‘It’s the right thing to do’: Ahead of trying to end major victory drought, Rory McIlroy explains his role in leading resistance against LIV Golf

“That’s their decision, and they have to live with that.”

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BROOKLINE, Mass. – To no one’s surprise, the first question Rory McIlroy fielded in his gathering with the media Tuesday at The Country Club ahead of the 122nd U.S. Open dealt with the Saudi Arabia-backed, Greg Norman-led LIV Golf.

This despite McIlroy’s scintillating victory last Sunday in the RBC Canadian Open, where he outdueled Justin Thomas and Tony Finau over the last 36 holes for his 21st PGA Tour title. That number was significant to McIlroy, for it is one better than the 20 Tour titles Norman won, which the world No. 3 gleefully pointed out on more than one occasion.

It was his latest salvo at the rival league that held its first tournament last week and has lured top stars away from the PGA Tour including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau with its enormous signing bonuses, huge purses, 54-hole individual and team formats with no cut and a shotgun start.

McIlroy, along with Thomas, has been the face of the PGA Tour’s resistance to LIV Golf, frequently speaking out against it and voicing disappointment in those players who joined (PGA Tour members who joined or will join have been or will be indefinitely suspended from the PGA Tour) despite the alleged human rights violations by the Saudi Arabia regime and charges the country is using its billions of dollars in a sportswashing attempt to overshadow those same atrocities.

“It’s the right thing to do,” McIlroy said when asked why he has been so outspoken. “The PGA Tour was created by people and Tour players that came before us, the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer. They created something and worked hard for something, and I hate to see all the players that came before us and all the hard work that they’ve put in just come out to be nothing.”

He also noted the “massive legacy” of charitable dollars the Tour has doled out.

“They all have the choice to play where they want to play, and they’ve made their decision,” McIlroy said. “My dad said to me a long time ago, once you make your bed, you lie in it, and they’ve made their bed.

“That’s their decision, and they have to live with that.”

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the second tee during a practice round prior to the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club on June 13, 2022 in Brookline, Massachusetts. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Back in February, McIlroy said LIV Golf was dead in the water after more than a dozen of the game’s top stars pledged their allegiance to the Tour’s flag. Some of those players, however, backtracked and headed to the new league.

“I guess I took a lot of players’ statements at face value. I guess that’s what I got wrong,” McIlroy said. “You had people committed to the PGA Tour, and that’s what the statements that were put out. People went back on that, so I guess I took them for face value. I took them at their word, and I was wrong.”

Despite the defections, he said he didn’t think relationships would be strained.

“I’m still going to be close with the guys that have made the decision to play those events. It’s not as if you agree on absolutely everything that all your friends do. You’re going to have a difference of opinion on a lot of things. That’s fine. That’s what makes this a great world. We can’t all agree on everything,” McIlroy said. “I just think for a lot of the guys that are going to play that are younger, sort of similar age to me or a little younger than me, it seems like quite short-term thinking, and they’re not really looking at the big picture.

“Again, I’ve just tried to sort of see this with a wider lens from the start.”

As for his golf, McIlroy likes what he has seen of The Country Club and added he has a little more pep in his step after his win north of the border as he tries to end a major drought of eight years. Adding to his confidence is knowing he is the last player to win a PGA Tour event the week before winning a major championship, pulling off the double with victories in the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship.

“It gives you a lot of confidence,” he said. “I think it was the fashion in which I won last week was what gave me the most pride. Got a lead early in the back nine. Lost that lead. Was tied with two holes to go, and then I showed some really good resilience and birdied the last two holes to get the job done.

“My last two showings in major championships have been pretty good (second in the Masters, eighth in the PGA Championship). So I’m getting back to a place where I’m feeling a lot more comfortable with my game and a lot more comfortable at the biggest, not really the biggest championships in the world, but it’s more the biggest and toughest tests in the world. I think my game is now at a place where I feel confident going to these golf courses that are set up more difficult than everyday Tour events and knowing that I have the game and the mentality to succeed on them.”

