Lefty and Westwood Stay Atop U.S. Open Power Rankings

I believed that Lee Westwood would use this past weekend’s St. Jude Classic as a tune-up for this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.  Instead, he showed why he won last year’s Race to Dubai on the European Tour and why he’s one of the top golfers in the world.

Westwood wouldn’t’ be denied this past Sunday when beating Robert Karlsson on the 4th hole of a sudden death playoff.  What it proves is that unlike some other golfers, like Phil and Tiger for instance, Westwood is always out there to win.  He’s not just trying to get his swing together.  He wants to take down purses and take home trophies.

He’s got a great shot of doing that this week in a major tournament.  Below are the U.S. Open Week Power Rankings!

PGA Tour:U.S. Open Power Rankings

Where:  Pebble Beach Resort, Pebble Beach, CA

When:  June 17th thru June 20th, 2010

1. Phil Mickelson +700 – - He skipped the St. Jude Classic but he knows Pebble Beach very well and he was on his game at the Memorial Tournament when shooting an 11 under and finishing 5th.  He’s a deserving second choice but he might not be the pick once I really get down to the nitty-gritty and get to writing the real betting articles.

2. Lee Westwood +1400 – - I love the golf odds on Lee heading into U.S. Open Week.  Jump on the golf sportsbook and bet this guy.  He finished 2nd at the Masters Tournament earlier this year and is obviously en fuego right now.  I totally discounted his chances at the St. Jude last week.  Big mistake. This guy just wants to win.
3. Tiger Woods +600 – - El Tigre climbs a spot because the Memorial finish, -6 and in the Top 20, really wasn’t all that bad.  Also, Tiger just knows what he’s doing at Pebble Beach.  I don’t believe he blows the doors off of the competition like the last time he won a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (by 10 strokes in 2000), but I do believe he plays very, very well this week and he might actually win the tournament.
4. Steve Stricker +2000 – - The golf betting odds continue to be more than fair on Stricker.  Strick will go into the U.S. Open off of a 17th place finish at the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago. That should have been the perfect tightener for this underrated golfer.
5. Retief Goosen +2500 – - Goosen did well this past week at the St. Jude Classic, recording a 4 under and finishing in 15th place.  He shot a 68 in each of his final 3 rounds at the St. Jude.  That should set him up well this week at Pebble Beach.  Does he deserve this ranking?  Based on the fact that he’s a 2–time U.S. Open winner…yes, I believe he does.
6. Rory McIlroy +1500 – - He wasn’t exceptional at the St. Jude finishing in 29th place with a 2 under but he started out well shooting a 69 and 66 for the first 2 rounds.  Two weeks ago he finished 10th at the Memorial Tournament.  If he can get hot at Pebble Beach, he could win it easily.  At the golf betting odds he must be considered.
7.  Jim Furyk +2800 – - Furyk finished 10th at the Memorial as well two weeks ago.  The difference between the two is that Furyk, even though he’s been playing well, has been playing sort of even lately while Rory will throw in a 66 or a 62 round once in a while.  I give Rory the nod in my rankings because throwing in an awesome round might be what the winning golfer at the U.S. Open will need to do this week.
8. Zach Johnson +6000 – - He bounced back off of a terrible Memorial Tournament finish to record a 12th place finish at the St. Jude.  That -21 he shot at the Crowne Plaza Invitational is still fresh in my memory.  He’s got a better than +6000 shot to win the U.S. Open this week.  That makes him an overlay in the golf sportsbook.
9. Ernie Els +1400 – - He missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament a couple of weeks ago.  That’s not the way he wants to go into the U.S. Open.  I still have faith that he’s going to have a good tournament, but things aren’t going as well for him right now as they were earlier this year. 
10. Padraig Harrington +1500 – - I’m not too fond of how Padraig’s playing right now.  This whole year it’s been the same.  An okay tournament followed by a string of bad finishes. This past Sunday, he finished in 56th place at 3 over par at the St. Jude Classic.

It’s U.S. Open Week!  Log onto the Golf sportsbook and bet the U.S. Open!