US Open Golf 2012: Tee Times for Tiger Woods and Others in Striking Distance

Days 1-3 mean nothing.

Only the golfers who rise to the occasion on the fourth day of the 2012 U.S. Open will go down in history. Whether they’ll be remembered as a champion or for falling short depends on just how high they rise. Here are tee times for the competitors taking aim at the Olympic Club crown (via ESPN).

Player	Score	Tee Time
T1. Graeme McDowell	-1	6:10 p.m. EDT
T1. Jim Furyk	-1	6:10 p.m. EDT
3. Fredrik Jacobson	+1	6:00 p.m. EDT
T4. Nicolas Colsaerts	+2	5:40 p.m. EDT
T4. Blake Adams	+2	5:50 p.m. EDT
T4. Ernie Els	+2	5:50 p.m. EDT
T4. Lee Westwood	+2	6:00 p.m. EDT
T8. John Peterson	+3	5:10 p.m. EDT
T8. Beau Hossler	+3	5:20 p.m. EDT
T8. Jason Dufner	+3	5:20 p.m. EDT
T8. John Senden	-+3	5:30 p.m. EDT
T8. Kevin Chappell	+3	5:30 p.m. EDT
T8. Webb Simpson	+3	5:40 p.m. EDT
T14. Tiger Woods	+4	4:50 p.m. EDT

It isn’t any surprise that Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk find themselves at the top of the leaderboard. Over the course of their careers, the pair of golfers each won one major.

Guess which tournament they raised their hands in triumph.

The Masters?

Errrrr. Wrong.

The U.S. Open.

McDowell won the event just two years ago. Furyk triumphed back in 2003, but it was a historic one, as he tied the record for the lowest 72-hole score in U.S. Open history.

On fire in their favorite major, McDowell and Furyk will be tough to leapfrog, but never count out Tiger Woods.

Through Day 2, Tiger looked well on his way to living up to the expectations of being the betting favorite and winning his first major since 2008. On Saturday, though, Woods finished the day at five-over par. While he’s still within striking distance of the lead—especially considering how easy it is for leads to evaporate in the U.S. Open—Tiger still needs a miraculous Sunday to walk away with the W.

Of course, Woods has made a career out of putting miraculous Sundays together.

As difficult of a position as he’s in, it could be worse. Just as Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy.  You won’t find their names on the chart above. Lefty is just fighting for a better payday now at eight-over par, and McIlroy will watch Day 4 with the rest of the world because he didn’t make the cut.

For the players still alive, the roller-coaster ride is almost over. Tune in at the tee times to see who finishes strong and who throws up.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels