Rory McIlroy will have Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth for company when he embarks on his bid for a third US PGA Championship title in Tulsa on Thursday.
McIlroy, who was a month away from turning professional when Southern Hills last hosted the US PGA in 2007, will play alongside Woods and Spieth in the first two rounds following today’s draw.
Shane Lowry is out with Adam Scott and four-time Major champion Brooks Koepka while US Masters winner Scottie Scheffler has been grouped with Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa.
McIlroy hopes a relaxed approach and some online homework will pay dividends in Tulsa. Woods claimed his 13th major title during a heatwave which sent temperatures soaring into triple digits in 2007. But instead of copying Woods and taking a scouting trip to the venue, which has been renovated by architect Gil Hanse in recent years, McIlroy did his research via videos posted online before travelling to Oklahoma on Monday.
“Yesterday (Monday) was the first time seeing the golf course. I really liked it,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t know what this place was like before Gil got his hands on it, but I think he’s done a wonderful job with it. Love the green complexes. I love that he gives you options off the tee.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of different strategies this week, guys hitting drivers where maybe other guys aren’t and vice versa. It’s a really good track. I really enjoyed playing it and I think it’s going to be a wonderful test this week.
“The Fried Egg (twitter account) did a little video with Gil that they sent out there so I watched that. Then I think Golf Digest had a few flyovers of the golf course and I tried to dig up some footage of last year’s Senior PGA (Championship), but it was pretty limited.
“I’ve won a couple of major championships where I’ve played nine holes on Tuesday, nine holes on Wednesday and sort of teed it up and played really well. Sometimes not knowing where the trouble is, ignorance is bliss in some ways.
“For me I’ll take execution over preparation any day. If you’re executing the shots and you’re hitting the ball well and the ball is going where you’re looking, that’s more than half the battle.”
Thursday’s tee-times
(US unless stated, all times Irish)
First tee
1pm: John Daly, Shaun Micheel, YE Yang (Kor)
1.11pm: Takumi Kanaya (Jap), Matthew Borchert, Troy Merritt
1.22pm: Dean Burmester (RSA), Kyle Mendoza, Chris Kirk
1.33pm: Nic Ishee, Mito Pereira (Chi), Sam Horsfield (Eng)
1.44pm: Kevin Streelman, Shaun Norris (RSA), Carlos Ortiz (Mex)
1.55pm: Matt Kuchar, Cameron Davis (Aus), Rikuya Hoshino (Jap)
2.06pm: Stewart Cink, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington (Irl)
2.17pm: Kramer Hickok, Abraham Ancer (Mex), Thomas Pieters (Bel)
2.28pm: Richard Bland (Eng), Matt Jones (Aus), Garrick Higgo (RSA)
2.39pm: Beau Hossler, Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim (Kor)
2.50pm: Shawn Warren, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Ryan Fox (NZ)
3.01pm: Zac Oakley, Yuki Inamori (Jap), Sebastián Munoz (Col)
3.12pm: Brendan Steele, Casey Pyne, Bio Kim (Kor)
6.30pm: Ryan Brehm, Wyatt Worthington II, Min Woo Lee (NZ)
6.41pm: Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Sean McCarty, Justin Harding (RSA)
6.52pm: Cameron Tringale, Hudson Swafford, Adam Hadwin (Can)
7.03pm: Shane Lowry (Irl), Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott (Aus)
7.14pm: Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas
7.25pm: Jason Day (Aus), Rickie Fowler, Harold Varner III
7.36pm: Jon Rahm (Spa), Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler
7.47pm: Daniel Berger, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Ian Poulter (Eng)
7.58pm: Kevin Kisner, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Billy Horschel
8.09pm: Sergio Garcia (Spa), Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)
8.20pm: Harry Higgs, Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Erik van Rooyen (RSA)
8.31pm: Alex Beach, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)
8.42pm: Jared Jones, Aaron Wise, Joel Dahmen
10th tee
1.05pm. - Ryan Palmer, Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Alex Noren Swe
1.16pm: Adri Arnaus (Spa), Colin Inglis, Jinichiro Kozuma (Jap)
1.27pm: Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Michael Block, Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha)
1.38pm: Hideki Matsuyama (Jap), Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau
1.49pm: Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa
2pm: Viktor Hovland (Nor), Will Zalatoris, Cameron Smith (Aus)
2.11pm: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Tiger Woods
2.22pm: Patrick Reed, Justin Rose (Eng), Bubba Watson