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‘She is a sage’: How Rose Zhang helps fellow Stanford player Michael Thorbjornsen, who will hit the first shot at the U.S. Open

BROOKLINE, Mass. – It hadn’t really hit amateur Michael Thorbjornsen that he was hitting the first tee shot at the 122nd U.S. Open until a reporter asked what it meant. Suddenly, that 6:45 a.m. ET tee shot on Thursday at The Country Club took on new …

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BROOKLINE, Mass. – It hadn’t really hit amateur Michael Thorbjornsen that he was hitting the first tee shot at the 122nd U.S. Open until a reporter asked what it meant. Suddenly, that 6:45 a.m. ET tee shot on Thursday at The Country Club took on new meaning for a 20-year-old who grew up not far in Wellesley.

“That’s very special,” said Thorbjornsen. “Something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I guess I’m a part of history in that sense.”

Thorbjornsen, the 2018 U.S. Junior champion, had his U.S. Open debut as a teenager three years ago at Pebble Beach, where he made the cut and finished 79th. The rising Stanford junior qualified for this year’s championship via an 8-for-3 playoff in sectional qualifying.

It’s not often that an elite male amateur points to the best player in women’s college golf as role model, but Thorbjornsen isn’t shy about going to fellow Stanford player Rose Zhang for advice.

“Everything on that episode is true about Rose,” said Thorbjornsen of No Laying Up’s recent film on the Cardinal women’s team.

“She is a sage. She’s the youngest one there, but she’s definitely the wisest when it comes to golf. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”

U.S. Open: Tee times | How to watch

Thorbjornsen said Zhang, 19, is always the first one at the school’s practice facility and often the last one to leave.

“My dad is my swing coach and he is obsessed with her swing,” he said. “So I’m always asking for pointers or asking like how things look because I’m almost trying to emulate her swing in a way.”

Stanford
Stanford’s Rose Zhang wins the individual title at the 2022 NCAA Championship at Grayhawk in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo: Darren Reese/Stanford)

Stanford’s Zhang is the No. 1 player in the world and her resume includes victories at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior. She recently won the individual title at the NCAA Championship and led the Cardinal to the team title.

Thorbjornsen looks to Zhang in particular for tips on how to practice.

“I know this might sound kind of stupid,” he said, “but she just says to putt more, hitting like 100 4- or 5-footers in a row. I kind of struggle with some three-putts here and there.

“She said rather than hitting 30-footers, 40-footers, just to focus on making everything inside of five feet so I won’t have to worry about hitting 30-footers five feet short or long.”

Zhang helped lead Team USA to a convincing victory at the Curtis Cup last week at Merion. She and Thorbjornsen will team up together to represent the U.S. in July at the Arnold Palmer Cup in Switzerland at Golf Club de Genève.

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Lynch: Phil Mickelson logs yet another U.S. Open disappointment, but on Monday for a change

For Phil Mickelson, the majors are just collateral damage.

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Over three decades, fans of Phil Mickelson have become accustomed to his shortcomings at the U.S. Open. There’ve been three solo second-place finishes, a trio of ties for second, and a couple fourths, each failed tilt at the National Open—30, in all—making its own fibrous contribution to his scar tissue. Not since the rain-plagued 109th Open at Bethpage Black has Mickelson authored one of his disappointments on a Monday, but he got it out of the way at the 122nd Open before most fans were even on the grounds at The Country Club.

Mickelson’s press conference was his first time facing U.S. media since becoming the poster boy and most prominent apologist for LIV Golf, the series of sportswashing events funded by the Saudi Arabian regime that kicked off last week in the U.K. Questions were plentiful about his new venture—which earned him a suspension from the PGA Tour but not from the U.S. Open, where Jay Monahan’s writ does not run—but meaningful answers were scarce. Instead, Mickelson produced an exercise in evasions that would rival a pitcher dodging line drives at Fenway.

When a reporter raised the highly critical letter sent to him and other Saudi-allied players by the families of victims of the September 11 attacks, Mickelson cut her short. “I’ve read all that. Is there a question in there?” he snapped.

There was: “How do you explain to them—not to us, to them—what you have decided to do?”

“I have deep, deep empathy for them,” was all he could muster.

Another questioner asked if he was concerned that his fan base might shrink now that he’s aligned with Saudi sportswashing. Mickelson responded by scolding the reporter for posing several questions in one, none of which he was particularly keen to answer. “If fans would leave or whatnot, I respect and I understand their opinions,” he replied. “I understand that they have strong feelings and strong emotions regarding this choice, and I certainly respect them.”

Nothing by way of explanation for his choice, merely trite expressions of understanding if anyone is upset by that choice.

