No shock: Tiger Woods is favored at U.S. Open

Several scenarios exist in which Tiger Woods could be excluded from the hunt during the final round of the U.S. Open this week.

Woods could oversleep and miss his tee time. He could be forced to report for jury duty. He could get struck by lightning. Or he could start taking swing tips from Charles Barkley.

But the most likely scenario is Woods will play like the world's most dominant golfer, which is why he's a 7-4 favorite to win the tournament -- and why several bettors are backing him at those seemingly absurd odds.

"A lot of people are hesitant to say, 'I want to bet against Tiger,' " Las Vegas Hilton golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. "We're taking a lot of money on him. We took a lot on him at 2-1 to drive it down. He is well supported this week."

The proposition price to wager against Woods winning is minus-200. It's a bet that makes sense, even though Woods probably will make those opposing him nervous on Sunday afternoon.

The tournament begins Thursday at Bethpage State Park's Black course in New York, where Woods was the winner in 2002.

The rest of the field includes Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy, both at 15-1 odds, and Jim Furyk at 20-1.

Sherman said Woods' odds dropped from 5-2 after his comeback win at the Memorial two weeks ago.

"Tiger looks as good as I've seen him," Sherman said. "Everybody else just folds around him. He's got the mental toughness not to fold. That's a big factor. My gut feeling is Tiger will win."

Mickelson might be a sentimental choice. He took a break from the PGA Tour after his wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May.

"It would be asking a lot for him to win," Sherman said. "Tiger is an enormous favorite over him in a matchup."

Woods is a minus-450 favorite over Mickelson in one of 36 matchups posted at the Hilton.

Woods won his 14th major title in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego last summer. He has won the Masters, British Open and PGA Championship in consecutive years, but he has never repeated any of his three U.S. Open titles, so there is at least one factor working against Woods.

Woods will be paired with Padraig Harrington and Masters champion Angel Cabrera for the first two rounds. Sherman said Cabrera, at 60-1, had the most betting tickets written on him as of Tuesday.

"It's such a rare feat for these players to turn around and win another one, especially when they're not in Tiger Woods' class," Sherman said.

When Woods left the game and had knee surgery last year, golf wagering took a big hit. It's now getting a major boost.

"We've already exceeded last year's U.S. Open handle because we've taken so much action on Tiger," Sherman said.