By Will Pearson, europeantour.com
at Augusta National
Rory McIlroy will launch his bid to become just the sixth winner of the Major Championship Grand Slam alongside three-time champion Phil Mickelson and American Ryan Moore when the Masters Tournament begins on Thursday.
McIlroy, who in an already glittering career has so far captured the US PGA Championship twice (in 2012 and 2014), the US Open Championship (2011), and The Open Championship last year at Hoylake, will this week attempt to win a maiden Green Jacket and with it join the select band of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to have won all four of golf’s biggest prizes.
The 25 year old Northern Irishman will tee it up at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club at 1041 local time on Thursday in the company of Mickelson, who prevailed at the revered Georgia venue in 2004, 2006 and 2010, and four-time US PGA Tour winner Moore.
Elsewhere, in keeping with tradition, defending champion Bubba Watson is off at 0924 with Korean US Amateur Champion Gunn Yang plus World Number 11 Justin Rose, while Indian Masters debutant Anirban Lahiri has European Tour stalwarts Miguel Angel Jimenez and Lee Westwood for company from 0913.
Custodian of four Green Jackets, former World Number One Tiger Woods makes his first competitive start since February at Augusta with Welsh Ryder Cup star Jamie Donaldson and the in-form Jimmy Walker, who has won twice on the PGA Tour already this season, from 1348 in the penultimate group out.
Making his tenth start at Augusta National, former European Number One Henrik Stenson tees off at 1315 with World Number Four Jordan Spieth and American Billy Horschel, while Padraig Harrington, who is teeing it up for a 15th time at the Masters this week, is out at 1242 with fellow veteran Thomas Bjorn and American Ryan Palmer.
US Open Champion Martin Kaymer hits the links at 1052 with Americans JB Holmes and Brandt Snedeker while two-time winner Bernhard Langer will help steer rookie Bernd Wiesberger on his maiden Masters voyage in the company of Australian Geoff Ogilvy from 1147.
After the Honorary Starting trio of Arnold Palmer, Player and Nicklaus drive off at 0740 sharp, debutant and Race to Dubai leader Danny Willett will make his Masters bow in the second group out at 0756 with 1987 winner Larry Mize and American amateur Byron Meth.
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