U.S. Open 2026: USGA Unveils Official Final Round Tee Times for Oakmont Country Club Showdown
Key keywords: U.S. Open 2026, final round tee times, Oakmont Country Club, USGA, PGA Tour major championship, golf broadcast schedule, fan attendance policies, player grouping strategy
The United States Golf Association (USGA) officially released the full tee time schedule for the 2026 U.S. Open final round on Wednesday, ending weeks of speculation from golf fans, players, and broadcast partners ahead of the year’s second major championship, which will be hosted at the historic Oakmont Country Club in western Pennsylvania for the 10th time in tournament history.
The final round, scheduled for Sunday, June 21, 2026, will see the first group of made-cut players tee off at 7:40 AM Eastern Time, with groups teeing off in 11-minute intervals – a one-minute adjustment from the standard 10-minute gaps used at most recent U.S. Opens, implemented by USGA officials to reduce slow play risks on Oakmont’s notoriously difficult layout. The course features 210 yards of total elevation change, USGA-standard 4-inch thick rough, and greens that regularly run at 14 on the Stimpmeter during tournament play, making it one of the most challenging major venues in the world. The final lead grouping, which will feature the top two players on the leaderboard after 54 holes, is scheduled to tee off at 2:47 PM ET, with a projected finish time of 7:15 PM ET to fit within NBC’s primetime broadcast window for the East Coast.
Broadcast coverage for the final round will kick off at 7:30 AM ET exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform, for early group coverage, before linear broadcast coverage on NBC begins at 12:00 PM ET and runs through the trophy presentation. USGA officials also noted that fan gates will open at 6:30 AM ET for final round ticket holders, with enhanced bag check policies and expanded shuttle routes from off-site parking lots to accommodate the estimated 45,000 fans expected to attend Sunday’s play.
Multiple top PGA Tour players, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, 2011 U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, and rising 21-year-old star Tom Kim, have already publicly noted that they have adjusted their practice schedules to align with the late afternoon tee time window for leading players, as Oakmont’s firm greens and breezy afternoon conditions are expected to pose the biggest challenge for contenders looking to take home the $3.6 million winner’s purse and the iconic U.S. Open trophy.
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As a lifelong Pittsburgh resident who scored a weekly ticket package back in the pre-sale last year, I couldn’t be happier with the final round tee time schedule. The 2:47 PM lead group tee off gives me plenty of time to grab breakfast with my golf group, make it through the security lines, and post up by the 3rd hole par 3 to watch the early groups make their runs before the leaders even hit the course. Oakmont’s greens are absolutely brutal in mid-June, whoever’s in that final pairing better have their short game locked in if they want to walk away with the trophy.
As a golf content creator who covers every major championship, I’m thrilled the USGA added the extra minute between tee times for the final round. Slow play was a huge complaint during the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where some groups took nearly six hours to finish their rounds and pushed the trophy presentation past primetime for East Coast viewers. The early start to Peacock’s coverage is also a win for fans, because we get to watch underrated players who made the cut on the number make a surprise run up the leaderboard before the top contenders even tee off.
I’m a 24-year-old amateur golfer competing in the Ohio regional qualifier for the 2026 U.S. Open next month, and seeing the final round tee times drop just made this entire process feel so much more real. If I somehow manage to battle through the qualifiers, make the field, and play well enough to land in one of the late Sunday groups, I’ll probably start crying on the first tee. Oakmont is such a legendary course, getting to play it on the final day of a U.S. Open is every amateur golfer’s wildest dream.
I travel to the U.S. Open every year with my dad, and we already booked our flights to Pittsburgh as soon as the tee times were announced. The 7:15 PM projected finish time means we don’t have to rush to the airport right after the trophy presentation, which is a huge relief. I’m really hoping Rory McIlroy is in that final lead group – he’s been due for another U.S. Open win for years, and Oakmont’s layout fits his game perfectly.