PGA Championship 2013: Complete TV and Live Stream Guide for Opening Round

Getting off to a good start at a major championship is essential to a golfer’s chances of winning the title Sunday. That said, you can’t afford to miss the first round of action from Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., this Thursday.

In all three major championships this year, the eventual champion was within at least four shots of the lead after the first round. That goes to show how important it is to play well on Thursday. While the winner could hypothetically make a big comeback, there’s no question a golfer would rather sign a low scorecard on Day 1.

The best golfers in the world will be attempting to do what Rory McIlroy did this time a year ago. McIlroy dominated the field at Kiawah Island at the 2012 PGA Championship, as he won his second career major by eight strokes. Don’t expect a blowout this year, though, as Oak Hill should make for a competitive few days.

Here’s everything you need to know about the first round from Rochester to ensure you don’t miss one second of the final major of the 2013 season.

First-Round Viewing Guide

TV Coverage: TNT (1-7 p.m. ET)

Live Stream: PGA.com

Groups to Watch

Group: Tiger Woods, Keegan Bradley and Davis Love III

Tee Time Info: 8:35 a.m. ET (10th Tee)

The fans in Rochester will likely be following this group for most of the day on Thursday, as it features the No. 1 golfer in the world, Tiger Woods. Tiger is coming off a dominant victory at the Bridgestone Invitational, and will be looking to replicate that success at Oak Hill to win his 15th career major championship.

The golfers Woods will be playing with throughout the first two rounds have each mastered the PGA Championship in their careers as well—Tiger has won the tournament four times. Keegan Bradley is one of the best golfers and David Love III is one of the most popular veterans in the field.

Bradley won the PGA Championship two years ago when Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia hosted it. He nearly won back-to-back titles at the tournament, as he finished tied for third a year ago at Kiawah Island. A win at Oak Hill would do wonders for his career resume, as it’d be his second major title of his young career.

Love III won the PGA Championship back in 1997, and it’s the only major victory of his career. Since then, he only has three top 10 finishes at the yearly tournament and none since 2005. He hasn’t played the weekend in four of the last six years. This will be the first major he’s played in since getting cut at Kiawah last year.

Group: Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson

Tee Time Info: 1:45 p.m. ET (1st Hole)

The last three major champions will be playing together for the first two rounds at Oak Hill. The trio of Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson is arguably the best you’ll see this year on the PGA Tour. Scott and Rose each won their first major this season while Mickelson won his fifth at the Open Championship.

Mickelson will be playing at the PGA Championship for the 21st time in his career. At the tournament, he’s finished in the top 10 on eight occasions and was victorious back in 2005. That year, he shot four-under par, which was one stroke better than Thomas Bjorn and Steve Elkington.

All three golfers are ranked in the top five in the world, according to the Official World Golf Rankings, with Mickelson being the highest at No. 2.

This group should be able to escape the first round with a good score, as each has done well before the weekend throughout the season. Scott (70.6), Rose (70.05) and Mickelson (70.15) all rank in the top 50 on the PGA Tour in terms of scoring average before the cut, which likely means that each will make the cut.

While it will be interesting to see if either can win a second major this season, the most eyes will likely be on Mickelson. He has the chance to become the winner of back-to-back major championships for the first time since Padraig Harrington did it at the Open Championship and PGA Championship back in 2008.

All statistics in this article were obtained via PGATour.com unless otherwise noted.