The PGA Championship is getting underway at Oak Hill in Rochester and Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are being looked at as the favorites at the major, the last of the year and this comes after Mickelson won the US Open and Woods won the Bridgestone last week, his fifth win on tour this year and his eighth time at the tournament.
The schedule includes early tee times for Woods and number of other players, while Mickelson is in the afternoon. Woods will tee off in the afternoon on Friday with Keegan Bradley and Davis Love, while Mickelson is grouped with Adam Scott and Justin Rose.
Four-times winner Tiger Woods prepared for an early start as the PGA Championship, the year's final major, began under partially sunny skies at a damp Oak Hill Country Club on Thursday.
American club professional Rob Labritz found the right side of the fairway with the opening shot at the par-four first, before being followed by Australian John Senden and Ireland's Shane Lowry.
Americans Charley Hoffman, Bob Sowards and Matt Every launched proceedings at the par-four 10th hole on the heavily tree-lined East Course at Oak Hill Country Club.
Woods, who clinched the most recent of his PGA Championship titles in 2007, was scheduled to start his opening round from the 10th at 8:35 a.m. ET (1235 GMT) on a course softened by two inches of rain overnight.
The American, hunting his 15th major crown but first since the 2008 U.S. Open, has been grouped with former champions Keegan Bradley and Davis Love III for the first two rounds.
In keeping with tradition, this season's first three major winners have been grouped together - Australian Adam Scott (Masters), Englishman Justin Rose (U.S. Open) and American Phil Mickelson (British Open).
Scott and company were set to start on the first tee from 1:45 p.m.
In other high-profile groups, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, South African Ernie Els and American Bill Haas will play together while 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson of the U.S. has been drawn with South African Tim Clark and England's Lee Westwood.
Northern Ireland's defending champion Rory McIlroy, seeking to turn his game around after a poor year by his standards, will set off in the company of former winners Vijay Singh of Fiji (1998) and Germany's Martin Kaymer (2010).
Shaun Micheel, who won the most recent PGA Championship played at Oak Hill in 2003, has been paired with fellow Americans Rich Beem and Mark Brooks, both former winners.
The PGA Championship has, in recent years, enjoyed the strongest field of the four majors and 99 of the world's top 100 players are chasing the season's final grand slam title this week.
Weather forecasts predicted a slight chance of thunderstorms on Thursday with conditions expected to become mainly sunny during the afternoon.
TV Coverage: TNT (1-7 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: PGA.com
Championship tee times:
Thursday, Round 1, 1st tee
Starting time (ET), players
7:10 a.m.: Rob Labritz, John Senden, Shane Lowry
7:20 a.m.: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Bob Gaus, Luke Guthrie
7:30 a.m.: Marc Leishman, Josh Teater, Pablo Larrazabal
7:40 a.m.: Tommy Gainey, Ryan Palmer, David Hearn
7:50 a.m.: Michael Thompson, Marcel Siem, Bo Van Pelt
8 a.m.: Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem, J.J. Henry
8:10 a.m.: Richard Sterne, Scott Brown, David Lingmerth
8:20 a.m.: Ben Curtis, Marcus Fraser, Peter Hanson
8:30 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Paul Lawrie, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
8:40 a.m.: Thorbjorn Olesen, Brian Gay, David Lynn
8:50 a.m.: Stephen Gallacher, David McNabb, Branden Grace
9 a.m.: Caine Fitzgerald, Kevin Streelman, Bernd Wiesberger
9:10 a.m.: J.C. Anderson, Matt Jones, Jaco Van Zyl
Thursday, Round 1, 10th tee
Starting time (ET), players
7:15 a.m.: Charley Hoffman, Bob Sowards, Matt Every
7:25 a.m.: Mark Sheftic, Robert Garrigus, Hiroyuki Fujita
7:35 a.m.: Hunter Mahan, Paul Casey, Billy Horschel
7:45 a.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner
7:55 a.m.: Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler
8:05 a.m.: Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Bill Haas
8:15 a.m.: David Toms, Padraig Harrington, Y.E. Yang
8:25 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel
8:35 a.m.: Davis Love III, Keegan Bradley, Tiger Woods
8:45 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Jim Furyk, Thomas Bjorn
8:55 a.m.: K.J. Choi, Ryan Polzin, Jonas Blixt
9:05 a.m.: Scott Stallings, Jason Kokrak, Jeff Sorenson
9:15 a.m.: Scott Jamieson, Roberto Castro, Stuart Smith
Thursday, Round 1, 1st tee
Starting time (ET), players
12:25 p.m.: John Huh, Ryo Ishikawa, Danny Balin
12:35 p.m.: Darren Clarke, Tom Watson, Paul McGinley
12:45 p.m.: Kohki Idoki, Rod Perry, Nick Watney
