US Open Golf 2013 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Friday

Day 1 of the 2013 U.S. Open sported its fair share of surprises, whether it was Phil Mickelson excelling on little rest or some big names flopping at Merion Golf Club.

Merion is known for having brutal roughs and lightning-quick greens, so those who were accurate drivers and putted well figured to do well on Thursday.

Of course, golf is an unpredictable game. Some golfers whose styles fit Merion still struggled on Day 1 in Ardmore, Pa.

Let's take a look at some top pairings for Day 2 of the 2013 U.S. Open, complete with a breakdown of each highlighted golfer through Day 1 at Merion.

*Tee times via USOpen.com.

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott

Tee Time: 10:44 a.m. ET

Starting Tee: 11

Tiger Woods had a rough Day 1 before play was halted due to darkness. He posted a two-over par through the first 10 holes on Thursday, which is particularly troublesome because Merion plays more difficult from hole No. 14 on.

Woods' biggest weakness—his driving accuracy—has been countered by a superb putting game throughout his career, which has resulted in three U.S. Open wins. But his putting was just a bit off on Thursday, except for one beauty on hole No. 6. He will have to improve his putting to have any shot at winning his 15th career major.

Overall, you can't like what you saw from Tiger on Thursday—neither can Tiger—and it worries me. I don't think Woods will win the 2013 U.S. Open.

As for Rory McIlroy, the world No. 2 played solid golf on Day 1, posting a one-under through 10 holes. That included two birdies. McIlroy still hasn't played the pivotal stretch from No. 14 to No. 18, but he has to be happy with his play overall so far.

On the other hand, McIlroy ranks 106th in driving accuracy and 123rd in putting this year (per PGATour.com), which troubles me. After he missed the cut at the 2012 U.S. Open, I'm still not convinced that he's going to have a strong four rounds at Merion.

McIlroy could sniff the top 10, but I don't think he's going to win the 2013 U.S. Open.

As for Adam Scott, he played extremely well on Thursday, posting a two-under through 10 holes. That included three birdies.

That being said, Scott ranks 90th in driving accuracy and 49th in putting this year (per PGATour.com). Plus, he's never had much success at the U.S. Open—his best finish at the tournament is 15th, and he's missed the cut six times. I don't expect him to keep up his torrid pace.

Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Nicolas Colsaerts

Tee Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Starting Tee: 1

Nicolas Colsaerts played solid golf on Thursday, posting a one-under 69. He posted four birdies on the day, including one on the challenging No. 14.

As for 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, each posted a one-over 71 on Thursday. Watson had three birdies, but he also had four bogeys. Johnson also had three birdies and four bogeys.

Interestingly enough, Colsaerts' game doesn't suit Merion at all. He ranks 156th in driving accuracy and 183rd in putting (strokes gained) this season, per PGATour.com. In two career appearances at the U.S. Open, he's placed 27th and missed the cut. I expect the 30-year-old Belgian to drop down the leaderboard in the coming days.

Watson's score on Day 1 makes sense to me. He ranks 143rd in driving accuracy and 73rd in putting (strokes gained) this year, per PGATour.com. He's only posted one top-10 finish in strokes play this year, and that was at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in early January. It wouldn't surprise me if he finished over par at the 2013 U.S. Open.

Johnson has the game to play well at Merion. He ranks second in driving accuracy and 31st in putting this season, per PGATour.com. He's also coming off a 10th-place finish at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. In that respect, I expect him to play better moving forward, but seeing how he has posted just one top-10 finish in five career U.S. Open appearances, I don't expect him to improve all that much.

Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley

Tee Time: 3:41 p.m. ET

Starting Tee: 1

So much for missing practice affecting Phil Mickelson's game.

After missing practice on Tuesday to attend his daughter's eighth-grade graduation, Mickelson shot a three-under 67 on Day 1 of the 2013 U.S. Open. That included four birdies on the day.

Meanwhile, both Steve Stricker and Keegan Bradley struggled.

Stricker's play fluctuated from hole to hole on Thursday. He posted three bogeys and one double bogey but also registered four birdies en route to a one-over 71.

Bradley was all-around awful, posting a seven-over 77 on the day. That included five bogeys and one triple bogey.

I think Mickelson will continue to play well at the U.S. Open—I liked him coming into the tournament. 

I expect Stricker to play better, considering his game fits Merion. He ranks 13th in driving accuracy and putting (strokes gained) this season, per PGATour.com. He's also posted two top-10 finishes in his last two appearances at the U.S. Open.

As for Bradley, well, I'm not so sure. He ranks 74th on tour in driving accuracy this season, per PGATour.com. In his last five tournaments heading into Merion, he placed 54th at The Masters, missed two cuts and placed 50th at the Memorial Tournament.