2023 U.S. Open preview: Full schedule and how to watch golf major action live

The third men's golf major of 2023 is the 123rd U.S. Open which gets underway on Thursday (15 June) at Los Angeles Country Club.

This will be the first men's major staged at the club and the first in the Los Angeles area since the Riviera Country Club hosted the 1995 PGA Championship.

It has been 75 years since the U.S. Open came to town with Ben Hogan winning his first of four titles at Riviera.

This par-70 course, measuring a long 7,423 yards (6,788m), will be a new proposition for most of the field with the exception of those who played at the 2017 Walker Cup.

Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick defends the title having clinched his first major at Brookline 12 months ago, but the build-up to the tournament has been dominated by last week's announcement that the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf had agreed a merger to end their year-long dispute.

At last month's PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka became the first LIV Golf member to win a major - his fifth in total - beating Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler by two strokes.

Scheffler's runner-up finish saw him return to the top of the world rankings above Masters winner Jon Rahm.

Three-time U.S. Open winner Tiger Woods is again absent as he recovers from ankle surgery following his withdrawal during the third round of the Masters.

Who is playing at the 2023 U.S. Open?

The top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking on 12 June automatically made the line-up and additions to exemptions made by the United States Golf Association (USGA) have swelled the numbers to 156, matching the PGA Championship which had long boasted the biggest field.

A record 10,187 people tried to qualify for the 2023 U.S. Open with the only requirement a "USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4".

Unlike the PGA Championship, there are amateurs taking part - six to be exact - which now include the reigning NCAA D-I men’s individual champion and Latin America Amateur champion.

As with the PGA, the first two rounds will see groups of three starting at either the 1st or the 10th with the latter taking on the back nine first.

Both men's Olympic champion golfers are in the field with Tokyo 2020 winner Xander Schauffele still seeking a first major triumph, and Rio 2016 gold medallist Justin Rose bidding to win a second U.S. Open after breaking his major duck 10 years ago.

Having plummeted in the world rankings since joining LIV Golf, 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia came through qualifying to make this U.S. Open after missing the Masters.

2023 U.S. Open Championship - Schedule

Thursday 15 June: First round starts at 6.45am (Pacific Daylight Time/PDT) with groups of three starting their rounds at the 1st or the 10th hole.

Friday 16 June: Second round, followed by the cut after 36 holes, with only the best 60 players and ties making the weekend.

Saturday 17 June: Third round starts between 8-9am.

Sunday 18 June: Fourth round followed by trophy presentation. In the event of a tie for first place, there will be a two-hole aggregate score play-off followed by sudden death.

2023 U.S. Open Championship - Players to watch

Brooks Koepka (USA)

After winning his third PGA Championship last month, could Koepka add a third U.S. Open to his collection in Los Angeles?

Finally healthy after a succession of hip and knee injuries, the 33-year-old Florida native finished tied for second at the Masters behind Jon Rahm before clinching his fifth major title at Oak Hill.

Scottie Scheffler (USA)

Now back to number one in the world after finishing tied for second at Oak Hill, Scheffler's consistency is remarkable.

In 13 tournaments this year, the 26-year-old is yet to finish outside the top 12 with seven top-10 finishes in his last nine majors.

Having clinched his first major title at last year's Masters, Scheffler will be in contention for another as he bids to go one better than last year.

Jon Rahm (Spain)

Having claimed his second major title at the Masters, Rahm could only finished in a tie for 50th at last month's PGA Championship and thereby lost his number one ranking to Scheffler.

But the big-hitting Basque should prefer this test with its length and wide fairways as he bids to regain the title he won in 2021 when he became the tournament's first Spanish victor.

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)

It is now 12 years since McIlroy won his first major title at the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Maryland.

The Ulsterman last won a major in 2014, and he was solid rather than spectacular in finishing tied for seventh at the PGA Championship having missed the cut at Augusta.

A vocal critic of LIV Golf, McIlroy will be the centre of attention in this first major since the PGA Tour agreed to join forces with the Saudi-backed organisation.

Viktor Hovland (Norway)

Viktor Hovland is getting closer and closer to that first major title with only Koepka finishing ahead of him at last month's PGA Championship.

The Norwegian was tied for seventh in the Masters last year and shared fourth at last year's Open Championship.

Now ranked five in the world following his victory in the Memorial earlier this month, having been as high as three in March last year, Hovland is among the favourites in Los Angeles.

The day after winning the Memorial, Hovland caddied for former Oklahoma State teammate Zach Bauchou as he tried to qualify for the U.S. Open on 'Golf's Longest Day' when 45 players book their spot in the major.

Matt Fitzpatrick (England)

Brooks Koepka (2018) was the last man to successfully defend the U.S. Open title.

Fitzpatrick missed the cut at the PGA Championship which saw him slip from his career-high world ranking of six following his victory in April's RBC Heritage.

Since the PGA, the 28-year-old Yorkshireman has had a top-10 in the Memorial and finished down the field in the Canadian Open.

Other men to watch include world number four Patrick Cantlay, Australia's reigning Open champion **Cameron Smith**and Republic of Korea's Sungjae Im.

2023 U.S. Open Championship - Tee times

The full schedule of groups and their starting tee times will be confirmed by organisers on the eve of the first round.

Further information of the pairings can be found on the official U.S. Open Championship website.

2023 U.S. Open Championship - How to watch live action

Event coverage is available in over 200 countries, with digital livestreams and TV broadcasts in most regions.

In the United States, NBC's streaming service Peacock and the USA Network will show the first round with NBC screening the rest of the action.

In the UK, Sky Sports has exclusive live coverage. Check local listings for broadcast details elsewhere.