US Open 2016 Tee Times and Pairings for Oakmont Country Club Announced
With less than one week until the 2016 U.S. Open gets underway at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, the United States Golf Association announced tee times for Rounds 1 and 2 of the year's second major Friday.
As play approaches, here's a look at some of the tournament's notable groupings, with a full list available at PGATour.com:
| 7:51 a.m. | 1:36 p.m. | Matt Kuchar | Bubba Watson | Patrick Reed |
| 8:24 a.m. | 2:09 p.m. | Rory McIlroy | Danny Willett | Rickie Fowler |
| 8:13 a.m. | 1:58 p.m. | Lee Westwood | Luke Donald | Martin Kaymer |
| 8:35 a.m. | 2:20 p.m. | Zach Johnson | Bryson DeChambeau | Jordan Spieth |
| 1:36 p.m. | 7:51 a.m. | Hideki Matsuyama | Sergio Garcia | Dustin Johnson |
| 1:47 p.m. | 8:02 a.m. | Webb Simpson | Graeme McDowell | Geoff Ogilvy |
| 1:58 p.m. | 8:13 a.m. | Ernie Els | Jim Furyk | Angel Cabrera |
| 2:20 p.m. | 8:35 a.m. | Jason Day | Louis Oosthuizen | Adam Scott |
| 1:36 p.m. | 7:51 a.m. | Brandt Snedeker | Bill Haas | Billy Horschel |
| 2:09 p.m. | 8:24 a.m. | Phil Mickelson | Justin Rose | Henrik Stenson |
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Per usual, all eyes will be on Jordan Spieth. The world No. 2 has been hot-and-cold since his Sunday stumble at the Masters, and he didn't inspire much confidence with a 57th-place finish at last week's Memorial Tournament.
However, Spieth was able to find solid form seven days earlier when he captured a title at the Dean & Deluca Invitational. The dominant display was a breath of fresh air for Spieth, who followed up his Masters collapse with a missed cut at the Players Championship.
But in order to repeat as U.S. Open champion one year after besting the field at Chambers Bay, Spieth will need to conquer one of the toughest tests in golf, according to Golf Digest's Joel Beall:
"I know that Oakmont is in the rotation and I know that if you win a U.S. Open at Oakmont, you can go ahead and say that you've conquered the hardest test in all of golf, because this is arguably the hardest course in America day-to-day. Normally the hardest U.S. Open, at least what history shows. That would obviously be a tremendous honor. Any time you win the U.S. Open, you've won the hardest test in golf that year, but this is potentially the hardest test in all of golf.
"
To Spieth's point, Angel Cabrera captured a U.S. Open title at Oakmont in 2007 with a score of five over. Thirteen years earlier, Ernie Els reigned supreme at the famed Pittsburgh course with an impressive five-under showing.
"There's just so many other tough holes that par is going to be a fantastic score," Spieth said in May, per Beall. "I'd sign for even par right now for 72 holes in June."
Beyond Spieth, there will be plenty of focus on world No. 1 Jason Day—whose 2015 U.S. Open was marred by a bout of dizziness.
If recent form is any indication, though, Day should be considered the favorite to hoist hardware at week's end. The Australian star has won three of his last seven starts, including the Players Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational, and he shot a respectable nine under at the Memorial to maintain solid momentum entering Oakmont.
That said, Day knows the pressure will be on as he seeks to capture his first U.S. Open title.
"Everyone is expecting you each week to compete and play well and win, and sometimes that can be stressful," Day said at the Memorial, per AFP's Rebecca Bryan (via Yahoo). "I've just got to focus on getting the process right, and if I can do that, then hopefully the U.S. Open will time perfectly and I can peak there and play well there."
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