US Open Golf TV Coverage 2012: When and Where to Watch Olympic Club Action
The U.S. Open always provides the world's best golfers with one of the toughest tests they will face all season. This year's event will be hosted at the Olympic Club in San Francisco for the first time since 1998 when Lee Janzen won at even par.
That's what makes golf tournaments unique. Not only are golfers battling an entire field of the sport's best players, but they are also fighting a course that doesn't provide much forgiveness. The U.S. Open winner is simply the player who outlasts the competition.
Here's a look at the television information for the season's second major and some contenders to watch even though they aren't generating as much hype as some other big names.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Where: The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.
When: Thursday, June 14 - Sunday, June 17
TV Coverage
| Round | Date | Time | Channel |
| Round 1 | June 14 | 12 - 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| 3 - 5 p.m. | NBC | ||
| 5 - 10 p.m. | ESPN | ||
| Round 2 | June 15 | 12 - 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| 3 - 5 p.m. | NBC | ||
| 5 - 10 p.m. | ESPN | ||
| Round 3 | June 16 | 4 - 10 p.m. | NBC |
| Round 4 | June 17 | 4 - 10 p.m. | NBC |
Contenders to Watch
Lee Westwood
Westwood returns stateside after a dominating 19-under performance to win the European Tour's Nordea Masters. Despite having plenty of success around the globe, Westwood continues to search for his first major championship.
While he's finished in at least third place at every one of the big-four events, the 39-year-old Englishman has never been able to close the deal. He should be in the mix once again at the Olympic Club, so finding a way to capitalize on Sunday will be the key.
All told, Westwood has too much talent to go his entire career without at least one major victory. Judging by his performance so far in 2012, there's a good chance this is finally the year.
Even though Donald has spent plenty of time ranked No. 1, he still needs a major to solidify himself as the best golfer in the world. For whatever reason, when the spotlight gets brighter, his level of play has tended to drop.
His best career finish in a U.S. Open is 12th. That's surprising because the tough scoring conditions would seem to favor a player like him with pinpoint accuracy over the countless big hitters in the field, but he hasn't been able to take advantage.
Sooner or later, Donald will bring his small-tournament game to a major and win it. But based on his inconsistent play on the sport's biggest stages, it's impossible to know when that will happen.
Jason Dufner
Dufner has two wins and a second-place finish over his past four starts, making him one of the hottest players on tour heading into the U.S. Open. It's already been the best season of his career and there's still plenty of time left.
The biggest change for Dufner, which allowed him to go from virtual unknown to potential major winner, is a major improvement in consistency. He always showcased a lot of talent, but he wasn't able to string four strong rounds together on tough courses.
Well, he'd be hard-pressed to find many tougher than the Lake Course at the Olympic Club, so it should serve as a good measuring stick to see exactly how far he's come. He's certainly a threat to win it all.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
