U.S. Open Preview: Dustin Johnson seeking redemption at Oakmont

116th U.S. Open
Where: Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
When: Thursday, June 16-Sunday, June 19
TV: Thursday, Friday: FS1 (10 a.m.-5 p.m. ET), Fox (5 p.m.- 8 p.m. ET)
TV: Saturday: Fox (11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET)
TV: Sunday: Fox (11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET)
Streaming: Fox Sports Go, usopen.com, U.S. Open apps

The PGA Tour's second major begins Thursday morning.

The U.S. Open kicks off a wild six-week stretch of golf, with The Open Championship set for July 14, and the PGA Championship beginning July 28. It's going to be a great summer on the greens.

Here are four storylines to follow ahead of the 116th edition of the American championship:

Johnson ready for 1st major

It's summer '16, and Dustin Johnson is out here looking for revenge.

As much he probably wants to forget last year's tournament at Chambers Bay, Johnson must learn from his gut-wrenching defeat.

Tied for the lead heading into Sunday's final round, Johnson went into the back nine with a two-stroke lead over Jordan Spieth, thanks to a clean front nine with two birdies.

Then trouble hit. Johnson bogeyed holes 10, 11, and 13 and found himself two strokes behind Spieth. But he recovered with a birdie on 17, and after Spieth two-putted on the par-5 18th, Johnson was looking at a 12-foot eagle putt to win the U.S. Open. He missed. Then, disaster: he missed his birdie putt to tie Spieth and force a playoff.

Just like that, it was over. Spieth, who was prepping for a playoff, was the champion. Johnson was again a runner-up, like he was at The Open in 2011. It was excruciating to watch.

Johnson's coming in hot, with four top-five finishes in his last six tournaments, including a career-best fourth-place finish at the Masters. He's finished in the top 10 in eight of his 13 tournaments this season. It may be time.

The 31-year-old will celebrate his birthday next week, on June 22. A U.S. Open trophy would be the ultimate gift.

Oakmont

The U.S. Open returns to Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania for the ninth time this week, and make no mistake, its grounds are hallowed - and some of the most difficult in the sport.

The fairways are narrow, the rough thick, the bunkers massive, and the greens fast and firm. The U.S. Open always challenges the field, but the ante is forever upped at Oakmont, which opened in 1903 and always lives up to its reputation as one of golf's most difficult courses.

The U.S. Open is the "most complete test of golf," United States Golf Association executive director Mike Davis said. And that's going to make for some excellent entertainment, thanks to a star-studded field.

Oakmont will bring the heat. Who can stand it will be very interesting to watch.

The Big 3

The field is as good as it gets, and the guys at the top are rolling.

Jason Day's the top-ranked golfer on the planet, and is coming off a win - his third of the season - at The Players Championship last month.

Spieth is second in the rankings, is the defending U.S. Open champion, and is also coming off a win last month, at the Dean & Deluca Invitational.

Rory McIlroy is No. 3, and he's coming off two top-four finishes in his past three PGA Tour events, and four in his last five. He also won the Irish Open in May. He's due for a victory stateside.

There's Bubba Watson, ranked fourth. Rickie Fowler is fifth. Johnson sits sixth in the rankings, followed by Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Danny Willett, Justin Rose, and Patrick Reed.

Tiger Woods isn't at Oakmont, but based on the incredible talent set to tee off, his mark remains on every major played.

The quest continues

One can't write about the U.S. Open and not write about Mickelson.

A win at the tournament is all that stands in the way of Lefty's career grand slam, and he's been a U.S. Open runner up a remarkable six times.

Here's the issue: Mickelson hasn't won a tournament in almost three years, when he captured The Open title in July 2013.

The good news: Lefty's coming off a second-place finish at the FexEx St. Jude Classic last week, and carded a fourth-place result at the Wells Fargo Championship last month.

Mickelson's going to win a tournament again. He has to. And if he can only win one more, the Golf gods owe him a U.S. Open title. Six times a bridesmaid is simply cruel.