U.S. Open 2016 TV schedule and coverage for Thursday’s Round 1

The 2016 U.S. Open begins on Thursday, with players teeing up for the first round at Oakmont. The stage is set for a very memorable major championship, with Oakmont one of the classic U.S. Open venues and a field full of stars. Whether the field tames Oakmont or one player simply takes less damage than the rest remains to be seen.

Oakmont is widely considered to be one of, if not the, hardest golf courses in the world. With it now set up to U.S. Open standards, that only becomes more true. The rough is thick and punishing, and greens are sloped and running like glass. Finishing under par seems like an impossible challenge, even for the best players in the world. For the field, it might just be a battle of attrition and trying to avoid a really bad round. That process begins on Thursday when the 156-player field begins play.

A year after debuting its golf coverage at the 2015 U.S. Open, Fox is back for a second go-around. The network received considerable criticism during the debut, but has seemingly refined its operation heading into Oakmont. The biggest change will be in the broadcast booth, where Paul Azinger replaces Greg Norman as the lead analyst. Norman struggled some in the role last year while Azinger is among the best TV analysts in golf.

The rest of the TV coverage figures to be similar, but ideally refined with a year of experience under Fox’s belt. That means heavy use of ProTracer -- and on more than just tee shots. Fox also received praise from viewers last season for an abundance of on-course microphones that gave fans an inside look into the players’ thoughts and reactions on the course.

The one certainty of coverage on Thursday is that there will be a lot of it. Fox Sports 1 and Fox will combine for 10 hours of live television coverage. The coverage will begin on Fox Sports 1 at 10 a.m. ET and continue until 5 p.m. At that point coverage will shift to Fox where it will run until 8 p.m. The television coverage will also be available online via streams from USOpen.com and Fox Sports Go. The TV coverage won’t be live for the entire round -- players begin teeing off at 6:45 a.m. -- but viewers will be able to see the bulk of the action on TV.

In addition to the main television coverage, both services will provide online streams. There will be two featured group streams on Thursday, allowing viewers to watch every shot from some of the bigger names in the field. That includes Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. There will also be a featured holes stream focused on Nos. 3, 13 and 17. The two streams will start prior to the TV coverage and run through the end of the round.

Here is a complete look at the first-round coverage. All times Eastern.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET -- FOX Sports 1

5 to 8 p.m. -- FOX

7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- Featured groups streams

7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- Featured holes stream, Nos. 3, 13, and 17

10 a.m. to 8 p.m. -- TV simulcast stream

7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- Simulcast of featured groups stream / Featured holes stream

Noon to 8 p.m. -- PGA Tour Radio on Sirius-XM (Ch. 93/208)

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