The U.S. Open 2013 golf tournament had a rain-stuttered start on Thursday as storms took the lead in the first round of the eagerly awaited tournament.

Lightning, strong winds and rain suspended play at Merion Golf Club in Philadelphia, with play being halted at 8.36 a.m. as storms moved into the region.

Players managed to return to the course at 12.10 p.m. after the more than 3 and a half hours delay, but the weather forecast does not look good for the afternoon either as big storms are set to continue to move in.

The iconic Merion Golf Club is a relatively small course compared to more modern courses – built on just 126 acres. However, it is one of the most challenging with golfers regularly struggling to stay out of the rough and bunkers. Whoever wins this year will have to be accurate off the tees, and will have to navigate the greens well.

Golfers to watch are Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Adam Scott, who will be paired together for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open.

The following is the full viewing schedule for Thursday, June 2013:

Live Broadcast (TV)

ESPN

9:00 AM EDT - 3:00 PM EDT
5:00 PM EDT - 7:00 PM EDT

Live Video (Web, iPhone, iPad, Android)

Marquee Group 1

7:11 AM EDT

Marquee Group 2

1:14 PM EDT

Radio (ESPN)

10:00 AM EDT - 4:00 PM EDT

CLICK HERE to watch the live stream of the U.S. Open golf via provided by US Open.

CLICK HERE for the current leaderboard.