2.33pm: Kevin Na, Lucas Glover, Daniel van Tonder (RSA)
2.44pm: Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Davis Riley
2.55pm: Francesco Molinari (Ita), Lee Westwood (Eng), Gary Woodland
3.06pm: Brian Harman, Ryan Vermeer, Oliver Bekker (RSA)
3.17pm: Dylan Newman, Lanto Griffin, Laurie Canter (Eng)
6.25pm - Brandon Bingaman, Talor Gooch, Ryosuke Kinoshita (Jap)
6.36pm: Tim Feenstra, Anirban Lahiri (Ind), Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Kor)
6.47pm: Rich Beem, Jesse Mueller, Alex Cejka (Ger)
6.58pm: Russell Knox (Sco), Seamus Power (Irl), Scott Stallings
7.09pm: Jason Kokrak, Corey Conners (Can), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA)
7.20pm: Martin Kaymer (Ger), Marc Leishman (Aus), Keegan Bradley
7.31pm: Zach Johnson, Russell Henley, Cameron Champ
7.42pm: Webb Simpson, Branden Grace (RSA), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
7.53pm: Sepp Straka (Aut), JJ Spaun, Adam Schenk
8.04pm: Matthew Wolff, Joohyung Kim (Kor), Keith Mitchell
8.15pm: Chad Ramey, Austin Hurt, Lucas Herbert (Aus)
8.26pm: Tyler Collet, Chan Kim, Maverick McNealy
8.37pm: Luke List, Paul Dickinson, Patton Kizzire
Friday
First tee
1pm: Brandon Bingaman, Talor Gooch, Ryosuke Kinoshita (Jap)
1.11pm: Tim Feenstra, Anirban Lahiri (Ind), Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Kor)
1.22pm: Rich Beem, Jesse Mueller, Alex Cejka (Ger)
1.33pm: Russell Knox (Sco), Seamus Power (Irl), Scott Stallings
1.44pm: Jason Kokrak, Corey Conners (Can), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA)
1.55pm: Martin Kaymer (Ger), Marc Leishman (Aus), Keegan Bradley
2.06pm: Zach Johnson, Russell Henley, Cameron Champ
2.17pm: Webb Simpson, Branden Grace (RSA), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
2.28pm: Sepp Straka (Aut), JJ Spaun, Adam Schenk
2.39pm: Matthew Wolff, Joohyung Kim (Kor), Keith Mitchell
2.50pm: Chad Ramey, Austin Hurt, Lucas Herbert (Aus)
3.01pm: Tyler Collet, Chan Kim, Maverick McNealy
3.12pm: Luke List, Paul Dickinson, Patton Kizzire
6.30pm. - Ryan Palmer, Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Alex Noren Swe
6.41pm: Adri Arnaus (Spa), Colin Inglis, Jinichiro Kozuma (Jap)
6.52pm: Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Michael Block, Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha)
7.03pm: Hideki Matsuyama (Jap), Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau
7.14pm: Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa
7.25pm: Viktor Hovland (Nor), Will Zalatoris, Cameron Smith (Aus)
7.36pm: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Tiger Woods
7.47pm: Patrick Reed, Justin Rose (Eng), Bubba Watson
7.58pm: Kevin Na, Lucas Glover, Daniel van Tonder (RSA)
8.09pm: Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Davis Riley
8.20pm: Francesco Molinari (Ita), Lee Westwood (Eng), Gary Woodland
8.31pm: Brian Harman, Ryan Vermeer, Oliver Bekker (RSA)
8.42pm: Dylan Newman, Lanto Griffin, Laurie Canter (Eng)
10th tee
1.05pm: Ryan Brehm, Wyatt Worthington II, Min Woo Lee (NZ)
1.16pm: Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Sean McCarty, Justin Harding (RSA)
1.27pm: Cameron Tringale, Hudson Swafford, Adam Hadwin (Can)
1.38pm: Shane Lowry (Irl), Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott (Aus)
1.49pm: Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas
2pm: Jason Day (Aus), Rickie Fowler, Harold Varner III
2.11pm: Jon Rahm (Spa), Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler
2.22pm: Daniel Berger, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Ian Poulter (Eng)
2.33pm: Kevin Kisner, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Billy Horschel
2.44pm: Sergio Garcia (Spa), Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)
2.55pm: Harry Higgs, Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Erik van Rooyen (RSA)
3.06pm: Alex Beach, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)
3.17pm: Jared Jones, Aaron Wise, Joel Dahmen
6.25pm: John Daly, Shaun Micheel, YE Yang (Kor)
6.36pm: Takumi Kanaya (Jap), Matthew Borchert, Troy Merritt
6.47pm: Dean Burmester (RSA), Kyle Mendoza, Chris Kirk
6.58pm: Nic Ishee, Mito Pereira (Chi), Sam Horsfield (Eng)
7.09pm: Kevin Streelman, Shaun Norris (RSA), Carlos Ortiz (Mex)
7.20pm: Matt Kuchar, Cameron Davis (Aus), Rikuya Hoshino (Jap)
7.31pm: Stewart Cink, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington (Irl)
7.42pm: Kramer Hickok, Abraham Ancer (Mex), Thomas Pieters (Bel)
7.53pm: Richard Bland (Eng), Matt Jones (Aus), Garrick Higgo (RSA)
8.04pm: Beau Hossler, Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim (Kor)
8.15pm: Shawn Warren, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Ryan Fox (NZ)
8.26pm: Zac Oakley, Yuki Inamori (Jap), Sebastián Munoz (Col)
8.37pm: Brendan Steele, Casey Pyne, Bio Kim (Kor)
