Rory McIlroy Announces He Will Play at 2015 PGA Championship

The defending PGA Championship winner is back to defend his crown.

The 2015 PGA Championship secured more star power Monday when world No. 1 Rory McIlroy announced he is "100 percent ready to go and will play" in the year’s final major, per SportsCenter on Twitter. He is scheduled to tee off at 2:20 p.m. ET on Thursday and 9:05 a.m. ET on Friday. 

McIlroy injured his left ankle while playing soccer with friends in July and has not golfed in a tournament since the U.S. Open in June. He missed the opportunity to defend his British Open title with the injury, although he did finish in a respectable ninth place in the U.S. Open.

The PGA Championship will take place at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, from Aug. 13 to 16. Gary D’Amato of the Journal Sentinel noted that it will physically challenge the Northern Ireland native because “Whistling Straits is not an easy course to walk because of its sand dunes, bunkers and uneven terrain.”

Despite his layoff since June, McIlroy is still No. 1 in the rankings and an 11-time PGA Tour winner. He is a threat to win every tournament he enters, and the PGA Championship will be no different.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Earlier this season, McIlroy finished in fourth place at the Masters, in a tie for eighth at The Players Championship and in a tie for ninth at the U.S. Open. He also won the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play and the Wells Fargo Championship.

McIlroy captured the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship titles but finished in ties for third place in 2009 and 2010 and for eighth place in 2013. He is one of the most consistent golfers on tour when it comes to the year’s final major, and he's a safe bet based on precedent alone to finish in the top 10 if his ankle holds up.

McIlroy commented on his status after a practice round at Whistling Straits, per D’Amato:

"

It's good. It's good. Obviously, getting around a golf course like this, playing 18 holes, it felt fine. It doesn't feel ... I mean, it's good. I've come a long way in five weeks. This has been the five-week mark today from when I did it.

I think maybe there's just a little stiffness in the mornings, but it's good.

"

Perhaps, down the stretch, fans will finally get that McIlroy-Jordan Spieth major showdown they have clamored for at times this year.

Spieth won the Masters and the U.S. Open this season before finishing in fourth place at The Open Championship. His overall success has defined the 2015 PGA Tour, but the former Texas Longhorn is yet to duel with the world No. 1 on a Sunday with a major championship on the line this season.

With McIlroy in the PGA Championship field, that is now entirely possible.