The 2012 U.S. Open will be played at the Lake Course at The Olympic Club, a track the pros compared to nearby Oakmont as the two toughest tests for America's national championship. But Olympic has utilized a feature of another famed Open venue, Pinehurst, in that Mike Davis and the USGA have shaved down the rough around the green on seven new holes to create treacherous collection areas and fall-offs.
While there was debate about Olympic and Oakmont on Tuesday, there's no debate about the favorite heading into Thursday's first round. Tiger Woods enters the week coming off a win in Columbus at the Memorial. He clinched it with a dramatic charge over the final four holes, but he was steady all week, saving pars from six to 10 feet. That's perhaps the most important part of the game at the slog of a U.S. Open, where par is always a good score.
The top three ranked players in the world follow Woods when it comes to favorable odds this week. Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, and Rory McIlroy have all had immense success over the past two years, but only Rory has managed to win a major. They will play the first two days together in the same group. More odds for this week's Open below:
Tiger Woods 13/2
Lee Westwood 11/1
Luke Donald 11/1
Rory McIlroy 14/1
Phil Mickelson 20/1
Dustin Johnson 25/1
Jason Dufner 25/1
Justin Rose 28/1
Matt Kuchar 28/1
Adam Scott 33/1
Jim Furyk 33/1
Rickie Fowler 33/1
Zach Johnson 33/1
Hunter Mahan 40/1
Sergio Garcia 40/1
Steve Stricker 40/1
Bo Van Pelt 50/1
Bubba Watson 50/1
For all your news and updates in the run up to the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic, stay with this StoryStream. Be sure to head over to USOpen.com for even more coverage from the event.