2022 U.S. Open
Phil Mickelson speaks in a press conference during a practice round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club. (Photo: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports)

There were umpteen other inquiries that Mickelson didn’t much care to delve into, among them his relationships with other players, his standing with sponsors, his concept of legacy, his future on the PGA Tour, and even the motivation behind LIV. “I’ll have to defer to those at LIV Golf. It was their idea. It was their brain trust or child, their thoughts and ideas that they brought to fruition,” he said, perhaps forgetting that he previously admitted to working on the founding charter for LIV.

Even when lobbed a relative softball—Has the criticism he’s faced been unduly harsh?—he weaved, opting not to address the criticism, nor why it has been leveled, but instead offering another hackneyed evasion. “The important thing is that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I understand that it brings out a lot of strong emotions for a lot of people, and I respect the way they may or may not feel about it,” he said. Thus he cast his dismissal of Saudi human rights abuses and his eagerness to auction professional golf to MBS as a mere difference of opinion, on a par with choosing Clemens over Pedro as the greatest Sox pitcher in a barroom vote.

Twice Mickelson did offer rationales on how LIV will be “transformative.” One was the team format, which drew tens of (non-paying) spectators at the Centurion Club near London last week, and not many more to the livestream. The other was geographic. “I believe moving tournaments throughout the world and bringing that type of championship golf to different parts of the world is going to have a very positive effect globally on the sport,” he said.

In just the last 20 years, the PGA Tour staged 98 tournaments outside the domestic U.S. in 13 countries. Mickelson competed in barely a quarter of them. His unconvincing attempt to position himself as a missionary for the game merely exposed him as a mercenary.

“There’s an obvious incredible financial commitment,” he finally admitted, “but more than that for all the players involved there are other factors that with fewer tournaments, it allows me to have more balance in my life.”

More than once, Mickelson reminded us that he earned lifetime membership of the PGA Tour and that he intends to keep it. He didn’t acknowledge how that lifetime member status already allows him to set his schedule, and has done since January of 2002, when he won his 20th title. He is not obligated to make a minimum number of starts on the PGA Tour, but he is so bound with the Saudi series.

This U.S. Open will illustrate why the Saudis paid Mickelson an exorbitant amount of money. It’s not for the competitive relevance of a 52-year-old. He’s at The Country Club as a Manchurian competitor.

By strolling the fairways giving thumbs-ups, a cheesy grin affixed like an identikit picture, and accepting the warm applause of galleries, Mickelson will further assimilate his actions, and signal to others who might be on the fence that pariah status isn’t assured outside the ropes. He serves other functions too. LIV Golf assured prospective recruits that they can play the series and major championships, so it’s vital that their stooges who are currently eligible for majors show up and reinforce that perception.

Mickelson has now cheapened two consecutive majors—the PGA Championship, by not defending his title and instead using it as a tease to build anticipation for his eventual return a few weeks later for the Saudis, and now the U.S. Open, reduced to a platform for normalizing sportswashers. For him, the majors are just collateral damage, something his Saudi benefactors are familiar with as a cost of doing business, whether launching a hostile takeover of golf or missiles at Yemeni civilians. Mickelson is also clearly establishing himself as the most likely plaintiff in whatever future legal action the Saudis finance over his suspension from the Tour or any potential sanction by the majors. His lifetime Tour membership and exempt status into all majors for several more years explains his value to MBS and his minions.

As the press conference wound down, Mickelson was asked if he’s at peace with perhaps never playing again on the PGA Tour. He sounded a touch sentimental. “I am very appreciative of the many memories, opportunities, experiences, friendships, relationships the PGA Tour has provided, and those are going to last — those will last a lifetime,” he said, with a wan smile.

In that, Mickelson was correct. Memories do last a lifetime. But then, stains do too.

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U.S. Open: Justin Thomas sadden by LIV Golf decisions, focused on winning at The Country Club

“I tossed and turned and lost a lot of sleep last week thinking about what could potentially happen.”

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BROOKLINE, Mass. — When Phil Mickelson spoke to the media at The Country Club, the site of this week’s U.S. Open, he looked like a man with a burden on his conscience. His face was grizzled, his words were measured, and there were long pauses before he spoke. The six-time major winner looked down a lot, a classic sign of a person who feels ashamed or guilty. He was trying to say the right things and answer tough questions, but his trademark spontaneity, humor and charm were gone. 

