US Open Golf 2015: Tee Times Schedule and Predictions for Top 1st-Round Pairings
We're in for an intriguing four days of major-tournament action when the world's top golfers take to what is quickly becoming the infamous Chambers Bay in the 2015 U.S. Open.
Chambers Bay isn't acquiring that infamous status because it's a bad course. In fact, players such as Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth have already shared their affinity for the track. It's because Chambers Bay is unlike any U.S. Open course in the tournament's history.
While a U.S. Open track generally consists of narrow fairways surrounded by thick rough and lined with trees that lead to smaller ice-slick greens (see: Pinehurst No. 2), Chambers Bay has a links feel. The course is chock-full of lingering fescue that lines incredibly wide fairways and humongous greens in a very open setting. It really does look like something out of England.
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Whether you like the idea of a U.S. Open on a links-style course or not, the fact that it certainly adds a new and exciting element to this year's tournament should be agreeable. But here's the burning question: Which top players are best suited to flourish at Chambers Bay?
Before we predict the answer to that question, let's take a look at some notable tee times for Thursday's action.
Notable Thursday Tee Times
| Phil Mickelson | 10:33 a.m. |
| Bubba Watson | 10:33 a.m. |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 11:06 a.m. |
| Matt Kuchar | 11:06 a.m. |
| Henrik Stenson | 11:17 a.m. |
| Dustin Johnson | 11:17 a.m. |
| Adam Scott | 11:17 a.m. |
| Sergio Garcia | 11:17 a.m. |
| Jim Furyk | 11:28 a.m. |
| Martin Kaymer | 11:28 a.m. |
| Rory McIlroy | 11:28 a.m. |
| Brooks Koepka | 11:39 a.m. |
| Patrick Reed | 11:39 a.m. |
| Chris Kirk | 11:39 a.m. |
| Jordan Spieth | 5:17 p.m. |
| Jason Day | 5:17 p.m. |
| Justin Rose | 5:17 p.m. |
| Tiger Woods | 5:28 p.m. |
| Rickie Fowler | 5:28 p.m. |
| Jimmy Walker | 5:39 p.m. |
All tournament tee times can be viewed at PGATour.com.
Predictions for Top 1st-Round Pairings
| 10:33 a.m. | Phil Mickelson | E | Bubba Watson | E | Angel Cabrera | +2 |
| 11:17 a.m. | Dustin Johnson | -1 | Adam Scott | +1 | Sergio Garcia | -1 |
| 11:28 a.m. | Martin Kaymer | +3 | Gunn Yang | +3 | Rory McIlroy | -2 |
| 5:17 p.m. | Jordan Spieth | -2 | Jason Day | E | Justin Rose | +1 |
| 5:28 p.m. | Tiger Woods | +1 | Rickie Fowler | -1 | Louis Oosthuizen | +2 |
Mickelson aims to finally complete his career Grand Slam at Chambers Bay. Lefty has never won a U.S. Open, but he always tends to find himself in the mix and has come away with a total of six runner-up finishes. Although, the world No. 17 has a fair chance to end his drought this year.
He enters the tournament with a high level of confidence following his third-place showing in the St. Jude Classic, and the wide-open layout suits his aggressive, and sometimes errant, style of play. In fact, during an interview with Tod Leonard of the Los Angeles Times, Mickelson admitted, "You don't have to hit perfect golf shots around here to be able to score and get around it."
Expect Lefty to get off to a solid start. He's still feeling his way around the track but should be able to post a good enough number in Round 1 to remain well in the mix.
Dustin Johnson has put together a fantastic season that includes one win, one runner-up finish and four other top-10 showings. He enters the U.S. Open after being forced to withdraw from the St. Jude Classic due to illness but was showing solid form beforehand.
Chambers Bay sets up very well for Johnson's style of play. The big hitter will be able to utilize his driver often due to the track's wide fairways, reducing the length of his approach shots. By using higher-lofted clubs, he should be able to hold the firm greens better than most of his opposition.
Rory McIlroy may feel very much at home at Chambers Bay. He spends much of his time on the European Tour and has extensive experience on links courses. While this track may not be a traditional links course, McIlroy's ability to defend against the wind in an open setting by hitting lower, running shots will come into play immediately.
The Northern Irishman told media members what they can expect from the field at Chambers Bay during a press conference, per Adam Justice of the International Business Times, saying, "A place like this can separate the field a lot. This is the sort of golf course that if you're just slightly off, it'll magnify that. But it'll really reward people that are hitting good shots and are confident and their short games are sharp."
McIlroy hits the ball a long way off the tee and is incredibly efficient around the greens. Chambers Bay suits his playing style well, so there's no reason to think he won't get off to a solid start.
Jordan Spieth will be aiming to keep his major winning streak alive after emerging victorious in the Masters. One reason to like Spieth at Chambers Bay is due to his preparation, course management and maturity. Entering the tournament with a bevy of confidence certainly doesn't hurt either, and Spieth exuded plenty of it during a press conference, via Steve DiMeglio of USA Today:
"I'm pleased with the way my ball-striking has come on in the last month. I've been working really hard on it. We've done a great job. I wish the tournament started two days ago, I'm striking the ball really well."
Not only will those attributes help Spieth at Chambers Bay, but we can't discount the 21-year-old phenom's incredible touch around the greens and silky-smooth putting stroke. Those aspects will be very important on the course's massive greens.
Tiger Woods will be looking to catch fire in the U.S. Open, and we shouldn't be surprised if he's able to do so. While he's been mostly abysmal this year, he did produce a solid tie for 17th in the Masters, proving he's still capable of scoring on big stages. Judging by Woods' practice rounds at Chambers Bay, the former world No. 1 is beginning to find his groove.
Jason Day played with Woods earlier in the week at Chambers Bay and came back with this observation of his playing partner's game, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports):
"Tell you what, if he could get on the fairway, he'd probably be back to where he was. His iron play is just ridiculous how good it is right now. It's really special. The driver and the 3-wood...the 3-wood is OK, the driver gets a little wide sometimes. But I think that's the biggest thing for him right now is to really kind of get on the fairway. His short game looks pretty good.
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We'll see if Woods can iron out his tee shots quickly, as finding the fescue won't help his chances. However, he'll be given a bit of leeway with his accuracy due to the unusually wide fairways for a U.S. Open. If Woods' iron play is as good as Day says it is, we could see his name pop up on the leaderboard in the near future.
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