The Facts

* What: 98th U.S. Open.

* When: Today through Sunday.

* Where: The Olympic Club, San Francisco.

* Course: Par 70, 6,797 yards.

* Defending Champion: Ernie Els.

* Field: 156 (153 pros, 3 amateurs).

* Purse: $3 million (winner’s share is $535,000).

* TV Coverage: Today and Friday--noon-2 p.m. (Channel 4); 2-7:30 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday--2-6 p.m. (Channel 4); Sunday--11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Channel 4).

* Playoff: If necessary, an 18-hole playoff would take place Monday.

TEE TIMES

For today and Friday

7 a.m.-11:20 a.m.--Steve Pate, Agoura; Olin Browne, Jupiter, Fla.; Grant Waite, New Zealand.

7:10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.--Willie Wood, Edmond, Okla; Christopher Perry, Powell, Ohio; Dudley Hart, Weston, Fla.

7:20 a.m.-11:40 a.m.--Jason Gore, Menlo Park, Calif.; Rick Todd, El Paso, Texas; Perry Parker, Dana Point.

7:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m.--Martin Lonardi, Argentina; Jimmy Johnson, Knoxville, Tenn.; Patrick Lee, Oxford, Miss.

7:40 a.m.-noon--Scott Hoch, Orlando, Fla.; Mark Brooks, Fort Worth; Andrew Magee, Paradise Valley, Ariz.

7:50 a.m.-12:10 p.m.--Guy Boros, Pompano Beach, Fla.; Glen Day, Little Rock, Ark.; Clarence Rose, Goldsboro, N.C.

8 a.m.-12:20 p.m.--Sam Randolph, Fort Worth; Chris Dimarco, Heathrow, Fla.; Jimmy Green, Daphne, Ala.

8:10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.--Colin Montgomerie, Scotland; David Duval, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; Jim Furyk, Maheim, Pa.

8:20 a.m.-12:40 p.m.--Curtis Strange, Williamsburg, Va.; Hale Irwin, St. Louis; Payne Stewart, Orlando, Fla.

8:30 a.m.-12:50 p.m.--Stuart Appleby, Australia; Jeff Sluman, Burr Ridge, Ill.; Paul Stankowski, Flower Mound, Texas.

8:40 a.m.-1 p.m.--Fred Couples, Reston, Va.; Frank Nobilo, New Zealand; John Daly, Memphis, Tenn.

8:50 a.m.-1:10 p.m.--Mark Calcavecchia, Phoenix; Costantino Rocca, Italy; Paul Azinger, Parrish, Fla.

9 a.m.-1:20 p.m.--Tom Watson, Westwood, Kan.; Lee Westwood, England; Tiger Woods, Orlando, Fla.

9:10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.--Frank Lickliter II, Ponte Vedra, Fla.; Padraig Harrington, Ireland; Howard Twitty, Scottsdale, Ariz.

9:20 a.m.-1:40 p.m.--Mark O’Meara, Windermere, Fla.; Scott Verplank, Edmond, Okla.; John Cook, Rancho Mirage.

9:30 a.m.-1:50 p.m.--Kirk Triplett, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Ian Woosnam, Wales; Perry Moss, Shreveport, La.

9:40 a.m.-2 p.m.--Lee Janzen, Orlando, Fla.; Mashashi Ozaki, Japan; Davis Love III, Sea Island, Ga.

9:50 a.m.-2:10 p.m.--Gary Hallberg, Castle Rock, Colo.; a-Ryan Palmer, Amarillo, Texas; Chip Beck, Lake Forest, Ill.

10 a.m.-2:20 p.m.--Chris Tidland, Stillwater, Okla.; Ted Oh, Torrance; Tom Sipula, Ottawa, Ill.

10:10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.--Fuzzy Zoeller, Floyds Knobs, Ind.; Retief Goosen, South Africa; Stewart Cink, Smyrna, Ga.

10:20 a.m.-2:40 p.m.--Loren Roberts, Memphis, Tenn.; Brad Fabel, Nashville, Tenn.; Jesper Parnevik, Sweden.

10:30 a.m.-2:50 p.m.--Phil Tataurangi, New Zealand; Peter Jordan, Valrico, Fla.; Kevin Wentworth, Manteca, Calif.

10:40 a.m.-3 p.m.--Mike Small, Danville, Ill.; Bruce Zabriski, Grennwich, Conn.; Jeff Thorsen, Jacksonville, Fla.

10:50 a.m.-3:10 p.m.--Garrett Larson, Walnut Creek, Calif.; Chris Kaufman, Delray Beach, Fla.; Robert Deruntz, Rancho Santa Fe.