12:55 p.m.: Nicolas Colsaerts, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker
1:05 p.m.: Tim Clark, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson
1:15 p.m.: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Webb Simpson, Angel Cabrera
1:25 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Vijay Singh, Martin Kaymer
1:35 p.m.: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Luke Donald, Jordan Spieth
1:45 p.m.: Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson
1:55 p.m.: Lucas Glover, Ian Poulter, Zach Johnson
2:05 p.m.: Kevin Chappell, Chris Wood, Mike Small
2:15 p.m.: Kevin Stadler, Chip Sullivan, Chris Stroud
2:25 p.m.: Sonny Skinner, Gary Woodland, Richie Ramsay
Thursday, Round 1, 10th tee
Starting time (ET), players
12:20 p.m.: Mark Brown, Scott Piercy, Brooks Koepka
12:30 p.m.: Derek Ernst, Jeff Martin, Charles Howell III
12:40 p.m.: Ken Duke, Matteo Manassero, Jimmy Walker
12:50 p.m.: Danny Willett, Joost Luiten, Russell Henley
1 p.m.: Freddie Jacobson, George Coetzee, Harris English
1:10 p.m.: Boo Weekley, Francesco Molinari, Thongchai Jaidee
1:20 p.m.: Jamie Donaldson, Ryan Moore, Alex Noren
1:30 p.m.: Brett Rumford, Geoff Ogilvy, John Merrick
1:40 p.m.: Sang-Moon Bae, Woody Austin, Martin Laird
1:50 p.m.: Carl Pettersson, D.A. Points, Mikko Ilonen
2 p.m.: Graham DeLaet, Kirk Hanefeld, Kyle Stanley
2:10 p.m.: David Muttitt, Charlie Beljan, Brendan de Jonge
2:20 p.m.: Lee Rhind, Chris Kirk, Marc Warren
Friday, Round 2, 1st tee
Starting time (ET), players
7:10 a.m.: Mark Brown, Scott Piercy, Brooks Koepka
7:20 a.m.: Derek Ernst, Jeff Martin, Charles Howell III
7:30 a.m.: Ken Duke, Matteo Manassero, Jimmy Walker
7:40 a.m.: Danny Willett, Joost Luiten, Russell Henley
7:50 a.m.: Freddie Jacobson, George Coetzee, Harris English
8 a.m.: Boo Weekley, Francesco Molinari, Thongchai Jaidee
8:10 a.m.: Jamie Donaldson, Ryan Moore, Alex Noren
8:20 a.m.: Brett Rumford, Geoff Ogilvy, John Merrick
8:30 a.m.: Sang-Moon Bae, Woody Austin, Martin Laird
8:40 a.m.: Carl Pettersson, D.A. Points, Mikko Ilonen
8:50 a.m.: Graham DeLaet, Kirk Hanefeld, Kyle Stanley
9 a.m.: David Muttitt, Charlie Beljan, Brendan de Jonge
9:10 a.m.: Lee Rhind, Chris Kirk, Marc Warren
Friday, Round 2, 10th tee
Starting time (ET), players
7:15 a.m.: John Huh, Ryo Ishikawa, Danny Balin
7:25 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Tom Watson, Paul McGinley
7:35 a.m.: Kohki Idoki, Rod Perry, Nick Watney
7:45 a.m.: Nicolas Colsaerts, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker
7:55 a.m.: Tim Clark, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson
8:05 a.m.: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Webb Simpson, Angel Cabrera
8:15 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Vijay Singh, Martin Kaymer
8:25 a.m.: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Luke Donald, Jordan Spieth
8:35 a.m.: Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson
8:45 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Ian Poulter, Zach Johnson
8:55 a.m.: Kevin Chappell, Chris Wood, Mike Small
9:05 a.m.: Kevin Stadler, Chip Sullivan, Chris Stroud
9:15 a.m.: Sonny Skinner, Gary Woodland, Richie Ramsay
Friday, Round 2, 1st tee
Starting time (ET), players
12:25 p.m.: Charley Hoffman, Bob Sowards, Matt Every
12:35 p.m.: Mark Sheftic, Robert Garrigus, Hiroyuki Fujita
12:45 p.m.: Hunter Mahan, Paul Casey, Billy Horschel
12:55 p.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner
1:05 p.m.: Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler
1:15 p.m.: Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Bill Haas
1:25 p.m.: David Toms, Padraig Harrington, Y.E. Yang
1:35 p.m.: Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel
1:45 p.m.: Davis Love III, Keegan Bradley, Tiger Woods
1:55 p.m.: Peter Uihlein, Jim Furyk, Thomas Bjorn
2:05 p.m.: K.J. Choi, Ryan Polzin, Jonas Blixt
2:15 p.m.: Scott Stallings, Jason Kokrak, Jeff Sorenson
2:25 p.m.: Scott Jamieson, Roberto Castro, Stuart Smith
Friday, Round 2, 10th tee
Starting time (ET), players
12:20 p.m.: Rob Labritz, John Senden, Shane Lowry
12:30 p.m.: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Bob Gaus, Luke Guthrie
12:40 p.m.: Marc Leishman, Josh Teater, Pablo Larrazabal
12:50 p.m.: Tommy Gainey, Ryan Palmer, David Hearn
1 p.m.: Michael Thompson, Marcel Siem, Bo Van Pelt
1:10 p.m.: Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem, J.J. Henry
1:20 p.m.: Richard Sterne, Scott Brown, David Lingmerth
1:30 p.m.: Ben Curtis, Marcus Fraser, Peter Hanson
1:40 p.m.: Stewart Cink, Paul Lawrie, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
1:50 p.m.: Thorbjorn Olesen, Brian Gay, David Lynn
2 p.m.: Stephen Gallacher, David McNabb, Branden Grace
2:10 p.m.: Caine Fitzgerald, Kevin Streelman, Bernd Wiesberger
2:20 p.m.: J.C. Anderson, Matt Jones, Jaco Van Zyl