Two hours later, Justin Thomas spoke like a man whose heart was breaking. 

On Sunday, Thomas was outdueled by his friend, Rory McIlroy, and finished third at the RBC Canadian Open even though he shot 63-64 over the weekend. But that performance was not putting the exasperated look on Thomas’ face or giving his voice a tinge of frustration.

“This is the U.S. Open, and this is an unbelievable venue, a place with so much history, an unbelievable field, so many storylines,” Thomas said. “And yet that seems to be what all the questions are about.”

That, of course, is the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and several other golfers in this week’s field competed in the breakaway tour’s first event last week outside London, and Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed have announced they are joining the LIV Series in late June when its next event takes place at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon. That means those players, major champions and stalwarts of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, will be suspended by the PGA Tour, like Mickelson and Johnson were last week, and they will not be eligible to compete in the tour’s events. 

The fracturing of golf is not what Thomas wanted to discuss this week.

U.S. Open: Tee times | How to watch

“That’s unfortunate. That’s not right to the USGA. That’s not right for the U.S. Open. That’s not right for us players. But that’s, unfortunately, where we’re at right now,” he said.

Along with McIlroy, Thomas, 29, has become one of the faces of the PGA Tour. The son of a PGA of America professional, Thomas appeared genuinely saddened by the players’ decision to join LIV Golf. 

“I tossed and turned and lost a lot of sleep last week thinking about what could potentially happen,” he said. “I grew up my entire life wanting to play the PGA Tour, wanting to break records, make history, play Presidents Cups, play Ryder Cups. The fact that things like that could potentially get hurt because of some of the people that are leaving, and if more go, it’s just sad. It’s really no other way to say it.”

Thomas understands those thoughts need to be compartmentalized right now. The task this week demands his total focus. The Country Club will be one of the most challenging courses golfers will face all season, but Thomas’s game is sharp. In 15 starts this season, he has nine top 10s. He has power to spare, is a marksman with his irons, a wizard with wedges and is a solid putter, too. He’s also gritty, as displayed by his performance Sunday at Southern Hills, where he came from seven shots back to force a playoff with Will Zalatoris, which he won to take home his second Wannamaker trophy. 

Amanda Balionis Renner congratulated McIlroy on winning his 21st PGA Tour event Sunday evening. McIlroy quickly pointed out that he now has one more PGA Tour win than Greg Norman, the LIV Golf’s commissioner. With his win at Southern Hills last month, Thomas has two career majors, which ties him with Norman, who won two British Opens.

On Sunday evening, Father’s Day, no one will be surprised if Thomas holds the U.S. Open trophy as Boston sports fans cheer. He’s a Red Sox fan, so they’ll love him here. He might not throw shade on Norman like McIlroy did, after all the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf is not Yankees vs. Red Sox yet.

Then again, the world of golf changed a lot last week, and Thomas wasn’t too crazy about it, so time will tell.

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Like father, like son: Sean Jacklin to play U.S. Open 52 years after his father, Tony, claimed the title

Sean Jacklin is set to follow in his father’s footsteps and play in the 122nd U.S. Open.

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Less than 24 hours after his youngest son, Sean, had qualified for the U.S. Open on June 6, World Golf Hall of Famer Tony Jacklin was still buzzing.

“That was bloody nerve wracking,” the 77-year-old Englishman said from his home in Bradenton, Florida, where he followed his son’s progress in a USGA Sectional Qualifier online. “My wife and I were hole-by-holing it. Just kept hitting refresh.”

Sean shot 66-71—137, his 5-under total good enough to share co-medalist honors at The Club at Admiral’s Cove (North and West Courses) in Jupiter, Florida. His success one week ago was all the more remarkable considering he was first alternate (from local qualifying at Sara Bay Country Club) and didn’t get into the field until 20 minutes before his eventual tee time.

“He went over there on a wing and a prayer,” Tony said. “He nearly didn’t bother to drive over. He had a good friend in Palm Beach to stay with and didn’t have to fork out for a hotel. He hung around the putting green.”

Sean, 30, who is named after his father’s good friend, the late actor Sean Connery, will be making just his second PGA Tour start and first at any of the four majors at the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, a mere 52 years after his old man won the title at Hazeltine near Minneapolis.

