The USGA likes to have fun with the pairings every year, so I always look forward to scanning the list — and I think that goes for most of you, too. I also enjoy trying to figure out the themes/commonality of the threesomes. Since I want to post these ASAP, I’ll update this if I have time to get more creative. Also, feel free to label them yourself!
Oh, and at first glance, my favorite groups are: Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson; and Francesco Molinari, Edoardo Molinari and Matteo Manassero. Which are yours?
2011 U. S. Open Championship
June 13-19, 2011
Congressional Country Club (Blue Course), Bethesda, Md.
Far Hills, N.J. – Groupings and starting times for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open Thursday (June 16) and Friday (June 17) at the par 36-35–71, 7,574-yard, Congressional Country Club Blue Course in Bethesda, Md. (A=amateur)
All Times EDT
Thursday (June 16), hole #1; Friday (June 17), hole #10
7 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. – Daehyun Kim, Korea; Chez Reavie, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Shane Lowry, Ireland
7:11 a.m. – 12:51 p.m. – Greg Chalmers, Australia; Kirk Triplett, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Tbd
7:22 a.m. – 1:02 p.m. – Marc Leishman, Australia; Alex Cejka, Czech Republic; Kevin Streelman, Scottsdale, Ariz.
7:33 a.m. – 1:13 p.m. – Fred Funk, Ponte Vedra, Fla.; A-David Chung, Fayetteville, N.C.; Michael Campbell, New Zealand
7:44 a.m. – 1:24 p.m. – Matt Kuchar, St. Simons Island, Ga.; Paul Casey, England; K.J. Choi, Korea (Three Good Players Without Majors)
7:55 a.m. – 1:35 p.m. – Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; A-Peter Uihlein, Orlando, Fla.; Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa (A USGA Tradition Unlike Any Other: US Open, US Amateur, and British Open reigning champions)
8:06 a.m. – 1:46 p.m. – Henrik Stenson, Sweden; Johan Edfors, Sweden; Fredrik Jacobson, Sweden (Super Swedes)
8:17 a.m. – 1:57 p.m. – Ernie Els, South Africa; Davis Love III, Sea Island, Ga.; Jim Furyk, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (40+ guys with a major)
8:28 a.m. – 2:08 p.m. – Justin Rose, England; Tim Clark, South Africa; Jason Day, Australia (Clark’s friend said he’s “probably” going to withdraw)
8:39 a.m. – 2:19 p.m. – Jeff Overton, Bloomington, Ind.; Ryan Palmer, Amarillo, Texas; Tbd
8:50 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Brandt Jobe, Westlake, Texas; Nick O’Hern, Australia; D.A. Points, Windermere, Fla. (All qualified in the Columbus sectional)
9:01 a.m. – 2:41 p.m. – Christo Greyling, South Africa; Adam Hadwin, Canada; Joey Lamielle, Sarasota, Fla.
9:12 a.m. – 2:52 p.m. – Michael Tobiason Jr., Wilmington, Del.; Jesse Hutchins, Cincinnati, Ohio; Michael Smith, Lafayette, La.
Thursday (June 16), hole #10; Friday (June 17), hole #1
7 a.m – 12:40 p.m. – Chad Campbell, Andrews, Texas; Harrison Frazar, Dallas, Texas; Marc Turnesa, Jupiter, Fla.
7:11 a.m. – 12:51 p.m. – Justin Hicks, Royal Palm Beach, Fla.; Marcel Siem, Germany; Sunghoon Kang, Korea
7:22 a.m. – 1:02 p.m. – Thomas Levet, France; Brian Gay, Windemere, Fla.; Gregory Havret, France (Levet, Gay & Havret rhyme)
7:33 a.m. – 1:13 p.m. – Heath Slocum, Alpharetta, Ga.; A-Russell Henley, Macon, Ga.; Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium
7:44 a.m. – 1:24 p.m. – Padraig Harrington, Ireland; Angel Cabrera, Argentina; Stewart Cink, Duluth, Ga. (All have won a major…)
7:55 a.m. – 1:35 p.m. – Ryo Ishikawa, Japan; Anthony Kim, Los Angeles, Calif.; Y.E. Yang, Korea (Asian Invasion)
8:06 a.m. – 1:46 p.m. – Luke Donald, England; Lee Westwood, England; Martin Kaymer, Germany (Nos. 1-2-3; Top of the World)
8:17 a.m. – 1:57 p.m. – Jonathan Byrd, St. Simons Island, Ga.; Bill Haas, Greenville, S.C.; Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C. (Southern Gentlemen; Former Walker Cuppers; ACC Division)
8:28 a.m. – 2:08 p.m. – Bubba Watson, Bagdad, Fla.; Adam Scott, Australia; Robert Karlsson, Sweden (Great Players Without a Major?)
8:39 a.m. – 2:19 p.m. – Sam Saunders, Orlando, Fla.; Tim Petrovic, Austin, Texas; Scott Piercy, Las Vegas, Nev.
