US Open Golf 2013: Total Coverage Hub for Day 1

The 2013 U.S. Open will begin on Thursday at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Penn., sporting some of the biggest names in golf.

Tiger Woods, the favorite according to Bovada, already has four victories on the PGA Tour this year, two more more than second-place Matt Kuchar, per PGATour.com. 

On the other hand, Tiger is coming off a 65th-place finish at the Memorial Tournament.

Other favorites include 20-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero, Kuchar, Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell.

Where: Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pennsylvania

When: June 13-16

Watch: ESPN, NBC

Live Stream: USOpen.com

TV Schedule (via USOpen.com)

Round	Date	Time (ET)	Network
1	Thursday, June 13	9 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.	ESPN
		3 p.m. - 5 p.m.	NBC
2	Friday, June 14	8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.	ESPN
		3 p.m. - 5 p.m.	NBC
3	Saturday, June 15	12 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.	NBC
4	Sunday, June 16	12 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.	NBC

Live Stream

Round	Date	Marquee Group 1 (Time)	Marquee Group 2 (Time)
1	Thursday, June 13	7:11 a.m.	1:14 p.m.
2	Friday, June 14	7:44 a.m.	12:41 p.m.
3	Saturday, June 15	12 p.m. - 7 p.m.	N/A
4	Sunday, June 16	12 p.m. - 7 p.m.	N/A

ESPN Radio 

Round	Date	Time (ET)
1	Thursday, June 13	11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
2	Friday, June 14	11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
3	Saturday, June 15	2 p.m. - 8 p.m.
4	Sunday, June 16	2 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Players Whose Styles of Play Fit Merion Golf Club

Graeme McDowell

Due to the gnarly rough and lightning-fast greens at Merion Golf Club, the two skills that will benefit you most at the course are driving accuracy and putting.

And, boy, Graeme McDowell and Merion seem like a match made in heaven.

McDowell ranks first on tour in driving accuracy this year, as well as 13th in putting (strokes gained), via PGATour.com.

The 33-year-old has also posted four top-10 finishes this season, including a victory at RBC Heritage in April.

What's more, McDowell placed second at the U.S. Open last year (at the challenging Olympic Club in San Francisco, no less) and won the 2010 U.S. Open.

Justin Rose

The big thing for Justin Rose will be his putting (ranked 156th on tour, per PGATour.com), but the 32-year-old certainly has the driving accuracy to stay away from the rough at Merion this year.

Rose ranks 17th in driving accuracy this year after ranking 27th in the category last year. He has considerably improved in that area in the last two years after struggling with his driving accuracy throughout his career.

Rose has four top-10 finishes this season, including an eighth-place finish at the Memorial.

If he stays out of the rough at Merion, he may not have to be a superb putter to win the 2013 U.S. Open. He's one of few favorites this year who excels in driving accuracy.

Brandt Snedeker

Brandt Snedeker's game fits Merion beautifully. He ranks ninth in driving accuracy and 22nd in putting this year, per PGATour.com.

The 32-year-old American didn't participate in the U.S. Open last year, but he's posted two top-10 finishes in five career appearances at the event, as well as an 11th-place finish in 2011.

Snedeker only has two top-10 finishes since February. On the other hand, both of those top-10 finishes were at the Masters and the Players Championship. It's not out of the question that he rises to the occasion at the U.S. Open.