Sports betting news: Woods favored at U.S. Open

With golf's first major now in the books, the next leg of the grand slam is just under two months away. The 2011 U.S. Open will get underway on June 16th at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. This will mark the third time that the course has hosted a U.S. Open. In 1964, Ken Venturi won a memorable U.S. Open at Congressional. Ernie Els captured his second U.S. Open crown in 1997 at the course. This time around, Tiger Woods (three-time U.S. Open champion) is the early choice at odds of +615. He will be seeking his first major in three years. His last grand slam victory was at the 2008 U.S. Open. After a slow start to the 2011 season, Woods could be rounding into form after a fourth-place effort at the Masters. Since 1999, Woods has posted eight top 6 finishes at the U.S. Open. He finished in 19th-place at the 1997 U.S. Open. Other contenders Phil Mickelson (+1015) is still looking for his first U.S. Open triumph. He has been the runner-up in the event on five different occasions. In 2011, Mickelson is third on the PGA Tour's money list. He posted a 43rd-place finish in the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional. Lee Westwood, Rory McILroy and Martin Kaymer are the next options in the field at +1615. Despite his status as the second-ranked player in the world, Westwood is still seeking his first major victory. He has been very close to breaking through in a grand slam event during the last three years. Westwood's best U.S. Open performance was a third-place finish in 2008. He came in 19th-place at the U.S. Open in 1997. McILroy will try to rebound from his final round collapse at Augusta. In his two prior U.S. Open appearances, the world's seventh-ranked player recorded a tenth-place finish (2009) and a missed cut (2010). Despite missing the cut at the Masters, Martin Kaymer is still the world's top-ranked golfer. The 2010 PGA Champion finished eighth in last year's U.S. Open.