Top Three Golfers Paired Together at US Open

by Fitzgerald Cecilio

Philadelphia, PA

It will be an interesting start at the 113th US Open as the top three players in the world rankings -- Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott -- are grouped together in the first two rounds of the event at Merion Golf Club.

According to the USGA, Woods, McIlroy and Scott will begin the first round at 1:14 p.m. ET starting on the first tee and will start the second round at No. 11 Friday at 7:44 a.m.

It will be the first time that No. 1 Woods and No. 2 McIlroy will be grouped together in a major championship. They have played in the same group officially 12 times around the world, with Woods shooting the better score on nine occasions.

The last time the three were together was during the first rounds of the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, where Woods won in March.

"Decent group for the first 2 rounds at Merion I see," McIlroy tweeted Friday.

Scott, the reigning Masters champion was part of a 1-2-3 grouping with Woods - along with Phil Mickelson - at the 2008 U.S. Open, the last of Woods' 14 major championship victories.

The 24-year-old McIlroy is seeking a major championship for the third straight year while Scott is looking to add to his first major title that he captured at Augusta National.

Meanwhile, defending champion Webb Simpson will play with U.S. Amateur champion Steven Fox and Open Championship winner Ernie Els.

Others who are grouped together for the first round are Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and Nicolas Colsaerts and five-time U.S. Open runner-up Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Keegan Bradley.

The other first-time pairings are Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose and Brandt Snedeker; Sergio Garcia, Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington; Ian Poulter, Jason Dufner and Boo Weekley; Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer; and Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and Zach Johnson.

Golf ...

More Golf ...

"Top Three Golfers Paired Together at US Open"