US Open Golf 2012 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Sunday

The 2012 U.S. Open has proven to be one of the most difficult tournaments in recent memory, and the major stars keep falling out of the race.

Fan favorites Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy missed the cut, while Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods have played themselves out of contention.

Fortunately, veterans like Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els have kept the tournament interesting as they moved to the top of the leaderboards with great performances in the first three rounds.

Here is what to look for on the final day of the U.S. Open:

Where: The Olympic Club, San Francisco, Calif.

When: Sunday, June 17, 2012; 9:00 a.m. EST

TV: Coverage starts at 4:00 p.m. on NBC

Leaderboard Pairings

	1	1:50		C. Wittenberg	T. Woods
	1	2:00		M. Kuchar	M. Kaymer
	1	2:10		R. Goosen	J. Peterson
	1	2:20		J. Dufner	B. Hossler (a)
	1	2:30		J. Senden	K. Chappell
	1	2:40		W. Simpson	N. Colsaerts
	1	2:50		B. Adams	E. Els
	1	3:00		L. Westwood	F. Jacobson
	1	3:10		J. Furyk	G. McDowell

Predictions

Tiger Woods finished poorly on Saturday to put himself five strokes off the lead. While some competitors might drop on Sunday when the pressure gets high, there should be too many golfers in the way for the struggling star to return to the lead.

Co-leaders Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk both have experience winning the U.S. Open, but Furyk has been more consistent throughout the tournament. He has not shot above par in any of the three rounds, and he has been one of the best in the tournament at hitting greens in regulation. On a tough course like this, consistency might be enough to win.

Among those that can emerge from the pack, Lee Westwood has a lot of momentum after shooting a 67 on Friday. After eight top-10 finishes in major tournaments since 2008, it is about time that he broke through with a win.