British Open Schedule 2015: Tee Times, Notable Pairings for Thursday's 1st Round

The 144th British Open gets underway on Thursday, July 15 from the historic Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. 

It will be the first time in 61 years the previous year's champion will be unable to defend his title, as Rory McIlroy is not in the field due to injury. 

Continue below for the tee times of notable pairings for Thursday's first round from St. Andrews.

Time (ET)	Player	Player	Player
3 a.m.	Luke Donald	Hunter Mahan	Carl Pettersson
3:33 a.m.	Tom Watson	Ernie Els	Brandt Snedeker
4 a.m.	Bubba Watson	Ian Poulter	Charl Schwartzel
4:11 a.m.	Lee Westwood	Sergio Garcia	Patrick Reed
4:33 a.m.	Jordan Spieth	Hideki Matsuyama	Dustin Johnson
4:55 a.m.	Jason Day	Tiger Woods	Louis Oosthuizen
7:50 a.m.	Jason Dufner	Miguel Angel Jimenez	John Daly
8:01 a.m.	Tommy Fleetwood	Zach Johnson	Bernd Wiesberger
9:12 a.m.	Adam Scott	Martin Kaymer	Jimmy Walker
9:34 a.m.	Phil Mickelson	Henrik Stenson	Matt Kuchar
9:45 a.m.	Justin Rose	Sir Nick Faldo	Rickie Fowler

Jordan Spieth, the 21-year-old wonder is attempting to win his third consecutive major in 2015. He has been nothing short of on fire lately with wins at the U.S. Open on June 18 and the John Deere Classic on July 9. 

Spieth has already made history, joining Young Tom Morris, John McDermott and Gene Sarazen as the only players to win two majors before their 22nd birthday, according to the USGA's Ron Driscoll. 

He could join Ben Hogan as the only player to ever win the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. If he does find a way to tame the Old Course, then he would have a chance at becoming the only golfer ever to win the Grand Slam in the same calendar year. 

While McIlroy is not in the field, there are still plenty of past Open champions who are trying to win another title. 

Phil Mickelson, the 2013 winner, looks to replicate a performance from Muirfield two years ago that saw him come back from a five-stroke deficit in order to win his only British Open title. He did not fare as well last year at Royal Liverpool, finishing tied for 23rd. 

Ernie Els is in search for his third Open championship and his first since 2012, but it has been feast or famine in the competition as of late. He has missed the cut in three of the past five years. 

Three-time winner Tiger Woods will most likely not be in the running for a fourth title come Sunday, but he will be out to prove that he still belongs at the game's top level. Winless in majors since 2008, Woods will start his tournament paired with Jason Day and 2010 winner Louis Oosthuizen. 

If Spieth does leave Scotland with his third major title of the season, then golf in the United States will officially have a new face for the sport and we will see a proverbial passing of the torch. Tiger's ushering off stage will leave plenty of room at the center for Spieth to dominate the game for the next decade. No pressure, right?

But for the 21-year-old, he has shown a sense of composure and style of play that leaves little doubt that he will be near the top of the leaderboard at St. Andrews. 

Stats courtesy of TheOpen.com.