Scheffler in group with Rose and Fitzpatrick to begin PGA Championship title defence

[p]Four-times major winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scheffler-scottie/bXfIuBYu/"]Scheffler[/a], world number four [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fitzpatrick-matthew/6whOHmtf/"]Fitzpatrick[/a] and ‌number seven [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rose-justin/rR1fSdat/"]Rose[/a] will head out at 2:05 p.m. ET (1805 GMT) in the ‌day's third-to-last group from the par-four first hole at ‌Aronimink Golf Club.[/p][p]Reigning British Open winner Scheffler, who prevailed by five ‌shots in last year's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, ‌has runner-up finishes in his last three starts on the PGA Tour, including at the Masters where the American fell just short of ‌pulling off an unprecedented comeback from 12 strokes ⁠down after 36 holes.[/p][p]World ‌number two [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcilroy-rory/djwanksN/"]Rory McIlroy[/a] of Northern Ireland, who successfully defended his Masters ​title last month at Augusta National with a one-shot win over Scheffler, will start his day at ​8:40 a.m. from the par-four 10th hole in the company of American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/spieth-jordan/p0739Ny4/"]Jordan Spieth[/a] and Spaniard [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rahm-jon/h41jCwka/"]Jon Rahm[/a], one of ⁠11 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/livio-federico/WdfPuKnK/"]LIV[/a] Golf players ​competing in the year's second major.[/p][embed guid="9ac3c23b-2023-4aae-8e92-285c10b9aea2" url="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/2054260315538554887" social-type="twitter" /][p]Playing one group ahead will be a high-profile trio consisting of 2024 PGA Championship winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schauffele-xander/OnIoiVkm/"]Xander Schauffele[/a], fellow American and five-time major champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koepka-brooks/t0xtKfZH/"]Brooks Koepka[/a] and Englishman [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hatton-tyrrell/nZnQbO2h/"]‌Tyrrell Hatton[/a] of LIV Golf. This marks Koepka's second major since leaving LIV last December. He finished in a share of 12th at the Masters.[/p][p]Reigning U.S. Open champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/spaun-j-j/6oUJlkde/"]J.J. Spaun[/a] will set off from the first tee at 12:59 p.m. with American compatriot [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/homa-max/x6d5dphb/"]Max Homa[/a], who replaced [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mickelson-phil/QylCNJeL/"]Phil Mickelson[/a] in the 156-player field after the six-times major winner withdrew, and Japan's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matsuyama-hideki/GOHJOEb5/"]Hideki Matsuyama[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/young-cameron/WAjf7EFq/"]Cameron Young[/a], who enters his fifth PGA Championship ‌riding the wave of his best PGA Tour season to ​date having already won twice, will be playing in ‌an all-American threesome with former U.S. Ryder Cup captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bradley-keegan/xz8aA3Mc/"]Keegan Bradley[/a] and twice champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thomas-justin/jV7EtuiD/"]Justin Thomas[/a] one group ahead of Scheffler's threesome.[/p][p]The first shot of the tournament will be struck at 6:45 a.m. by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shattuck-braden/0pfOq8Zn/"]Braden Shattuck[/a], a Philadelphia ⁠native playing in a group ⁠with England's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fitzpatrick-alex/GYIyObZk/"]Alex Fitzpatrick[/a] ‌and American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/griffin-benjamin/OM4Vpvcd/"]Ben Griffin[/a].[/p]