Dustin Johnson kisses the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf championship last year.

Longtime readers of The TV Column know that I usually leave the sports stuff to our fine sports staff. However, I'm making an exception today for those who might miss it.

If you're a golf aficionado, it doesn't get any better than being able to watch the 117th U.S. Open Golf Championship in prime time.

The first round airs from 5 to 8 p.m. today on Fox from Erin Hills in Erin, Wis. Round 2 airs at the same time Friday, with Round 3 beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday and running until 7 p.m.

The final round tees off Sunday at 10 a.m. and is set to last until 7:30 p.m.

The U.S. Open is one of golf's four major tournaments each year, along with the Masters, the British Open and the PGA Championship. Each always has the potential for serious drama. We need to look no further than last year's U.S. Open champion, Dustin Johnson, who won at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.

It had been a year since Johnson three-putted from only 12 feet away on the 72nd green to lose the Open by one stroke to Jordan Spieth at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.

At 21, Spieth became the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bob Jones in 1923. With the win, Spieth also became the youngest player to win two major championships since Gene Sarazen in 1922.

In last year's Open, Johnson shot a final-round 69 to erase a four-stroke deficit to Shane Lowry in the final round. It was Johnson's first major title after coming close several times.

Adding to the enjoyment of the game, Fox Sports has announced it will equip all 18 holes with the ability to trace the golf ball, either by live video or by graphic representation of the specific golf hole.

For me, the ball-tracing technology was a major development that enabled the viewer to follow the flight of the ball that usually just disappeared off the tee.

Fox is pulling out all the stops and will have up to 75 cameras and 216 microphones placed around Erin Hills to capture all of the action. And drones! Fox will have drones picking up the action from different perspectives.

All-in-all, golf nerds should be pleased.

• Miss Arkansas. Saturday's golf ends just in time for you to switch over to KATV at 7 p.m. for coverage of the final night of the pageant. This is the first time the event has been televised live.

• British baking. Season 7 of The Great British Baking Show kicks off at 8 p.m. Friday on AETN and PBS with the episode "Cake." A second episode, "Biscuits," follows at 9.

Over the course of 10 weeks, British bakers Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood will judge the contestants on their skills at making cakes, breads, pastries and desserts. The challenges for the bakers come in three categories: Signature Bake, Technical Bake and the Showstopper Bake. As each week goes on, the challenges become more difficult.

Co-hosts for the series are British comedy writing duo Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc.

• Spies return. Turn: Washington's Spies returns for the fourth and final season from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday on AMC. The Revolutionary War drama is based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Rose.

The series takes place in the world of double agents, covert operations and code-breaking, and revolves around Abe Woodhull (Jamie Bell), a young farmer "torn between loyalty to his Tory background and respect for those who fight for the Patriot cause."

Abe joins the Culper Ring, a spy network with the mission to ferret out British military strategy.

In the new episodes, "Spyhunter General/The Black Hole of Calcutta," Benedict Arnold (Owain Yeoman) rounds up spies in New York; Abe plots to destroy British supplies; and a member of the Culper Ring is captured.

• The Ranch. Season 2 (10 episodes) of the Netflix series will be available Friday for those who want to binge. The first season was split into two 10-episode segments. Part 2 of Season 2 will come in the fall.

The comedy stars Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Debra Winger and Sam Elliott. The series is set on Iron River Ranch in Garrison, Colo., and details the life of the dysfunctional Bennett family.

• Elementary. Evidently the CBS detective series has many fans in these parts. Several readers noticed the show was not on my recent roundup of the CBS fall schedule and sent panicked emails.

Remain calm. The series has been renewed (as has The Amazing Race) and is set for midseason.

The series is a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective and stars Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Weekend on 06/15/2017