8:50 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Matthew Edwards, Las Cruces, N.M.; A-Brad Benjamin, Rockford, Ill.; TBD
9:01 a.m. – 2:41 p.m. – Bud Cauley, Jacksonville, Fla.; Adam Long, St. Louis, Mo.; A-Michael Barbosa, St. Petersburg, Fla.
9:12 a.m. – 2:52 p.m. – Michael Whitehead, Sugar Land, Texas; Will Wilcox, Ashville, Ala.; John Ellis, San Jose, Calif.
Thursday (June 16), hole #1; Friday (June 17), hole #10
12:40 p.m. – 7 a.m. – Ty Tryon, Orlando, Fla.; Maarten Lafeber, Netherlands; Scott Barr, Australia
12:51 p.m. – 7:11 a.m. – Geoffrey Sisk, Marshfield, Mass.; A-Cheng-Tsung Pan, Chinese Taipei; Matt Richardson, England
1:02 p.m. – 7:22 a.m. – Bo Van Pelt, Jenks, Okla.; Kyung-Tae Kim, Korea; Ben Crane, Beaverton, Ore.
1:13 p.m. – 7:33 a.m. – Mark Wilson, Elmhurst, Ill.; Martin Laird, Scotland; Peter Hanson, Sweden
1:24 p.m. – 7:44 a.m. – Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Alvaro Quiros, Spain (Smashing Spaniards)
1:35 p.m. – 7:55 a.m. – Francesco Molinari, Italy; Matteo Manassero, Italy; Edoardo Molinari, Italy (Brothers Italianos — the Brothers Molinari have taken young Matteo under their wing. )
1:46 p.m. – 8:06 a.m. – Hiroyuki Fujita, Japan; Todd Hamilton, Westlake, Texas; Kevin Na, Las Vegas, Nev.
1:57 p.m. – 8:17 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, Calif.; Ian Poulter, England; Hunter Mahan, Colleyville, Texas (Flashy Digs)
2:08 p.m. – 8:28 a.m. – Camilo Villegas, Colombia; Aaron Baddeley, Australia; Brandt Snedeker, Nashville, Tenn.
2:19 p.m. – 8:39 a.m. – Kevin Chappell, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Dohoon Kim, Korea; Robert Rock, England
2:30 p.m. – 8:50 a.m. – Jon Mills, Canada; Andreas Harto, Denmark; A-Scott Pinckney, Scottsdale, Ariz.
2:41 p.m. – 9:01 a.m. – A-Steven Irwin, Arvada, Colo.; Ryan Nelson, Dickinson, Texas; Elliot Gealy, Salisbury, N.C.
2:52 p.m. – 9:12 a.m. – Christopher Deforest, Cottekill, N.Y.; A-Chris Williams, Moscow, Idaho; Wes Heffernan, Canada
Thursday (June 16), hole #10; Friday (June 17), hole #1
12:40 p.m. – 7 a.m. – Alexandre Rocha, Windermere, Fla.; Andres Gonzales, Olympia, Wash.; Bubba Dickerson, Hilliard, Fla.
12:51 p.m. – 7:11 a.m. – Michael Putnam, Lakewood, Wash.; A-Patrick Cantlay, Los Alamitos, Calif.; Robert Dinwiddie, England
1:02 p.m. – 7:22 a.m. – John Senden, Australia; Robert Garrigus, Charleston, S.C.; Scott Hend, Australia
1:13 p.m. – 7:33 a.m. – Jason Dufner, Auburn, Ala.; Stephen Gallacher, Scotland; Seung Yul Noh, Korea
1:24 p.m. – 7:44 a.m.- Steve Stricker, Madison, Wis.; Retief Goosen, South Africa; David Toms, Shreveport, La. (40+ is the new 30)
1:35 p.m. – 7:55 a.m.- Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Dustin Johnson, Jupiter, Fla.; Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (Power Play)
1:46 p.m. – 8:06 a.m. – Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Trevor Immelman, South Africa; Zach Johnson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Past Masters Champs)
1:57 p.m. – 8:17 a.m. – Nick Watney, Henderson, Nev.; Lucas Glover, St. Simons Island, Ga.; Geoff Ogilvy, Australia (I like this group a lot, too, but yet to think of a name)
2:08 p.m. – 8:28 a.m. – Ryan Moore, Tacoma, Wash.; Robert Allenby, Australia; Rory Sabbatini, South Africa (Umm….Triple R and Outcasts?)
2:19 p.m. – 8:39 a.m. – David Howell, England; Kenichi Kuboya, Japan; Briny Baird, Palm City, Fla.
2:30 p.m. – 8:50 a.m. – Charley Hoffman, Las Vegas, Nev.; Alexander Noren, Sweden; Sangmoon Bae, Korea
2:41 p.m. – 9:01 a.m. – A-Brett Patterson, McMinnville, Tenn.; Bennett Blakeman, Burr Ridge, Ill.; Brian Locke, Los Angeles, Calif.
2:52 p.m. – 9:12 a.m. – Chris Wilson, Dublin, Ohio; David May, Auburn, N.Y.; A-Beau Hossler, Rncho Snta Margarita, Calif.