11 a.m.-3:20 p.m.--Rocky Walcher, Oklahoma City; Wes Weston, Las Vegas; Brett Wetterich, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

11:10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.--Rick Gehr, Gulf Shores, Ala.; Richard Ames, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; Rene Rangel, Pearland, Texas.

11:20 a.m.-7 a.m.--Brandel Chamblee, Phoenix; Omar Uresti, Austin, Texas; Dick Mast, Winter Gardens, Fla.

11:30 a.m.-7:10 a.m.--Mark Carnevale, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Joe Durant, Molino, Fla.; Doug Martin, Edgewood, Ky.

11:40 a.m.-7:20 a.m.--Jason Allen, Pueblo, Colo.; Grant Clough, La Quinta; David Kirkpatrick, Lakeland, Fla.

11:50 a.m.-7:30 a.m.--Derek Gilchrist, Elk Grove, Fla.; Alan Morin, Royal Palm Beach, Fla.; Jeff McMillian, Stillwater, Okla.

Noon-7:40 a.m.--Justin Leonard, Dallas; a-Matt Kuchar, Lake Mary, Fla.; Ernie Els, South Africa.

12:10 p.m.-7:50 a.m.--Scott Simpson, Poway; Don Pooley, Tucson, Ariz.; Nick Price, Zimbabwe.

12:20 p.m.-8 a.m.--Phil Mickelson, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland; Jeff Maggert, The Woodlands, Texas.

12:30 p.m.-8:10 a.m.--Tom Lehman, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Bernhard Langer, Germany; Steven Jones, Bozeman, Mont.

12:40 p.m.-8:20 a.m.--Tommy Tolles, Flat Rock, N.C.; Michael Reid, Orem, Utah; Trevor Dodds, South Africa.

12:50 p.m.-8:30 a.m.--John Huston, Safety Harbor, Fla.; Vijay Singh, Fiji; Scott McCarron, Rancho Murieta.

1 p.m.-8:40 a.m.--Graham Marsh, Australia; Ben Crenshaw, Austin, Texas; Jack Nicklaus, North Palm Beach, Fla.

1:10 p.m.-8:50 a.m.--Joey Sindelar, Horseheads, N.Y.; Thomas Bjorn, Denmark; a-Joel Kribel, Pleasanton, Calif.

1:20 p.m.-9 a.m.--Corey Pavin, Orlando, Fla.; Nick Faldo, England; Tom Kite, Austin, Texas.

1:30 p.m.-9:10 a.m.--Billy Andrade, Atlanta; Ignacio Garrido, Spain; Brad Faxon, Barrington, R.I.

1:40 p.m.-9:20 a.m.--Kevin Sutherland, Sacramento; a-Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C.; Lee Porter, Greensboro, N.C.

1:50 p.m.-9:30 a.m.--Jay Haas, Greer, S.C.; Eduardo Romero, Argentina; Steve Stricker, Madison, Wis.

2 p.m.-9:40 a.m.--Steve Elkington, Australia; Jose Maria Olazabal, Spain; Bob Tway, Edmond, Okla.

2:10 p.m.-9:50 a.m.--Tim Herron, Minneapolis; Per Ulrik Johansson, Sweden; David Ogrin, Garden Ridge, Texas.

2:20 p.m.-10 a.m.--Gary March, Arlington Heights, Ill.; Mike Burke Jr., Towaco, N.J.; Gene Fieger, Newtown Square, Pa.

2:30 p.m.-10:10 a.m.--Mike Brisky, Ocoee, Fla.; a-Vaughn Taylor, Augusta, Ga.; Jim Estes, Geneva, Ill.

2:40 p.m.-10:20 a.m.--D.A. Weibring, Plano, Texas; Robert Karlsson, Sweden; Brent Geiberger, Palm Desert.

2:50 p.m.-10:30 a.m.--Adrian Stills, Orlando, Fla.; Shane Bertsch, Parker, Colo.; Timothy Straub, Winston Salem, N.C.

3 p.m.-10:40 a.m.--James Johnson, Boone, N.C.; Michael Baird, Palm Beach, Fla.; Christian Chernock, Plano, Texas.

3:10 p.m.-10:50 a.m.--Edward Fryatt, Britian; a-David Eger, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Casey Martin, Eugene, Ore.

3:20 p.m.-11 a.m.--Joe Acosta Jr., Visalia; Tom Anderson, Laurel, Mont.; Thomas Sutter, New York.

3:30 p.m.-2:10 p.m.--Mark Wilson, Pewaukee, Wis.; Garrett Willis, Loudon, Tenn.; Ken Peyreferry, Marlton, N.J.

a-amateur