U.S. Open Futures – Tiger is clear Favorite with Lefty’s Exit

In less than three short weeks, the best golfers in the world will take to Bethpage Black in New York, one of the toughest golf courses in the United States, to contend for the 2009 U.S. Open title.

Hailed just about a month ago as a potential repeat of 2002, the last time the U.S. Open was played at Bethpage, when Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods dueled it out for the U.S. Open trophy, the 2009 U.S. Open took a turn towards a European flavor after Mickelson withdrew from the PGA Tour to spend time with his wife who is battling cancer.

Instead of Phil challenging Tiger, Tiger is going to have to contend with Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington.

For sports betting fans, the lack of Phil’s terrific game could lead to a surprising long shot to take Woods the distance.

Let’s take a look at the top seven betting interests, right now, to win the 2009 U.S. Open.

1. Tiger Woods +250 – - El Tigre has been resting up since TPC Sawgrass in preparation for the U.S. Open.  He will be playing this week in The Memorial, but after that, he will simply take his time and get his game right before heading off to New York to contest Bethpage Black.  Woods won in 2002 and has two other U.S. Open victories, in 2000 at Pebble Beach and last year at Torrey Pines where he kept playing with a cracked knee cap.  The man is a machine.  If he’s close to 100%, he should win this.

2. Padraig Harrington +1500 – - Harrington won both the PGA Championship and the British Open, he second British in a row, in 2008.  His best finish at a U.S. Open was 5th at Pebble Beach in 2000, and at Winged Foot in 2006.  But Padraig has done something that few golfers can claim, and that’s beating Woods in a playoff, which he did in the Dunlap Phoenix in Japan in 2006.

3. Geoff Ogilvy +1500 – - He won in 2006 and because of that deserves some mentioning but his odds are way underlaid in the Sportsbook.  After starting out 2009 on fire, Ogilvy has been anything but racking up some really bad finishes in his last three tournaments.  The 32 at Quail Hollow was horrible, the 22 finish at TPC Sawgrass wasn’t that bad, but finishing 50th in the Crowne Plaza at Colonial last week was just atrocious.  Ogilvy has to have a good Memorial this week in order for gamblers to justify his odds.  Ogilvy won the U.S. Open in 2006 but he’ll have to really improve to get into the top ten in 2009.

4. Jim Furyk +2500 – - Furyk could be a huge surprise in the 2009 U.S. Open.  Jim won the 2003 Open at Olympia Fields and finished 10th in this year’s Masters.  He can play under pressure and no doubt will have his game ready for this.  The problem, of course, is that Furyk hasn’t been able to close the deal on a single tournament this year, but he has finished well lately with a 5th place finish at TPC Sawgrass and a 9th place finish at Colonial last week.

5. Sergio Garcia +2800 – - Garcia tied for 3rd in the 2005 U.S. Open but his best round was actually on the Bethpage Black course in 2002 when he shot a 68 to open the tournament.  He’ll need to repeat that because not only will he face Padraig Harrington, who beat him down in both the 2007 and 2008 British Opens and the 2008 PGA Championship, but Tiger Woods who beat him down in the 2002 U.S. Open.  Garcia could go either way in this tournament.  If he lets the pressure get to him, missing the cut isn’t out of the question.

6. Rory McIlroy +2800 – - This will be McIlroy’s first U.S. Open.  After all, the kid is only 20 years old, but one look at what he’s accomplished so far in his career and there’s no doubt that a breakthrough is imminent for McIlroy.  The U.S. Open would be the perfect place for that breakthrough to happen.  He shot a 68 opening round in the 2007 British Open and finished 5th at the WGC-Accenture earlier this year.  He’s definitely a flier for gamblers, but he might be a flier worth taking.

7. Anthony Kim +2800 – - In only 2 U.S. Open starts, Anthony Kim shot a 67 in the 4th round in 2007 and finished 20th in the same 2007 U.S. Open where he shot the 67.  The problem with betting on Anthony is that gamblers will have to really put recent history behind them.  Kim has finished 47th, missed the cut, 71st, missed the cut, and 54th in his last five tournaments after finishing 20th at the Masters.  The kid has lost his game.  He only has a few weeks in order to find it for this tournament