US Open Tee Times 2016: Pairings and Predictions for Thursday Schedule
The best in the world will be teeing off in the U.S. Open Thursday at Oakmont, and golf fans should be able to see spectacular golf at the venerable Western Pennsylvania course throughout the first day of the tournament.
However, those who are going to concentrate on either the morning session or the afternoon session might be better off coming in a bit later and placing their attention on those teeing off in the afternoon.
Jason Day, the No. 1 golfer in the world, will be teeing off at 2:20 p.m. ET on hole No. 1 along with Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen. Day, who is the favorite to win the event at +650 (bet $100 to win $650), according to Odds Shark, will be put to the test by the abilities of his playing partners.
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Oosthuizen has one of the best golf swings in the world, while Scott basically has every shot a golfer needs to win a major tournament. The key for him will be the effectiveness of his putter.
| Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed | No. 1 | 7:51 a.m. |
| Marc Leishman, Jimmy Walker, Paul Casey | No. 10 | 8:02 a.m. |
| Rory McIlroy, Danny Willet, Rickie Fowler | No. 1 | 8:24 a.m. |
| Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau | No. 10 | 8:35 a.m. |
| Hideki Matsuyama, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson | No. 1 | 1:36 p.m. |
| Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Angel Cabrera | No. 1 | 1:58 p.m. |
| Kevin Kisner, Branden Grace, Charl Schwarzel | No. 10 | 1:58 p.m. |
| Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson | No. 10 | 2:09 p.m. |
| Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott | No. 1 | 2:20 p.m. |
| Retief Goosen, Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover | No. 10 | 2:20 p.m. |
A few minutes before that elite trio tees off, the grouping of Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson will step to the 10th tee box at 2:09 p.m. ET. Mickelson has five majors to his credit, but the one missing from his resume is the U.S. Open. He has been a runner-up multiple times but has never been able to secure the title.
Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Hideki Matsuyama will tee off from the first hole at 1:36 p.m. ET. Johnson suffered heartbreak in last year’s tournament when he was in a position to win, but his three-putt on the 18th hole caused him to suffer a painful defeat.
While the afternoon groupings may have the superior star power, those playing Thursday morning are quite notable. Rory McIlroy, Masters champion Danny Willett and Rickie Fowler will tee off from No. 1 at 8:24 a.m. ET.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth will tee off from No. 10 at 8:35 a.m. ET, and he will be playing with veteran Zach Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau. Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open last year, and he appeared to be in great shape to defend his title at Augusta until he blew up on the back nine during the final round.
One of the other morning groupings worth watching includes Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar. Watson has always been a dominant driver and could be the longest hitter in the field. Reed has the all-around game to join the best golfers in the world, while Kuchar regularly plays well in big events, but he may not have enough to win.
Thursday Prediction
Look for Spieth and Dustin Johnson to get off to the best starts at the U.S. Open. When he won the U.S. Open last year, Spieth put his signature on the event early with a strong opening round, and Johnson is also known for getting off to good starts.
At a demanding course such as Oakmont, it would not be surprising to see a score of even-par 71 leading the way after the first round. The U.S. Open was last held there in 2007, and Angel Cabrera won the event with a score of five over par.
That probably won’t be the case this time around, but don’t expect a score of better than one under to win the tournament.
Day may not get off to the same kind of start as Spieth, but he should be right on his heels. Look for the Australian to be within two strokes of the leaders after the first day of the tournament.
Oosthuizen, Kuchar and Rose should also be close after the first round.
Mickelson doesn’t have to be with the leaders after the first day of competition, but he needs to have at least a few good holes so he can build his momentum for the ensuing rounds. McIlroy has had a hard time maintaining his consistency on the PGA Tour this year, so a good first round could be great for his confidence.
Matsuyama and Reed are striving to show they belong with the best, but if neither one comes through with a decent first round that puts them within four strokes of the lead, they may have a hard time making up ground.
Even the best golfers in the world have a hard time when it comes to dominating a tournament from start to finish. While Spieth has done that in the past, don’t expect a first-round leader to run away from this powerful field.
All combinations teeing off in the opening two rounds of the U.S. Open can be found here.
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