CHARLESTON, South Carolina: Four-time winner Tiger Woods has been drawn to play alongside holder Keegan Bradley and former champion Martin Kaymer in the first two rounds of next week’s PGA Championship, organizers announced on Friday.
American Woods, who clinched the most recent of his titles in 2007, is scheduled to tee off with compatriot Bradley and Germany’s Kaymer from the 10th hole at 8:30 a.m. ET (1230 GMT) in Thursday’s opening round at Kiawah Island.
Bradley won his first major title as a PGA Tour rookie at last year’s PGA Championship in Atlanta while Kaymer triumphed in the year’s final major at Whistling Straits in 2010.
In keeping with tradition, this season’s first three major winners have been grouped together — South African Ernie Els (British Open), Webb Simpson (US Open) and fellow American Bubba Watson (Masters).
Els and company are set to start on the first tee at 1:20 p.m. at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.
In other high-profile groupings, former winners Padraig Harrington (2008), Phil Mickelson (2005) and US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III (1997) will play together while 2011 US Open champion Rory McIlroy has been grouped with Americans Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk.
British world number one Luke Donald will set off in the opening round in the company of two more Americans, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson.
David Toms, who won the 2001 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, has been paired with fellow Americans Shaun Micheel and John Daly, both former winners.
