US Open Golf 2015: Predictions, TV Coverage Hub for Friday

All of that talk about the difficulty of Chambers Bay Golf Course didn't scare off the world's top golfers, as a whopping 25 of them posted below-par Day 1 scores to set the tone for Friday. Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson will go into Day 2 tied for the lead, after each put up impressive five-under rounds of 65 in the early tee times Thursday. The course got more difficult as the day went on, leaving some golfers with later times struggling to keep pace. Having a good start is crucial in any major, but it's what they do with it on Friday and beyond that will decide who reigns supreme at Chambers Bay. With that said, let's take a look forward to Day 2. 

The quest for a second-straight major got off to a strong start for Jordan Spieth, as he shot a two-under round Thursday and sits three strokes off the lead. Even though his trio of Jason Day, Justin Rose and himself had one of the late tee times and had to play on trickier greens, Spieth still turned in a strong Day 1 score. The group is back at it bright and early Friday, as told by Fox Sports: Spieth did well to rattle off three consecutive birdies throughout his opening round, and he had correctable mistakes on his only two bogeys of the day. While playing so late on Thursday wasn't ideal, he'll benefit from taking to the course early Friday.

Prediction: Spieth shoots 66 (four-under) As one of a few young players to have golfed at Chambers Bay for the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship, there were some expectations for Patrick Reed entering Day 1. But not anything that would suggest a back-nine 31 and a score of four under par. Now, Reed faces the task of building on his blistering start and trying to enter the weekend in the thick of things. Reed couldn't have asked for much better of a score from Round 1, but it did seem like he left a few strokes out there. After all, he bogeyed twice and was even on the front nine. He's turning heads now, but Kyle Porter of CBS Sports envisioned we could see more of it: The 24-year-old undoubtedly came to win this weekend and the ultra-confident American will give it a serious run. 

But he'll face a considerably tougher course Friday than he did the day before, teeing off with one of the latest times—2:39 p.m. PDT (5:39 p.m. ET). That will keep him from tearing it up again, but Reed should at least remain in the fold. Prediction: Reed shoots 70 (even)For the dozens and dozens of golfers whose Round 1 performances were worth talking about, Rory McIlroy wasn't one of them. Not only did McIlroy fail to join the 25 golfers that shot under par, but he didn't even crack the top 50 after one round of play. His two-over round of 72 has him tied for 52nd and seven strokes off the lead. With the Northern Irishman and pre-tournament favorite, per Odds Shark, in danger of missing the cut, perhaps we should have paid closer attention to this recent trend, noted by ESPN Stats & Info: 

The thing is, McIlroy can't even blame the conditions, as he played Thursday in the morning session that golfers like Johnson and Stenson proved able to shoot rounds of 65 in. Teeing off Friday won't be any easier, but he'll undoubtedly take a different approach in what has turned into an early shootout. With a less passive mindset for Friday, McIlroy will uncover his game and re-emerge into contention. Prediction: McIlroy shoots 66 (four-under)

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