US Open Golf TV Schedule 2012: Dates, Times & Channel Info for Entire Tournament

It is arguably the most important major in all of golf, along with the Masters, and it is just a week away. The US Open will be played at The Olympic Club in San Francisco next week.

Every major is wide open these days, so there will be any number of contenders, but most will tune in to see if Tiger Woods can return to prominence. Even aside from Tiger, though, players like Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Luke Donald, Bubba Watson and many others will be of great interest.

It is quite possible that there has never been this much parity in the sport of golf before. While it is good for the sport in some respects, many fans are rooting for a dominant player to emerge. That may happen at the US Open.

Here is all the information you need with regards to when and where to catch all of next week's action. 

Where: The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.

When: Thursday, June 14-Sunday, June 17

Watch: ESPN and NBC 

Round-By-Round Coverage

Round 1 (Thursday, June 14)

12 p.m.-3 p.m. ET (ESPN)

3 p.m.-5 p.m. ET (NBC)

5 p.m.-10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Round 2 (Friday, June 15)

12 p.m.-3 p.m. ET (ESPN)

3 p.m.-5 p.m. ET (NBC)

5 p.m.-10 p.m. ET (ESPN) 

Round 3 (Saturday, June 16)

4 p.m.-10 p.m. ET (NBC) 

Round 4 (Sunday, June 17)

4 p.m.-10 p.m. ET (NBC)  

Top Players to Watch

Tiger Woods

After three consecutive awful performances, including being a non-factor at the Masters, it looked as though Tiger Woods had reverted back to his poor play. Seemingly out of nowhere, though, Tiger rebounded and win the Memorial Tournament in his last start.

Now Woods will enter the US Open with a ton of confidence and a chance to resume his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' major championship victory record.

Golf fans saw plenty of glimpses of the old Tiger at the Memorial, but the question is whether or not his strong play will translate to The Olympic Club. Woods couldn't capitalize on his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as he finished just 40th at the Masters.

Golf would greatly benefit from Woods being in the hunt at the US Open, and all eyes are sure to be on him over the first two rounds as he tries to position himself. 

Rory McIlroy

After winning last year's US Open, many heralded Rory McIlroy as the next Tiger Woods. McIlroy has had some spectacular outings since then, but he has also come to realize that winning another major isn't so easy.

McIlroy has been up and down this season, and he leads the St. Jude Classic after missing two straight cuts. It's possible that the US Open could finally be the event where golf fans get to see Rory and Tiger go head to head.

McIlroy has a very long way to go before he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Woods, but he could begin the process if he is able to stare down Tiger and beat him in the US Open. Woods and McIlroy having a showdown would be the best possible thing for golf, except maybe Phil Mickelson being involved as well.

Whatever the case, most consider McIlroy the future of golf. But he can become the present as well with another US Open win. 

Phil Mickelson

Since making a run at the Masters, only to fall short and finish in third, Phil Mickelson's play has been spotty at best. His performance at the Memorial Tournament was disastrous. He shot a 79 in the first round and decided to withdraw in order to prepare for the US Open. It isn't often that a player withdraws due strictly to poor play, but that certainly seemed to be the case with Lefty.

Mickelson has yet to win a US Open, but he has finished second on five occasions and gone through plenty of heartbreak. There will be tons of fans rooting for Mickelson at this year's US Open, and it would be great to see him in the hunt along with Woods and McIlroy.

With the way Mickelson is playing, that may not seem likely. But he tends to elevate his play in majors, so you never know what might happen.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter