TULSA, Oklahoma (Reuters) – Tiger Woods, in only his second start since a car crash nearly ended his career, will play the first two rounds of this week’s PGA Championship with Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, according to the starting times released on Tuesday.
The high-profile trio, who have won a combined 22 major championships between them, will head out at 9:11 a.m. ET (1311 GMT) from the 441-yard par-four 10th hole at Southern Hills Country Club on Thursday and at 2:36 p.m. ET on Friday from the first tee.
It will mark the first start for Woods since his highly-anticipated return to competition at last month’s Masters where he opened with a one-under-par 71 but finished 13 over for the week and in 47th place.
Spieth is looking to complete the coveted career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors this week while McIlroy arrives in fine form having recorded top-five finishes at his last two events, including a runner-up finish at the Masters.
Scottie Scheffler, who won his first major at last month’s Masters amid a run during which he won four times in six tournament starts, will head out at 2:36 p.m. ET with U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm and British Open winner Collin Morikawa.
World number one Scheffler is bidding to become the first player to win consecutive majors since Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015.
The action will begin at 8:00 a.m. ET when former champions John Daly, Shaun Micheel and South Korean Yang Yong-eun head out from the first tee.
Phil Mickelson, who became golf’s oldest major champion at last year’s PGA Championship when he triumphed shortly before turning 51, is absent this week as he remains on a hiatus from the sport following the reaction to comments he made regarding the Saudi-backed golf league.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
