has tormented him the most. It is also the one tournament he wants to win the most making the motivation factor extremely high this week. Adding to the drama, with a win earlier in the year in the Masters, a win this week keeps his dream of a Grand Slam alive. As far as a straight out bet on one player, Mickelson would be my pick.
Ernie Els 12-1
The 40 year old Els from South Africa is a two time U.S. Open Champion; 1994 at Oakmont and 1997 at Congressional. While it has been awhile since he has captured a Major, he still has the game to win this week. He is probably playing his best golf in the past few years as he already has two wins to his credit this season. In March he won both the World Golf Championships and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A few weeks ago he tied for third in the Valero Texas Open. If he is in contention come Sunday, he still has what it takes to seal the deal.
Lee Westwood 15-1
Westwood’s best finish in a U.S. Open was third in 2008 at Torrey Pines. He comes into this tournament playing at a high level having won the St. Jude Classic in a playoff just last week. Earlier this year he finished second to Mickelson in the Masters and was tied for fourth in the Players Championship in early May. He is certainly capable of winning this week as I expect to see his name somewhere near the top of the leader board all weekend long.
The Field 2-1
The field will most likely be the strongest play this week. Given the ridiculously difficult course conditions that the USGA presents in an U.S. Open format it is hard to predict whose game will be up to the task this week. Also given this year’s venue, weather is always a factor that needs to be accounted for. Last year Lucas Glover came out of nowhere to claim his first Major with players like Ricky Barnes and David Duval tying for second. You have to believe that come late Sunday afternoon the odds favor some other young (or old) gun to grab their first one as well.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.