Although Tiger Woods is currently the early odds favorite to win the 2012 U.S. Open Championship at the Olympic Club (which is set to begin on Thursday), there is still the possibility that a less than favorable contender will win the National Championship. In the four times that the Olympic Club has hosted the Open Championship, an underdog has managed to overcome a heavy favorite to win the title.
Considering the amount of burgeoning talent participating at this year's event, it isn't far-fetched to think that the trend will continue this weekend. It could even mean the first major championship for Cleveland native, Jason Dufner.
Via the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"Dufner fits right into the U.S. Open mold of a guy who has learned to temper his emotions totally, like Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus did," said NBC-TV analyst Johnny Miller, who as a 19-year-old amateur finished tied for eighth in the 1966 Open at Olympic, a club where he was a member.
"Those are the guys that seem to flourish in a U.S. Open, not the flamboyant types that are smiling and giving gestures and that kind of thing. You look at the Open winners at Olympic, they sort of fit that mold."
Dufner is scheduled to begin the tournament in the afternoon wave when his pairing with fellow Ohio native Jason Day and Louis Oosthuizen start at tee No. 9 at 4:47 p.m., ET. He is currently a 25/1 early odds favorite to win the tournament.
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