GOLF: Scheffler gets afternoon start for PGA Championship defense, with Rose and Fitzpatrick

World number one Scottie Scheffler will begin his PGA Championship title defense alongside Englishmen Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

Four-time major winner Scheffler, world number four Fitzpatrick, and world number seven Rose are scheduled to tee off at 2:05 p.m. ET (1805 GMT) from the par-four first hole, forming the day's third-to-last group.

Reigning British Open champion Scheffler, who won last year’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow by five strokes, has finished as runner-up in his last three PGA Tour starts. This includes the Masters, where he narrowly missed completing a remarkable comeback from 12 strokes down after 36 holes.

Northern Ireland’s world number two Rory McIlroy, who successfully defended his Masters title last month with a one-shot victory over Scheffler, will start at 8:40 a.m. from the par-four 10th hole. He will be joined by American Jordan Spieth and Spaniard Jon Rahm, one of 11 LIV Golf players competing in this year’s second major.

A high-profile group playing just ahead will feature 2024 PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele, American five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton of LIV Golf. This event marks Koepka’s second major appearance since leaving LIV last December, following a shared 12th-place finish at the Masters.

Reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun will start from the first tee at 12:59 p.m. alongside American Max Homa, who replaced Phil Mickelson in the 156-player field after the six-time major winner withdrew, and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.

Cameron Young, competing in his fifth PGA Championship and enjoying the best season of his PGA Tour career with two wins, will play in an all-American group with former U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and two-time major champion Justin Thomas, one group ahead of Scheffler’s threesome.

The tournament will officially begin at 6:45 a.m. when Philadelphia native Braden Shattuck tees off alongside England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and American Ben Griffin.

-Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters