British Open 2015: Tee Times Schedule, Predictions for Top First-Round Pairings

The Old Course at St Andrews will provide one of the most iconic landscapes golf has to offer for the 2015 Open Championship.

With picturesque views of the North Sea, historic landmarks like the Swilcan Bridge and a backdrop featuring the magnificent Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews clubhouse, golf's ancestral home is certainly a sight to behold. However, while the links track is gorgeous, it's also treacherous.

The Old Course features 112 bunkers capable of swallowing golf balls that have run too far on the course's firm fairways. Many of these bunkers boast faces that are so deep, they won't allow golfers to hit a forward shot to get out. Strokes are dropped quickly due to these hazards. Along with the bunkers are massive double greens, swirling winds off the sea and even a blind tee shot on the 17th hole that has caused catastrophes in the past.

Rest assured, the tournament's participants will need to be in top form to navigate 72 holes at St Andrews, and they'll have to rely on their full arsenal of shots to get the job done. That said, let's take a look at Thursday's tee times and decide how the players in the marquee parings are likely to start their bids for the coveted Claret Jug.

Notable Thursday Tee Times

Golfer	Tee Time (ET)
Victor Dubuisson	3:11 a.m.
Webb Simpson	3:22 a.m.
Tom Watson	3:33 a.m.
Bubba Watson	4 a.m.
Sergio Garcia	4:11 a.m.
Lee Westwood	4:11 a.m.
Patrick Reed	4:11 a.m.
Dustin Johnson	4:33 a.m.
Hideki Matsuyama	4:33 a.m.
Jordan Spieth	4:33 a.m.
Tiger Woods	4:55 a.m.
Louis Oosthuizen	4:55 a.m.
Jason Day	4:55 a.m.
Adam Scott	9:12 a.m.
Martin Kaymer	9:12 a.m.
Jimmy Walker	9:12 a.m.
Matt Kuchar	9:34 a.m.
Phil Mickelson	9:34 a.m.
Henrik Stenson	9:34 a.m.
Justin Rose	9:45 a.m.
Rickie Fowler	9:45 a.m.
Jim Furyk	9:56 a.m.
Paul Casey	9:56 a.m.

All tournament tee times can be viewed at PGATour.com.

Predictions for Top Pairings

Spieth, Johnson, Matsuyama

Jon Super/Associated Press

Most eyes will be fixed on this trio on Thursday, as Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson will see each other in action for the first time since their epic duel in the U.S. Open. Johnson may be looking for some revenge after his three putts on the 72nd hole handed Spieth the one-stroke victory.

As we could expect, Spieth leads this group in first-round scoring average this season, tied for 13th on tour while averaging 69.82 strokes in the opening round of tournaments. He certainly showed his ability to get off to a hot start in the Masters, shooting a 64 at Augusta National to kick-start his wire-to-wire victory. Starting the U.S. Open with a 68 was nothing to sneeze at, either.

Hideki Matsuyama has been playing very well of late, earning eight consecutive top-25 finishes. His scoring in the first round of tournaments is one big factor for his success, as he ranks 27th on tour with an average score of 70.06. This will be his first start since his tie for 18th in the U.S. Open.

As for Johnson, his first-round scores have been all over the place. He ranks 79th on tour with an opening-round scoring average of 70.75, but he did start the U.S. Open with a blistering 65 to take command of the tournament out of the gate.

Predictions: Spieth, 67; Johnson, 69; Matsuyama, 70

Woods, Oosthuizen, Day

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

This is a very intriguing group simply due to its past success at St Andrews. Tiger Woods won The Open Championship at the Scotland track in both 2000 and 2005, and Louis Oosthuizen won in 2010. Interestingly enough, each player put up very low numbers in the first round of their respective wins.

Woods is no stranger to finding success at St Andrews. He's been known to get out of the gate quickly at the track, shooting a 67 in the first round in 2000 and 66 in the opening round in 2005. While he isn't showing the same form of late, he is coming off a solid showing in The Greenbrier Classic and began that tournament with an opening round of 66.

Oosthuizen hasn't been solid out of the gate recently. Even though he did notch a tie for second in the U.S. Open, he began the tournament with a dreadful 77. He followed that up with an opening 71 in the Travelers Championship and a 70 in The Greenbrier. He does have an affinity for links courses, but it's difficult to predict he'll shoot a low number on Thursday.

Jason Day was one of the biggest storylines in the U.S. Open. He managed to finish tied for ninth despite dealing with vertigo throughout the bulk of the tournament. He began that showing with a first-round 68 and currently ranks tied for 13th on tour with an opening-round scoring average of 69.82. If he's controlled his vertigo symptoms by now, he could catch fire early at St Andrews.

Predictions: Woods, 70; Oosthuizen, 71; Day, 69

Kuchar, Mickelson, Stenson

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

This group features a duo that dueled during the final round of the 2013 Open Championship, as Phil Mickelson won his first overseas major with a three-stroke victory over runner-up Henrik Stenson. Matt Kuchar wasn't in the mix in that tournament, but he did post his best Open Championship finish one year prior, notching a tie for ninth in 2012.

Kuchar is getting hot at the right time. He got off to a great start in the U.S. Open, shooting a 67 on Thursday, and finished the tournament tied for 12th. He followed that up with a runner-up finish in last week's Scottish Open after shooting four consecutive rounds in the 60s. Currently, Kuchar ranks third on tour with a first-round scoring average of 69.31.

Mickelson has had a roller-coaster season to this point. He's already missed three cuts, but he also has second-, third- and fourth-place finishes on his resume. His tie for second in the Masters was his best showing of the year, but his opening round of 70 was his highest of the week. That becomes apparent when looking at his first-round scoring average of 70.62 this season—good enough to rank 64th on tour.

Stenson's been very successful early in tournaments this season, missing just one cut. He hasn't won yet this year, but he is coming off a runner-up finish in the BMW International Open after shooting a 67 to start the tournament. He's fared well early in the United States as well, averaging 69.50 in the first round to rank tied for fifth on tour. Stenson is a steady player and very capable of shooting up the leaderboard early.

Predictions: Kuchar, 69; Mickelson, 71; Stenson, 68