US Open Golf Schedule 2015: Thursday Tee Times, TV Coverage and Live Stream

In just a few short hours, the 2015 U.S. Open kicks off at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, and considering the compelling storylines surrounding this year's field and the uniqueness of the course, you won't want to miss a moment of the action.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy will aim to win his fifth major title and first U.S. Open since 2011, but he'll be contending with a red-hot Jordan Spieth, who looks to claim another major after emerging victorious in the Masters this year. Phil Mickelson is looking to finally complete the career Grand Slam with a U.S. Open victory after six previous runner-up finishes in the tournament.

Then we have the curious case of Tiger Woods. The former world No. 1 now ranks just 195th—his lowest since 1996. He'll be looking to take his 15th major title and fourth U.S. Open; however, he'll need to overcome a recent run of bad form that included shooting a career-high 85 in the third round of the Memorial.

Chambers Bay has been generating headlines of its own. U.S. Open participants have been giving the track mixed reviews due to its links style. It resembles more of an Open Championship course than a U.S. Open track, with an open layout that includes wide fairways, enormous greens, an abundance of fescue and very few trees. Whether you like the course or not, one thing is certain: It will make the tournament very interesting.

So to ensure you don't miss your favorite player in action or any of the expected U.S. Open drama, let's take a look at Thursday's tee times, TV coverage and live stream information.

Thursday's U.S. Open Schedule

Early Coverage: 12-8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

Late Coverage: 8-11 p.m. ET, Fox

Live Stream: USOpen.com

Notable Thursday Tee Times

Golfer	Tee Time (ET)
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.

The full tournament tee times can be viewed at PGATour.com.

Preview

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Take everything you know about the U.S. Open and throw it out the window—this year is going to be very different.

We already touched on the aspects that make Chambers Bay unique for a U.S. Open track, but to better analyze what the field is up against in America's most prestigious tournament, let's take a look at what some of the top players are saying.

Early in the week, Mickelson explained why the course plays more like an Open Championship than a U.S. Open during a press conference, via Bob Harig of ESPN.com:

"

That's because historically it's not like a normal U.S. Open. It's everything like a British Open. The exact same grasses. I've never seen this type of fescue in the United States. I've never seen greens with fescue grass in the United States.

It plays exactly like the British Open plays. The ball runs like the British, you're hitting the same shots as the British, and so it's like a British Open in the U.S.

"

Still, that didn't stop Lefty from sharing his affinity for the track during an interview with Tod Leonard of the Los Angeles Times, saying, "A wonderful golf course. It's playing and set up much like we're used to at the British Open." He added, "You don't have to hit perfect golf shots around here to be able to score and get around it."

That setup suits Mickelson's game nicely. While Lefty has always been a great ball-striker and a magician around the greens, his Achilles' heel continues to be his driver. He isn't known for his accuracy off the tee, and that's cost him in the past. Perhaps the open layout of Chambers Bay will give him some leeway for errant shots and a chance at finally completing the career Grand Slam.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Spieth chimed in with his thoughts about Chambers Bay following a couple of practice rounds. He touched on the layout and expected pace of play during a press conference, via Steve DiMeglio of USA Today: "I really enjoy the layout. I think it's going to be a fun challenge. It's a beautiful challenge, as well. I think it might be slower rounds of golf, given the size of the greens and the difficulty of the course."

During that same press conference, Spieth didn't hold back when he was asked about the course garnering negative feedback from several players:

"

First of all, if you are going to talk negative about a place, you're almost throwing yourself out to begin with, because golf is a mental game. Plus, the U.S. Open is about as challenging mentally as any tournament in the world. So you have to go in positively. You have to go in with enough confidence to get yourself into contention.

"

That is an incredibly mature statement from a 21-year-old. Spieth's maturity has shown up in his play in the past, as he's capable of remaining calm, shaking off bad shots and moving on quickly. Combined with his great course management, ball-striking and finesse around the greens, we should expect to see him near the top of the leaderboard throughout the tournament.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Speaking of players expected to see time atop the leaderboard, McIlroy explained how the links style of Chambers Bay actually gives him an advantage during a press conference, via Adam Justice of the International Business Times:

"

Every part of this golf course is fescue. It's really like playing a [British] Open championship in the United States ... apart from the fact that it's about 20 degrees warmer. It plays more like a links course than some [genuine] links courses.

I really like the golf course. It sets up well for my game. You've got to hit driver. It's a course where you're going to see a lot of guys hit fairways and hit greens but when you hit greens, you can still be 50, 60 feet away from the pin.

"

It sure sounds as though the world No. 1 is entering the U.S. Open with plenty of confidence, and the rest of the field is officially on notice.

One thing that will be very different between this week's U.S. Open and an Open Championship will be the weather. McIlroy touched on the weather, stating the tournament is played in weather that's 20 degrees warmer than what is generally considered the norm across the pond, and that isn't the only difference. According to Weather.com, high winds aren't expected, and rain is not in the forecast.

The elements affect a links-style course far more drastically than a typical tree-lined American track due to its open layout. However, without those inclement conditions, scoring may be at a premium. That said, we could see some low numbers posted at Chambers Bay this week.