“It was the best week of my career,” Tony said of his victory in 1970, his second major championship. “There was a lot of pressure. I shot under par the first day in horrendous conditions (an opening-round 71 in 40 mph winds) and built the lead each day. I putted beautifully thanks to a tip from Jim Yancey, (tour pro) Bert’s older brother and a club pro, to look at the hole in practice. It gave me a wonderful sense of distance control and I was able to take it on to the golf course. It was the best I ever putted.”

But Tony missed short putts at Nos. 7 and 8 during the final round and fear of failure crept into his mind.

“I said to myself, ‘Oh God, not now,’ ” Jacklin recalled. “I suppose you could say I was frightened of screwing up. It would have stayed with me my whole life. I managed to stay focused.”

The turning point? His birdie putt at the ninth hit the back of the cup and went in.

“That relaxed me,” Jacklin said.

Jacklin became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to hold both the British Open (1969) and U.S. Open trophies concurrently. He led from start to finish and was the only player to break par for the tournament, finishing a whopping seven shots ahead of Dave Hill, the largest margin in 49 years. Jacklin also became the first golfer born in Europe to win the U.S. Open since Scottish-born Tommy Armour in 1927.

Son of a Ryder Cup legend

Sean grew up with the pressure of being the son of a major champion and European Ryder Cup legend. He played his college golf at North Carolina and has had status at times on PGA Tour Latinoamerica, but has mostly been beating around the mini tours since turning pro.

“He’s not a kid anymore. He’s been trying to Monday in and play the mini tours. He’s won a bunch of West Florida events and plays in Orlando,” Tony said. “He’s got the game. It’s as much luck as anything. There are so many good players.”

This week at the U.S. Open presents a huge opportunity for Sean, and Tony said he won’t have to remind his son of that.

“A good week next week will give him a real boost,” Tony said. “But I won’t bother to give him some pep talk. He already knows every damn thing I know.”

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Youngster Justin Thomas got flipped off for wearing a Red Sox jersey at Yankee Stadium

“I was getting yelled at and cussed at and given the finger and I was 9-years-old.”

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BROOKLINE, Mass. – Justin Thomas learned early on that the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees generates passionate exchanges from players and fans alike.

Even for kids.

Wearing a Nomar Garciaparra jersey at old Yankee Stadium (OK, that may have been a mistake), Thomas was on the receiving end of some pretty harsh hand signs and language.

“I was getting yelled at and cussed at and given the finger and I was 9-years-old,” Thomas said Monday at The Country Club, home to the 122nd U.S. Open this week. “That was my first introduction to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.”

Thomas, who added a second Wanamaker Trophy to his collection last month in a playoff win against Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma, was not turned off by the abuse,. He’s been a lifelong Red Sox fan who honors David Ortiz in his email address.

U.S. Open: Tee times | How to watch

“My uncle is from up this area, and he’s a big Red Sox fan, and it just was kind of something that there was no birthday or Christmas gift that was for me from him was anything but Red Sox,” Thomas said. “I had a lot of jerseys, tee shirts, a lot of hats, a lot of blankets. I had a Nomar. I had a Manny (Ramirez). Then my first Red Sox jersey was a David Ortiz jersey. I think I even had a (Jason) Varitek one. He took me to a Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway for my birthday one year, which was really cool.”

Thomas, who has won 15 PGA Tour titles and a FedEx Cup, is one of the favorites this week at The Country Club. The world No. 5 finished third in last week’s RBC Canadian Open as Rory McIlroy “outdueled him” in the final round.

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Phil Mickelson’s U.S. Open press conference hit on everything from Donald Trump, LIV Golf and Saudi Arabia to his therapy and 9/11

Picking out the highlights from Lefty’s wild press conference.

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Donald Trump, 9/11, Saudi Arabia’s controversial regime, therapy, gambling problems and self-reflection.

And some golf.

In his first stateside interview since January, Phil Mickelson was on the receiving end of a battering-ram like volley from media members Monday ahead of Thursday’s start of the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club.

In 25 minutes, Mickelson, who will be playing in his 30th U.S. Open, was on the receiving end of 32 questions that covered a slew of subjects, the majority stemming from his decision to join LIV Golf, the rival league backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and led by Greg Norman.

