US Open Golf Schedule 2015: Friday Tee Times, TV Info, Live Stream, Predictions
The first round of the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay is in the books, and while some presumed favorites weren't able to jump out to early leads, scoring conditions were slightly friendlier than anticipated.
Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson both concluded Thursday's round at five under, putting them in the driver's seat entering Friday.
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"I just hit the ball really well," Johnson said, according to the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). "Drove it well. Hit my irons well. Had really good looks for birdie all day."
While Johnson's summation of Thursday's proceedings may sound overly simplistic, success at Chambers Bay will be defined by consistent ball-striking, as players try and avoid the course's staggering number of bunkers lined with thick fescue. To that point, Johnson recorded six birdies and just one bogey on Thursday as he hit 14-of-18 greens in regulation.
So as Johnson and Stenson look to maintain grips on the leaderboard's top spot, here's a look at notable tee times.
| 10:33 a.m. ET | Geoff Ogilvy | Ernie Els | Retief Goosen |
| 11:17 a.m. ET | Billy Horschel | Paul Casey | Lee Westwood |
| 11:17 a.m. ET | Jordan Spieth | Jason Day | Justin Rose |
| 11:28 a.m. ET | Bill Haas | Charl Schwartzel | Hunter Mahan |
| 11:28 a.m. ET | Tiger Woods | Rickie Fowler | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 11:39 a.m. ET | Jimmy Walker | Zach Johnson | Ian Poulter |
| 4:33 p.m. ET | Phil Mickelson | Bubba Watson | Angel Cabrera |
| 5:06 p.m. ET | Hideki Matsuyama | Graeme McDowell | Matt Kuchar |
| 5:17 p.m. ET | Dustin Johnson | Adam Scott | Sergio Garcia |
| 5:17 p.m. ET | Henrik Stenson | Francesco Molinari | Brandt Snedeker |
| 5:28 p.m. ET | Martin Kaymer | Gunn Yang (a) | Rory McIlroy |
| 5:28 p.m. ET | Jim Furyk | Miguel Angel Jimenez | Colin Montgomerie |
| 5:39 p.m. ET | Patrick Reed | Chris Kirk | Jamie Donaldson |
| 5:50 p.m. ET | Webb Simpson | Keegan Bradley | Kevin Na |
TV Info: 12-8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1; 8-11 p.m. ET on FOX
Live Stream: USOpen.com
Predictions
Sergio's Putting Woes Continue
Spain's Sergio Garcia played alongside one of Thursday's co-leaders (Johnson), but he didn't experience the same level of success—particularly as it pertained to putting.
Garcia finished five strokes back of Johnson with an even-par (70) effort, but he was none too pleased with the condition of the expansive greens at Chambers Bay:
While Garcia did well to tread water and stay even during Thursday's opening round, 33 of his 70 strokes—or 47.1 percent—came on the greens. That's a deviation from the 28.91 putts Garcia was averaging per round entering the U.S. Open, a mark which ranks No. 107 overall on the tour.
And if this season has been any indication, Round 2 may actually pose a more daunting challenge for the 35-year-old. During Round 2 play in 2015, Garcia has averaged 30 putts—marking his worst total in any round.
As the numbers indicate, things may only get worse for Garcia on Friday as he seeks to push his score into red figures.
Phil Begins Making a Push
Phil Mickelson is still searching for his first career U.S. Open title, and his quest started off in steady fashion Thursday as Lefty fired a 69 to work his way to one-under par.
Truthfully, that's all he could ask for on a day when scores ranged from five under all the way to 13 over.
"I'm very pleased with the way the round went," Mickelson said, according to Yahoo Sports' Ryan Ballengee. "I hit a lot of good shots today. I shot under par the first day of the U.S. Open."
Although Mickelson shot two over on the back nine after recording a stellar three-under on the first nine, his efforts pointed to the prospect of greater success in the days to come.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Mickelson generally thrives at the U.S. Open when he is able to notch a sub-70 score in Round 1:
He may have ground to make up, but Phil set the tone for a fruitful title push that can begin with a strong showing Friday.
Dustin Holds Steady
Johnson's temporary residency atop the leaderboard shouldn't exactly be a surprise. He traveled to the Pacific Northwest with the fourth-best odds (18/1) of any player, according to Odds Shark, namely because his powerful playing style is perfectly suited for the links.
Bleacher Report's Steve Silverman explained why prior to Thursday's round:
"He leads the tour off of the tee as he is averaging a robust 317.6 yards. That could be a big difference-maker at Chambers Bay, where golfers will be asked to carry huge distances on many of the holes. That distance has allowed Johnson to gain 1.401 strokes tee-to-green, a figure that ranks 10th on tour.
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Thursday, Johnson used his driver to his advantage en route to recording a 65.
"I just controlled my distances very well," he said, according to Golf Digest's Shane Ryan. "I was landing the ball where I wanted to."
On the day, Johnson hit 11-of-14 fairways, and his longest drive topped out at 359 yards. If he can churn out similar numbers Friday, it should set up an epic weekend filled with compelling displays of long-distance efficiency.
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