Jordan Spieth grouped with Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka at PGA Championship
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 04/08/17 11:52pm
Jordan Spieth will begin his bid for a career Grand Slam of major titles alongside Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka in the opening two rounds of next week's PGA Championship.
As is traditional for the final major of the year, the champions of the Masters, US Open and The Open are grouped together for the first 36 holes in what will be the 99th staging of the tournament at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.
Spieth's victory at Royal Birkdale last month saw him become only the second player after Jack Nicklaus to win three of golf's four major championships before the age of 24, and the young American is now hoping to join an elite Grand Slam club, whose only members are Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player.
The star trio head to the 10th tee at 1:25pm (BST) on Thursday, while Rory McIlroy's group headlines the afternoon tee times as the two-time champion plays alongside Rickie Fowler and rising Spanish star Jon Rahm.
McIlroy, whose last major victory was in the PGA Championship at Valhalla three years ago, has also won two Wells Fargo Championship titles at Quail Hollow, while he lost out to Fowler in a play-off in 2012.
World No 1 Dustin Johnson is grouped with last year's Open winner Henrik Stenson and 2015 PGA champion Jason Day, while holder Jimmy Walker is accompanied by Jason Dufner and Phil Mickelson, who is competing in his 100th major championship.
Mickelson is not the only player celebrating a century of majors as Ernie Els also brings up his 100, and the South African will partner resurgent Englishman Ian Poulter and world No 2 Hideki Matsuyama.