IT’S just as well Rory McIlroy gets on well with Anthony Kim. By accident or design, and just as they were for the US Masters and the US Open, the two players will be reacquainted for the first two rounds of a major when the quest for the Claret Jug gets under way at Turnberry on Thursday.
On this occasion, South African Retief Goosen will be the odd man out in the three-ball which features two of the hottest young players in the game. McIlroy and Kim were paired together for the first two rounds at Augusta and at Bethpage. Obviously, they’ll be hoping it’s a case of third time lucky in their respective bids to win a major.
Pádraig Harrington, the defending champion, and world number one Tiger Woods have directly opposite tee-times for the opening two rounds: Harrington tees off at 2.20pm on Thursday and 9.09am on Friday, whereas Woods has a 9.09am teetime on Thursday and a 2.20pm slot on Friday.
Harrington - who had a morning tee-time in his first round at Birkdale last year - has been paired with two past US Open winners, Jim Furyk and Geoff Ogilvy, whereas Woods - for a change - is unlikely to be the most photographed player from his three-ball which features Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa. England’s Lee Westwood makes up that group.
Graeme McDowell will be the first Irish player into action on Thursday, with a 8.20am tee-time in a three-ball that also includes Vijay Singh and Bubba Watson.
McDowell will be two groups ahead of Darren Clarke, who has been drawn alongside Japan’s Azuma Yano and Luke Donald.
Damien McGrane and David Higgins have been given decent tee-times in groups directly after each other. McGrane is off at 11.41am on Thursday with Higgins in the next group off at 11.52am while, on Friday, McGrane is first off at 6.30am with Higgins teeing off at 6.41am. Paul McGinley has been paired with John Daly and Carl Pettersson for the first two rounds.
The short straw in the draw? The trio of Terry Pilkadaris, Steve Surry and Koumei Oda will be last to tee off on Thursday, their 4.21 pm tee-time coming almost 10 hours after the first three-ball - featuring Paul Broadhurst and past major winners Michael Campbell and Mark Calcavecchia - get proceedings under way bright and early at 6.30am.
Starting at 1st hole
Thursday (Friday)
(Irish in bold, British unless stated, (x) denotes amateurs)
6.30 (11.41): Michael Campbell (Nzl), Paul Broadhurst, Mark Calcavecchia (US)
6.41 (11.52): Jeff Overton (US), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Gary Orr
6.52 (12.03): Anthony Wall, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind)
7.03 (12.14): Nick Watney (US), Graeme Storm, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)
7.14 (12.25): Rafael Echenique (Arg), Richard Finch, Mark O’Meara (US)
7.25 (12.36): Nick Dougherty, David Duval (US), Adam Scott (Aus)
7.36 (12.47): Kenny Perry (US), Greg Norman (Aus), Oliver Wilson
7.47 (12.58): Henrik Stenson (Swe), Steve Stricker (US), Wen-chong Liang (Chn)
7.58 (13.09): Tom Watson (US), Sergio Garcia (Spa), (x) Metteo Manassero (Ita)
8.09 (13.20): Peter Hanson (Swe), Dustin Johnson (US), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa)
8.20 (13.31): Vijay Singh (Fij), Bubba Watson (US), Graeme McDowell
8.31 (13.42): Camilo Villegas (Col), Yuta Ikeda (Jpn), Sean O’Hair (US)
8.42 (13.53): Azuma Yano (Jpn), Luke Donald, Darren Clarke
8.58 (14.09): Justin Leonard (US), Robert Allenby (Aus), Anders Hansen (Den)
9.09 (14.20): Tiger Woods (US), Lee Westwood, Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn)
9.20 (14.31): Richard Green (Aus), Chad Campbell (US), G Fernandez-Castano (Spa)
9.31 (14.42): David Howell, Stewart Cink (US), Thongchai Jaidee (Tha)
9.42 (14.53): Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Ken Duke (US), Mathew Goggin (Aus)
9.53 (15.04): Briny Baird (US), Mark Brown (Nzl), Johan Edfors (Swe)
10.04 (15.15): DJ Trahan (US), Prayad Marksaeng (Tha), Markus Brier (Aut)
10.15 (15.26): Chris Wood, Boo Weekley (US), Rodney Pampling (Aus)
10.26 (15.37): Jaco Ahlers (Rsa), Bryce Molder (US), Richie Ramsay
10.37 (15.48): Billy Mayfair (US), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Lloyd Saltman
10.48 (15.59): Robert Rock, Martin Laird, Ben Crane (US)
10.59 (16.10): Branden Grace (Rsa), Thomas Haylock, Brandt Snedeker (US)
11.10 (16.21): Michael Wright (Aus), Daniel Wardrop, Peter Ellebye (Den)
11.41 (6.30): Tim Stewart (Aus), Damien McGrane, Matt Kuchar (US)
11.52 (6.41): David Higgins, Jeremy Kavanagh, Daniel Gaunt (Aus)
12.03 (6.52): Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind), Rhys Davies, James Driscoll (US)
12.14 (7.03): Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Sandy Lyle, Steve Marino (US)
12.25 (7.14): Nick Faldo, Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Brian Gay (US)
12.36 (7.25): Ben Curtis (US), Mike Weir (Can), Ross Fisher
12.47 (7.36): Stephen Ames (Can), Tim Clark (Rsa), Charles Howell III (US)
12.58 (7.47): Ernie Els (Rsa), Lucas Glover (US), Martin Kaymer (Ger)
13.09 (7.58): Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan (US), Andres Romero (Arg)
13.20 (8.09): Colin Montgomerie, Zach Johnson (US), K J Choi (Kor)
13.31 (8.20): Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim (US), Retief Goosen (Rsa)
13.42 (8.31): Todd Hamilton (US), Soren Hansen (Den), Tomohiro Kondo (Jpn)
13.53 (8.42): Ian Poulter, JB Holmes (US), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa)
14.09 (8.58): Paul Casey, Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Angel Cabrera (Arg)
14.20 (9.09): Padraig Harrington, Jim Furyk (US), Geoff Ogilvy (Aus)
14.31 (9.20): Paul Lawrie, Davis Love III (US), Stuart Appleby (Aus)
14.42 (9.31): Paul McGinley, Carl Pettersson (Swe), John Daly (US)
14.53 (9.42): (x) Stephan jr Gross (Ger), David Toms (US), Tom Lehman (US)
15.04 (9.53): James Kingston (Rsa), Charley Hoffman (US), Fredrik Jacobson (Swe)
15.15 (10.04): Paul Goydos (US), Francesco Molinari (Ita), Richard Sterne (Rsa)
15.26 (10.15): Thomas Levet (Fra), Richard S Johnson (Swe), Kevin Sutherland (US)
15.37 (10.26): Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Peter Baker
15.48 (10.37): Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Josh Geary (Nzl), David Drysdale
15.59 (10.48): Kenichi Kuboya (Jpn), Bruce Vaughan (US), Elliot Saltman
16.10 (10.59): Timothy Wood (Aus), David Smail (Nzl), Oliver Fisher
16.21 (11.10): Terry Pilkadaris (Aus), Steve Surry, Koumei Oda (Jpn)