Mickelson reportedly received $200 million to join the league and was promptly suspended from the PGA Tour by commissioner Jay Monahan shortly after hitting his opening tee shot last week in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London. He tied for 33rd in the 48-man field and won $150,000.

“I wanted to say that it’s nice to be back, nice to see you guys,” were Mickelson’s first words. “It’s been four months. It’s been a necessary time and an opportunity for me to step away a little bit and put a little bit of thought and reflection into going forward and how to best prioritize things.”

And then came the questions.

Here are a few of them.

U.S. Open: Tee times | How to watch

2022 U.S. Open tee times, TV info for Thursday’s first round at The Country Club

Check out some of the interesting groupings for the first two days.

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Welcome back to Brookline.

It’s U.S. Open week as the 122nd playing of the USGA’s flagship championship returns to The Country Club near Boston for the third time and first since 1988.

Defending champion Jon Rahm highlights a strong field for the third men’s major of the year that includes world No. 1 and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, as well as PGA champion Justin Thomas and last week’s winner at the RBC Canadian Open, Rory McIlroy.

Also in the field are Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Kevin Na and others who participated in the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London. Last week the USGA announced that the LIV competitors would be eligible to play in the U.S. Open.

Featured groups worth watching include:

  • Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Max Homa (7:29 a.m. ET, No. 1)
  • Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris (8:02 a.m. ET, No. 1)
  • Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau (1:14 p.m. ET, No. 1)
  • Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele (7:40 a.m. ET, No. 10)
  • Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler (1:25 p.m. ET, No. 10)

Three-time champion Tiger Woods will not play this week, but has said he is aiming to compete at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s what you need to know for the first round of the 2022 U.S. Open. All times listed are Eastern.

Thursday tee times

1st hole

Tee time Players
6:45 a.m. (a) Michael Thorbjornsen, Erik Barnes, Matt McCarty
6:56 a.m. Matthew NeSmith, Patrick Rodgers, (a) Travis Vick
7:07 a.m. Troy Merritt, (a) William Mouw, Andrew Putnam
7:18 a.m Collin Morikawa, James Piot, Jon Rahm
7:29 a.m. Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Max Homa
7:40 a.m. Billy Horschel, Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger
7:51 a.m. Harold Varner III, Sebastián Muñoz, Alex Norén
8:02 a.m. Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris
8:13 a.m. Adam Schenk, (a) Stewart Hagestad, Grayson Murray
8:24 a.m. Guido Migliozzi, Branden Grace, Mackenzie Hughes
8:35 a.m. Beau Hossler, Kalle Samooja, Satoshi Kodaira
8:46 a.m. Richard Mansell, Tomoyasu Sugiyama, Roger Sloan
8:57 a.m. (a) Caleb Manuel, Keith Greene, Ben Silverman
12:30 p.m. Kevin Chappell, Chase Seiffert, Andrew Novak
12:41 p.m. Thorbjørn Olesen, Brian Stuard, Nick Hardy
12:52 p.m Sam Horsfield, Cameron Tringale, Shaun Norris
1:03 p.m. Sungjae Im, Mito Pereira, Erik van Rooyen
1:14 p.m. Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau
1:25 p.m. Joohyung Kim, Séamus Power, Min Woo Lee
1:36 p.m. Matt Fitzpatrick, Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson
1:47 p.m. Phil Mickelson, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen
1:58 p.m. Danny Lee, (a) Keita Nakajima, Nick Taylor
2:09 p.m. Jim Furyk, (a) Nick Dunlap, Adam Hadwin
2:20 p.m. Richard Bland, Rikuya Hoshino, Ryan Fox
2:31 p.m. Jonas Blixt, Bo Hoag, Todd Sinnott
2:42 p.m. Isaiah Salinda, Sean Jacklin, (a) Charles Reiter

