The 2012 U.S. Open is set to begin this Thursday, June 14th at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. The event is often regarded as the most difficult major as evidenced by five of the last seven winners posting a score of one under par or worse. Rory McIlroy defied that trend last year, tough, recording a 16 under par 268 ( a U.S. Open record) at the Congressional Country Club to win the first major championship of his career. The odds makers at Sportsbook.ag are not anticipating a similar performance from the Northern Ireland native this time around, however, as McIlroy is drawing 15-1 odds to win the tournament and 5-4 odds ($100 wins $125) to beat Tigers Woods in the books head-to-head 2012 U.S. Open golf matchups.
Rory McIlroy has played some outstanding golf this season, but his best performances came earlier in the season. For much of the year McIlroy topped the European Tour’s Race to Dubai standings, but he now holds the No. 2 spot on the money earnings list after finishing 40th at the Masters and missing the cut at the BMW PGA Championship.
McIlroy is fourth on the PGA Tour’s money list after missing the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship and the Memorial Tournament. He did add $168,700 to his take last weekend, though, with a seventh place finish at the St. Jude Classic.
Early in the season McIlroy, who has never played at the Olympic Club, was in dominating form, recording four top two PGA Tour finishes, including one win (Honda Classic), between February 26th and May 6th.
Woods, the owner of three U.S. Open titles, certainly appears to be playing a better brand of golf than his younger, Irish counterpart as they prepare for Thursday’s start. Woods finished third at the Abu Dubai HSBC Championship in January (a European Tour event) before going on to respectable placements at the AT&T National Pro-Am (15th) and WGC: Accenture Match (17th). Since the Accenture Match he has recorded two 40th place results (The Masters and THE PLAYERS Championship) and one missed cut (Wells Fargo Championship); however, he has also produced a second place finish (The Honda Classic) and two wins (Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament).
Unlike McIlroy, Woods, a 5-1 favorite to win his 15th major this weekend, has competed at the Olympic Club’s Lake Course before, but he indicated earlier this week that it is nothing like what he remembers due to alterations for this year’s Open. So whatever familiarity he might have had with the grounds should not be an advantage.
Woods, who is paired with Phil Mickelson and 2011 Masters Champion Bubba Watson, is scheduled to tee off at 10:33a.m. ET Thursday morning from the No. 9 hole. McIlroy's opening round playing partners are Luke Donald and Lee Westwood; the trio currently hold the top three spots in the Official World Golf Rankings (Donald No. 1, McIlroy No. 2, Westwood No. 3). McIlroy is scheduled to begin play from tee No. 1 at 4:29p.m. ET on Thursday.
2012 U.S. Open Golf Matchups: Tigers Woods vs. Rory McIlroy
Tigers Woods -155
Rory McIlroy +125
Betting Dork: Lee Phelps, Host, The Punt, William Hill Football Podcast, on Euro 2012 & the 112th U.S. Open:
This one is fun. Skyping across the pond with Euro 2012 in full swing, Host Gill Alexander welcomes William Hill Football Podcast Host Lee Phelps to discuss an array of mutual curiosities, including why the British have such low expectations of England's prospects on the international football stage, and the many differences in the gambling cultures of England and the United States. Plus, in a week dominated by both Euro 2012 and U.S. Open Golf, where might the betting value currently lie in both events? Lee offers up his thoughts on both, including which nations might still be the most intriguing futures plays in the former, and which two European golfers ought to be on your radar on the latter. Plus, Premier League value and boxing thoughts, as well, on Monday's international Betting Dork (June 11, 2012).
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