2009 US Open: Odds favor Tiger Woods to win the US Open

Millions of golf fans are preparing along with the golf players for the 2009 US Open Tournament and we now have the opening odds on the big event. Scheduled to be played on the Black Course of Bethpage State Park on Long Island from June 18-21st, this will be the second time the US Open Championship has been held at this course, after Tiger Woods one the first one in 2002. And speaking of Tiger Woods and the 2009 US Open Golf Championship - do we have to say that he is the odds-on favorite to win the Open by every sportsbook?

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For the opening odds on the 2009 US Open we visited two of the most popular online sportsbooks in the world in hopes to offer the bettors something different, needless to say they all pretty much cover each other. Starting with the 2009 US Open odds at the online sports betting website Bookmaker (new window), we found that Tiger Woods is well ahead of the competition sitting on betting odds +175. At least bettors who take the early odds on Woods to win the US Open this year will actually get a positive payout, although with the tee-off inching closer, those odds are bound to change even more in favor of Tiger Woods, as we have witnessed happen for many years. Second best odds to win the 2009 US Open Golf Championship are currently held by Phil Mickelson, who despite not having the luck to win any of the US Open tournaments he had attended is holding odds +1400 to win the 2009 Open.

But the comparison between the payout for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson is staggering and showcases the odds-on favorite: if you bet $100 on Woods and he wins the 2009 US Open, the sportsbook will pay out $175, but if you wager on Mickelson and he wins the Open, you'd get paid $1,400! It's clear that the 2009 US Open will be another one with Tiger Woods being the one and only choice for the odds makers. Which could turn out to be great news for the players who like betting someone other than the top favorite. Keep in mind that Tiger Woods has won the US Open three times, despite being the favorite every single time in recent history. Which in turn results in great wins by some of the more intuitive bettors out there - don't forget to look at the rest of the field, especially when the sportsbooks are paying big bucks on anyone who is not Tiger Woods to win the 2009 US Open.

And speaking of the 2009 US Open field, the 2006 Open winner Geoff Ogilvy comes third on the betting sheets with odds +1600 to win this year's Open Championship at Bookmaker. Geoff Ogilvy is followed by the '03 Open winner Jim Furyk, who is holding odds +1800 to win this month. The 2008 winner Angel Cabrera gets no love from the odds makers this time around - the Argentinean golfer is sitting on long odds +4000 to win the 2009 US Open. Here are the some of the odds on the top golf players in the 2009 US Open, as posted by the online sportsbook Bookmaker:

TIGER WOODS +175
PHIL MICKELSON +1400
GEOFF OGILVY +1600
JIM FURYK +1800
PAUL CASEY +2500
STEVE STRICKER +3300
RETIEF GOOSEN +3300
PADRAIG HARRINGTON +4000
SERGIO GARCIA +4000
SEAN OHAIR +4000

We've also looked at the 2009 US Open odds at another one of our favorite online bookmakers, Bodog Sports, where we found little difference in the betting odds, especially among the top golfers. At Bodog Sports Tiger Woods is also the odds-on favorite to win his fourth Championship with odds 3/2. Woods is followed by Phil Mickelson at 14/1 odds on victory and Australian golfer Geoff Ogilvy is listed with 16/1 odds to win the 09 Open. Jim Furyk pays better here with odds 20/1 on winning the US Open Golf Championship for the second time, while Paul Casey will pay out on 25/1 odds. Here are the top 10 golfers, according to the 2009 US Open odds at Bodog Sports:

Tiger Woods 3/2
Phil Mickelson 14/1
Geoff Ogilvy 16/1
Jim Furyk 20/1
Paul Casey 25/1
Rory McIlroy 33/1
Sergio Garcia 33/1
Retief Goosen 33/1
Padraig Harrington 33/1
Sean O'Hair 33/1

You can visit the bookmakers to see the full list of betting odds on the 2009 US Open participants, where you can place your bets with confidence (both sportsbooks are part of our best online sportsbooks list). Stay with us as we will continue to monitor the 2009 US Open odds, the latest changes in the betting patterns, as well as news from the Black Course of Bethpage State Park, while the world's top golfers are prepping up for the 109th run of the U.S. Open Golf Championship.

Published on 06/16/2009