10th hole

Tee time Players
6:45 a.m. Fran Quinn, Callum Tarren, Hayden Buckley
6:56 a.m. Kurt Kitayama, Denny McCarthy, (a) Sam Bennett
7:07 a.m. Wyndham Clark, Brandon Matthews, Wil Besseling
7:18 a.m. David Lingmerth, Sepp Straka, Si Woo Kim
7:29 a.m. Scott Stallings, Davis Riley, Victor Perez
7:40 a.m. Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele
7:51 a.m. Kevin Kisner, Russell Henley, Brian Harman
8:02 a.m. Keegan Bradley, Marc Leishman, Aaron Wise
8:13 a.m. Francesco Molinari, (a) Laird Shepherd, Stewart Cink
8:24 a.m. Marcel Schneider, Chan Kim, Joseph Bramlett
8:35 a.m. Lanto Griffin, Joel Dahmen, Jinichiro Kozuma
8:46 a.m. Chris Gotterup, (a) Fred Biondi, Harry Hall
8:57 a.m. Chris Naegel, Andrew Beckler, Luke Gannon
12:30 p.m. Jed Morgan, Taylor Montgomery, Sean Crocker
12:41 p.m. (a) Maxwell Moldovan, Yannik Paul, M.J. Daffue
12:52 p.m. Talor Gooch, Adri Arnaus, Tom Hoge
1:03 p.m. Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton
1:14 p.m. Sam Burns, Abraham Ancer, Thomas Pieters
1:25 p.m. Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler
1:36 p.m. Luke List, (a) Austin Greaser, Corey Conners
1:47 p.m. Gary Woodland, Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau
1:58 p.m. K.H. Lee, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed
2:09 p.m. Jason Kokrak, Harris English, Lucas Herbert
2:20 p.m. Sam Stevens, (a) Ben Lorenz, Davis Shore
2:31 p.m. Daijiro Izumida, (a) Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Sebastian Söderberg
2:42 p.m. Ryan Gerard, Brady Calkins, Jesse Mueller

How to watch

Thursday, June 16

TV

USA: 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-7 p.m.
NBC: 2-5 p.m.

Streaming

Peacock: 6:45-9:30 a.m., 7-8 p.m.
Featured groups: 7:25 a.m.-7 p.m.
Featured holes (Nos. 11-13): 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
U.S. Open Radio: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Full week’s schedule here.

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How to watch the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts

How to catch all the action at the U.S. Open.

After a controversial week in golf, the games best players are bound for Boston for the third men’s major of the season.

The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, hosts the 122nd U.S. Open this week, the third time the club has held the USGA’s flagship championship and first since 1988. This week will mark the 17th USGA championship to be hosted at The Country Club, tying Oakmont for second most all time and trailing Merion, host of last week’s Curtis Cup, by one. The Championship Course will play 7,254 yards to a par of 70.

NBC Sports will air more than 45 hours of live coverage Thursday-Sunday and 100-plus hours of live coverage from Brookline including featured groups and featured holes. Beginning Monday, June 13, NBC Sports will broadcast 40 hours of Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open on Golf Channel from The Country Club.

From television to the various streaming options, here’s how to catch all the action from Brookline. All times Eastern.

How to watch

Thursday, June 16

TV

USA: 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-7 p.m.
NBC: 2-5 p.m.

Streaming

Peacock: 6:45-9:30 a.m., 7-8 p.m.
Featured groups: 7:25 a.m.-7 p.m.
Featured holes (Nos. 11-13): 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
U.S. Open Radio: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday, June 17

TV

USA: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
NBC: 4-7 p.m.

Streaming

Peacock: 6:45-9:30 a.m., 7-8 p.m.
Featured groups: 7:25 a.m.-7 p.m.
Featured holes (Nos. 11-13): 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
U.S. Open Radio: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Saturday, June 18

TV

NBC: 12-8 p.m.

STREAMING

Peacock: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Featured groups: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Featured holes (Nos. 11-13): 9 a.m.-6 p.m
U.S. Open Radio: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sunday, June 19

TV

USA: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
NBC: 12-7 p.m.

STREAMING

Peacock: 9-10 a.m.
Featured groups: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Featured holes (Nos. 11-13): 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
U.S. Open Radio: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

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Photos: Best practice rounds shots ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club

Check out the best shots of the practice rounds at The Country Club.

It’s officially U.S. Open week.

The third men’s major of the year and 122nd playing of the USGA’s flagship championship takes place at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, for the third time and first since 1988 this week. The Championship Course will play 7,254 yards to a par of 70.

Defending champion Jon Rahm highlights a strong field that includes world No. 1 and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, as well as PGA champion Justin Thomas and last week’s winner at the RBC Canadian Open, Rory McIlroy. Also in the field are Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Kevin Na and others who participated in the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London. Last week the USGA announced that the LIV competitors would be eligible to play in the U.S. Open.

Check out the best photos of the practice rounds for the 2022 U.S. Open.