US Open 2012 Pairings: Notable Trios for Day 2 Action

The 2012 US Open pairings feature some star-studded trios, and although the scores have been less than desirable, the drama has not.

When you get some of the most compelling and competitive golfers in the same groupings, the action will always be fascinating. It doesn't matter if they play great, decent or terrible, there are several golfers on tour who are always must-see TV .

Luckily of us, the United States Golf Association realizes this, and they had some fun when putting together the trios for the first two rounds.

Here are the groups to keep your eye on during Friday's Day 2 action.

Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood

Tee Time: 10:44 a.m. ET

Anytime the world's three best golfers are in the same pairing, you can bet something special will happen. Unfortunately for these three, "special" didn't necessarily mean "good" on Thursday.

Westwood was the leader of the group, and he wasn't exactly impressive. He finished with a three-over 73, registering three bogeys, one double-bogey and two birdies.

Meanwhile, McIlroy and Donald were even worse. McIlroy had eight bogeys on his way to a seven-over 77, while Donald had nine bogeys and no birdies to finish with a nine-over 79.

It was a horrible showing for the PGA's top three golfers, and if they don't find a way to fix their games on Friday, they could all be watching the final rounds from home.

Rickie Fowler, Ryo Ishikawa, Dustin Johnson

Tee Time: 11:43 a.m. ET

Rickie Fowler started great, but a double-bogey on five, followed by a bogey on six, dropped him to two-over for the day.

Ishikawa also suffered a couple late bogeys, but his consistent play early on has him sitting pretty at one-over par.

Meanwhile, Johnson had a nightmare of a first round. He double-bogeyed No. 10 and registered bogeys on holes No. 2, 3, 15 and 16.

All three of these guys are capable of incredible feats on the course, and Fowler and Ishikawa are still in prime position to strike. If Johnson can gain a few strokes on them in Round 2, he will also be in a decent position heading into the weekend.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson

Tee Time: 4:18 p.m. ET

In a group that features two legends and the highly entertaining Watson, fans had high hopes for this pairing. Unfortunately, only one of them delivered in Round 1.

After winning the Memorial, Tiger continued to look like his old self, dropping a one-under 69 on Thursday. He was strong off the tee, solid on the greens and remarkably consistent throughout.

He finished with three birdies and just two bogeys on the day, putting him three strokes behind leader Michael Thompson. If he has a similar round today, he will be in prime position heading into the weekend.

Meanwhile, Phil and Bubba had nightmares in the opening round.

Mickelson's aggressive approach killed him on the unforgiving course at Olympic Club. He bogeyed his first three holes and never recovered, finishing with seven bogeys and just one birdie on the day. If he doesn't make some major improvements in Round 2, Lefty will be headed home early.

Ditto for Watson, who finished with a terrible eight-over 78. He had seven bogeys, one double-bogey and one birdie on the day. If he has a similar round today, Bubba's performance will go down as one of the most disappointing in US Open history.