US Open Golf TV Schedule 2012: What to Watch for in Final Rounds at Olympic Club

With a good deal of the contenders and pretenders weeded out, the closing rounds of the US Open at Olympic Club in San Francisco promise to be extremely exciting. Tiger Woods is very much in the hunt, as are several other strong players who could give him a run. Some of the world's top players have already bowed out or are too far back to challenge as well, so Woods may have his opening.

There are no guarantees in the US Open, particularly at Olympic Club since it plays so difficult. It won't be easy to shoot a number too far in the red, so players need to try and stay within a couple shots of the lead in order to have a chance. If the first two rounds are any indication, the third and fourth rounds should be fantastic.

Here is everything you need to know about when and where to watch the final rounds of the US Open, as well as what to look out for when you tune in. 

Television Coverage

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) 

Can Tiger Woods Close Things Out?

After two rounds, Tiger Woods is still standing tall while other top players like Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson have faltered. The true question is whether or not Woods can keep up his strong play and win his 15th major, though.

Many have written off his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' major wins record, but if he finds a way to come out on top Sunday, then he will suddenly be just three victories behind with plenty of good golf left to play at the age of 36.

Woods has been written off time and time again over the past couple years through injuries and off-course drama, but he is currently playing the best he has in a very long time. Woods was impressive as he won The Memorial Tournament a couple weeks ago, and it appeared to show that he was ready to be a factor in the US Open.

That has been the case so far, but now he has to finish strong in order to complete his climb back to the top. 

Will the Course Play Any Easier?

US Open courses are obviously never easy, but Olympic Club has played more difficult than perhaps any in recent memory. The first round in particular was tough as no golfer other than Michael Thompson, who shot four-under par, was better than one-under.

Now that these top-notch professionals have two rounds under their belt, though, you have to wonder if they have become acclimated enough to the course that they can show marked improvement and shoot a few strokes under par per round.

If that is the case, then there are plenty of players lying in the weeds who could suddenly become factors. If the course plays equally as difficult, though, there may not be many players with a realistic shot at winning.

Players have consistently been hitting the ball in the thick rough, overshooting the quick greens and thumping their shots in the large quantity of bunkers. None of those things are likely to change over the final two rounds, so unless the players make some major adjustments, the scores should continue to be mediocre. 

Who Will Be Tiger's Closest Competition?

With most of the top players in the world in terms of the rankings out of contention, it's only natural that many are expecting Woods to run away with the tournament. There are a lot of players in the mix who could potentially step up and give him issues, though.

Despite Thompson's relative inexperience, he can't be written off as he has performed well over the first two rounds collectively. Several other major-quality players could give Tiger a run for his money as well.

Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell, Nick Watney, Matt Kuchar, Ian Poulter, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan all have what it takes to win the US Open, but not all of them are going to be able to remain within striking distance. At least a couple of them are bound to, however.

If Woods plays his best over the final two days, I'm not sure anyone can beat him. If he is only average, though, then there are probably about eight to 10 high-quality golfers with a realistic shot. Whether they excel or falter remains to be seen.

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