After their respective victories in both the US Open and Open Championship this season, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy will play alongside Masters Tournament winner Bubba Watson in the opening two rounds of the US PGA Championship to be played at Valhalla Country Club.
They will head out from the first tee on Thursday afternoon at 1745 GMT to continue the PGA of America’s tradition of pairing the season’s Major Champions together for days on and two.
With 99 of the top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings set to descend upon Louisville, Kentucky there is no surprise that there are plenty of other marquee groups to keep an eye on over the first couple of days.
Sergio Garcia is yet to win a Major title in his so far illustrious career, and coming off the back of a share of second place at last month’s Open Championship, he will be one to keep an eye on as he tees it up from the first with Steve Stricker and US Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson at 1725.
Justin Rose is one of the form players in the game right now after two wins so far in 2014, the most recent of which came at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen.
The Englishman will begin his quest for a second Major title, to follow on from his US Open triumph last year, with potential Ryder Cup opponent Matt Kuchar and 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen.
Henrik Stenson finished third at Oak Hill Country Club last season, and will hope to rediscover that form on US shores alongside America’s Ryan Moore and Kenny Perry, who lost in a play-off to Mark Brooks at Valhalla in 1996. This high profile trio will head out on Thursday afternoon at 1735 from the first tee.
Ryder Cup hopeful Graeme McDowell needs a big week to push his way into contention for an automatic place on Paul McGinley’s European Team, and he will hope that Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka will bring the best out in him from 1755 on day one.
Defending Champion Jason Dufner will get his quest for back-to-back titles under way alongside the 2009 US PGA winner YE Yang, and 2011 top dog Keegan Bradley. They will hit the links at 1755.
Tiger Woods has won four US PGA titles, one of which came at Valhalla in 2000, and his campaign for a fifth Wannamaker Trophy will get under way with five-time Major Champion Phil Mickelson, and 2008 winner Padraig Harrington at 1745 on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile Rickie Fowler, the only man with top five finishes in all three Majors this season, will begin his challenge for a first big win at 1205 in the company of Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and South Africa’s Ernie Els.
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