PGA Championship 2015 Tee Times: Groupings and Predictions for Thursday Schedule
The 2015 PGA Championship is rife with storylines, not the least of which is world No. 1 Rory McIlroy's return from a ruptured ankle ligament as he tries to defend the Wanamaker Trophy.
A new challenger for McIlroy's perch atop the rankings and for the title of golf's brightest young star is Jordan Spieth. The 22-year-old phenom was just one stroke out of a playoff at The Open Championship after winning the first two majors of the year.
Zach Johnson wound up with the Claret Jug at St. Andrews and will tee up alongside McIlroy and Spieth during Thursday's opening round. That will be the marquee trio to watch, but this stacked field at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin features plenty of talent to keep an eye on in the early going.
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Read on for the complete tee times for the first round, along with predictions as to what will transpire over the first 18 holes.
| 6:45 a.m. | Chesson Hadley | Rory Sabbatini | Ryan Helminen |
| 6:55 a.m. | Boo Weekley | Grant Sturgeon | David Howell |
| 7:05 a.m. | Thomas Bjorn | Austin Peters | Charles Howell III |
| 7:15 a.m. | Robert Streb | Russell Henley | Byeong Hun An |
| 7:25 a.m. | James Morrison | Ryan Palmer | Charley Hoffman |
| 7:35 a.m. | Ryan Moore | Thongchai Jaidee | Stephen Gallacher |
| 7:45 a.m. | David Toms | Mark Brooks | Vijay Singh |
| 7:55 a.m. | Harris English | Jamie Donaldson | James Hahn |
| 8:05 a.m. | J.B. Holmes | Mikko Ilonen | Ross Fisher |
| 8:15 a.m. | