Merion Golf Club in Philadelphia hosts the 113th playing of the US Open from Thursday in the year’s second major. Adam Scott came away from the Masters in April with his first major victory, and is once again among the contenders this time out, even though replicating his performance at Augusta will take some doing. World number one Tiger Woods leads the betting at this stage of the week, and will be keen to end his major drought, especially at the Open, where he hasn’t won since 2008. But once again, it will be the player who gets off to the steadiest start and puts himself in contention for the weekend that will have the best shot of claiming this year’s Open.
2013 US Open Odds
Tiger Woods 11/2
Matt Kuchar 20/1
Phil Mickelson 20/1
Rory McIlroy 22/1
Adam Scott 22/1
Graeme McDowell 22/1
Justin Rose 25/1
Lee Westwood 28/1
Charl Schwartzel 33/1
Brandt Snedeker 33/1
Sergio Garcia 35/1
Luke Donald 35/1
Jim Furyk 40/1
Steve Stricker 40/1
Jason Day 40/1
Dustin Johnson 40/1
The last time Tiger Woods won the US Open was in a playoff against Rocco Mediate in the distant 2008. Since then, Woods had gone through his much-publicized personal problems, but seems to have recovered and is back as the number one golfer in the world. The only thing he needs to do to seal his comeback would be to win a major, that elusive 15th major. The short and tight course at Merion might not suit him perfectly, but he has been known to adjust his play when it counts, and his chances of getting closer to Jack Nicklaus’ haul of 18 majors could get a boost this week.
One on the men who Woods will have to overcome is Adam Scott, who at 22s isn’t a terrible option. The Masters champion has had a good season, with three top-10 finishes and has made the cut in every tournament he’s played in. He will have to deal with the pressure of coming into the tournament as a major winner for the first time, but if he can hold his nerves in the opening few days, he could be in with a real shot come Sunday afternoon.
The relatively short odds given to Matt Kuchar come on the back of strong form coming into the Open. In his last two starts, Kuchar has picked up first and second place finishes, and is definitely one of the form golfers in the world right now, with six top-10 finishes out of 14 starts in 2013. Don’t be surprised if he is playing in the last few pairings at least on Sunday afternoon.
Check out the US Open official website to keep up with the latest news and scores from the event.
Tagged With : Adam Scott • Matt Kuchar • Merion Golf Club. Tiger Woods • US Open