Le Pays De France - Tiger, Spieth and McIlroy primed to make early PGA charge

John Daly, the 1991 PGA Championship winner, struck the first tee shot to begin the showdown at Southern Hills, where Woods won the 2007 PGA.

The feature trio was set for an 8:11 a.m. (1311 GMT) start off the 10th tee with a huge crowd expected to follow every move from 15-time major champion Woods and his star partners.

"If I can play well these next couple days, given the crowds that will be out there, the weekend might actually feel a little like a breather," Spieth said.

"It's obviously great for golf, but selfishly it's pretty exciting to be able to play these events growing up with the guy that you idolized."

Former world number one Woods, now ranked 818, made his emotional return from a February 2021 car crash at last month's Masters, battling pain to finish 47th as he struggled to walk 72 holes at hilly Augusta National.

The 15-time major winner says he is stronger than when he played the Masters, but walking the course with rods and pins holding his right leg together remains difficult.

"It's better than the last time I played," Woods said. "We've been working hard. I have days where it's tough and other days where we can push through it. But we keep working at it."

Woods, 46, is chasing an 83rd career US PGA Tour title to break the all-time record he shares with Sam Snead.

He also seeks a fifth career Wanamaker Trophy to match the record PGA Championship win mark shared by Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus.

Three-time major winner Spieth, coming off a US PGA Heritage victory last month and a runner-up finish last week in Dallas, would complete a career Grand Slam with a victory.

The 28-year-old American would join Woods, Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan with a triumph at all four majors if he wins.

"Having won the other three, it's an elephant in the room for me," said Spieth. "If you just told me I was going to win one tournament the rest of my life, I'd say I want to win this one.

"You feel like you kind of 'accomplished golf' when you win a career Grand Slam, I guess."

Four-time major winner McIlroy seeks his first major victory since the 2014 PGA after a runner-up finish at the Masters in his own bid for a career Slam.

"I feel good about my game," McIlroy said. "I've done some good work. I've led greens in regulation the last two tournaments I've played.

"You hit greens here, you're going to give yourself birdie chances."

McIlroy expects Woods to be fully recovered from his Masters effort.

"Six weeks is a long enough time to recover from that week and then build yourself back up," McIlroy said.

"He's stubborn. He's determined. This is what he lives for. If he believes he can get around 18 holes, he believes he can win."

- Top three start late -

The world's three highest-ranked players, reigning major champions all, were paired together for an afternoon start.

Top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, a winner in four of his past eight starts, joins world number two Jon Rahm, the 2021 US Open winner from Spain, and third-ranked Collin Morikawa, last year's British Open champion, at 1:36 p.m. off the first tee.

The pairing would typically grab the spotlight, but Scheffler takes it in his stride.

"Tiger's here so nobody really remembers that I'm here, so it's all good," Scheffler said.

Oddsmakers expect big things from them, ranking them among the most fancied for the title.

Rahm warns that Southern Hills will offer swirling winds and tee boxes that can adjust hole lengths to create a formidable challenge.

"It's a major championship worthy golf course. It's as simple as that. You can't hide. You have to do everything well," he said. "They can truly make it as difficult as they want."

(C.Fontaine--LPdF)