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9 SA stars at PGA Championship

Louisville - Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been paired together for the first two rounds of the 96th PGA Championship, the PGA of America announced on Friday.

Groups revealed for next Thursday and Friday at the year's final major at Valhalla Golf Club also saw the traditional pairing of the three major winners from earlier this year.

Mickelson, who failed in his bid to complete a career grand slam in June at the US Open, and Woods, the 14-time major champion who will be making only his fourth start since back surgery four months ago, will be joined by Irishman Padraig Harrington.

That trio tees off Thursday at 08:35 local time in the morning from the 10th tee and Friday at 13:45 off the first tee.

Woods, who won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla, has a checkered history with Mickelson, notably a Ryder Cup pairing in which he delievered a death-stare glance at Mickelson in a foursomes match after the left-hander sent his tee shot into the deep rough.

Reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson of the United States, US Open winner Martin Kaymer of Germany and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, winner of last month's British Open, will start off the first tee at 13:45 in the afternoon on Thursday and off the 10th tee at 08:35 Friday morning.

Jason Dufner, last year's PGA Championship winner, is paired with Keegan Bradley, who beat Dufner in a playoff to win the 2011 PGA Championship, and South Korean Yang Yong-Eun, who became the first Asian man to win a major by capturing the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

They start at 13:55 on Thursday off the first tee and 8:45 on Friday morning off the 10th tee, just behind the three 2014 major winners.

Two other back-to-back groups will be notable as well.

American Rickie Fowler, who shared second at the US and British Opens and fifth at the Masters, will be joined by South Africa's Ernie Els and France's Victor Dubuisson on Thursday morning and Friday afternoon.

One group behind them will be top-ranked Adam Scott of Australia, American Jordan Spieth and England's Lee Westwood.

England's Justin Rose will be paired with South African Louis Oosthuizen and American Matt Kuchar while Spain's Sergio Garcia plays the first two rounds alongside American Steve Stricker and Tom Watson, the US captain for this year's Ryder Cup.

Groups and start times announced Friday for Thursday's opening round of the 96th PGA Championship at par-71 Valhalla Golf Club (all times SA):


First tee

13:30: Brian Norman (USA), Russell Knox (SCO), Roberto Castro (USA)

13:40: Charles Howell (USA), Aaron Krueger (USA), Joost Luiten (NED)

13:50: Billy Horschel (USA), Jamie Broce (USA), George Coetzee (RSA)

14:00: Brian Stuard (USA), Brendon Todd (USA), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP)

14:10: Freddie Jacobson (SWE), Nick Watney (USA), Brendon de Jonge (RSA)

14:20: Matt Every (USA), Ross Fisher (ENG), Kevin Chappell (USA)

14:30: John Daly (USA), Mark Brooks (USA), Rich Beem (USA)

14:40: KJ Choi (KOR), Thongchai Jaidee (THA), Brian Harman (USA)

14:50: Thomas Bjorn (DEN), Kevin Stadler (USA), Harris English (USA)

15:00: Jamie Donaldson (WAL), Kim Hyung-Sung (KOR), Stewart Cink (USA)

15:10: Stephen Gallacher (SCO), Jason Kokrak (USA), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP)

15:20: Kevin Streelman (USA), Ryan Helminen (USA), Edoardo Molinari (ITA)

15:30: Brendan Steele (USA), Rob Corcoran (USA), WGC Akron winner

18:45: Ryo Ishikawa (JPN), Matt Pesta (USA), Rory Sabbatini (RSA)

18:55: Scott Stallings (USA), Eric Williamson (USA), Matteo Manassero (ITA)

19:05: Jonas Blixt (SWE), Webb Simpson (USA), Erik Compton (USA)

19:15: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP), Graham DeLaet (CAN), Gary Woodland (USA)

19:25: Sergio Garcia (ESP), Steve Stricker (USA), Tom Watson (USA)

19:35: Kenny Perry (USA), Ryan Moore (USA), Henrik Stenson (SWE)

19:45: Bubba Watson (USA), Martin Kaymer (GER), Rory McIlroy (NIR)

19:55: Jason Dufner (USA), Yang Yong-Eun (KOR), Keegan Bradley (USA)

20:05: Luke Donald (ENG), JB Holmes (USA), Francesco Molinari (ITA)

20:15: Zach Johnson (USA), Darren Clarke (NIR), Richard Sterne (RSA)

20:25: Tim Clark (RSA), Paul Casey (ENG), Kevin Na (USA)

20:35: Steven Bowditch (AUS), Rod Perry (USA), Ben Crane (USA)

20:45: David Hronek (USA), Chris Stroud (USA), Jason Bohn (USA)

Tenth tee

13:35: Robert Karlsson (SWE), Frank Esposito (USA), Koumei Oda (JPN)

13:45: Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), Angel Cabrera (ARG), Patrick Reed (USA)

13:55: Shaun Micheel (USA), Colin Montgomerie (SCO), Michael Block (USA)

14:05: Rickie Fowler (USA), Victor Dubuisson (FRA), Ernie Els (RSA)

14:15: Jordan Spieth (USA), Adam Scott (AUS), Lee Westwood (ENG)

14:25: Jimmy Walker (USA), Ian Poulter (ENG), Jason Day (AUS)

14:35: Padraig Harrington (IRL), Phil Mickelson (USA), Tiger Woods (USA)

14:45: Graeme McDowell (NIR), Brandt Snedeker (USA), Brooks Koepka (USA)

14:55: Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP), Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Jim Furyk (USA)

15:05: Matt Kuchar (USA), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Justin Rose (ENG)

15:15: Marc Leishman (AUS), Boo Weekley (USA), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)

15:25: Russ Henley (USA), David McNabb (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)

15:35: Mikko Ilonen (FIN), Jerry Smith (USA), George McNeill (USA)

18:40: Shane Lowry (IRL), Bob Sowards (USA), Ryan Palmer (USA)

18:50: Charley Hoffman (USA), Dustin Volk (USA), Scott Brown (USA)

19:00: Alexander Levy (FRA), Stuart Deane (USA), David Hearn (CAN)

19:10: David Tentis (USA), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Danny Willett (ENG)

19:20: Anirban Lahiri (IND), Bill Haas (USA), John Senden (AUS)

19:30: Vijay Singh (FIJ), Davis Love (USA), David Toms (USA)

19:40: Cameron Tringale (USA), Scott Piercy (USA), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA)

19:50: Branden Grace (RSA), Hunter Mahan (USA), Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN)

20:00: Chris Kirk (USA), Matt Jones (AUS), Noh Seung-Yul (KOR)

20:10: Jerry Kelly (USA), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Hideto Tanihara (JPN)

20:20: Will MacKenzie (USA), Steve Schneiter (USA), Chesson Hadley (USA)

20:30: Johan Kok (USA), Ben Martin (USA), Chris Wood (ENG)

20:40: Daniel Summerhays (USA), Jim McGovern (USA), PGA Tour Reno winner

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