US Open Golf 2017: Tee Times, Date, TV Schedule and Prize Money

The U.S. Open will make its way to Erin Hills, Wisconsin, for the first time in its history this week as the competition begins anew on Thursday with an eager list of superstar talents ready to vie for major victory.

Sergio Garcia finally ended his wait for a first major championship at the Masters in April, and the question now is whether we'll see another new champion crowned, although some of the previous winners in the field will look to ensure otherwise.

The last three champions are Dustin Johnson (2016), Jordan Spieth (2015) and Martin Kaymer (2014), a trio that's been grouped together for a mid-morning tee time in Round 1 of the tournament on Thursday (8:35 a.m. local).

Players will compete for their share of a whopping $36.3 million (£28 million) prize fund, with $3.5 million (£2.7 million) of that figure—a little less than 10 per cent—going to the winner.

Read on for all the must-know information on how you can tune into the 2017 U.S. Open, complete with a preview of which stars we might see contending for the U.S. Open crown come Sunday evening.

Visit the official PGA Tour website for a look at the pairings and tee times in full. 

Where: Erin Hills, Wisconsin

Dates: Thursday, June 16 - Sunday, June 19

TV Info: Sky Sports 1/4 (UK), Fox (U.S.), Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)

Live Stream: Sky Go app (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.)

Prize Money: $3.5 million (£2.7 million)

Preview

The new breed are really beginning to make headway through golf's elite of late, and although it was a European who took first blood in the 2017 majors, America will hope to level the scores on home soil this weekend.

Rory McIlroy, 28, is sure to rank among Europe's top hopefuls of edging another title in Wisconsin, but 23-year-old Spieth has matched the Northern Irishman stroke for stroke in recent years, per Justin Ray of the Golf Channel:

Hopes for a McIlroy triumph may have taken a hit, however, after the 2011 U.S. Open winner reacted angrily to the United States Golf Association's (USGA) decision to cut the grass at Erin Hills following some player outcry, per BBC Sport.

Seemingly more at ease with playing in the kind of rough he would have grown up accustomed to, McIlroy criticised the call made just days prior to first tees, per Golf.com:

One man's loss is another man's gain, however, and Johnson will care little for the terrain he plays on as long as it's the same for his opponents, and he's hoping to become the first player since 1989 to successfully defend a U.S. Open title.

The South Carolina native triumphed by three strokes at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania last year in a win that helped him be crowned 2016 PGA Player of the Year and held special significance to Johnson:

This year's tournament will once again reach its climax on Father's Day, and it will be all the more special for Johnson to take home victory as he's just had his second child with wife Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey legend Wayne.

The 32-year-old's form of late has been quite staggered, as he failed to make the cut at his most recent outing at Memorial, although he has already won the Genesis Open, WGC Mexico Championship and the WGC Dell Match Play.

As far as the frontrunners go, Spieth, Johnson and Kaymer are almost sure to coax the best out of one another during the first two days of competition, while McIlroy looks to avenge last year's failure to make the cut.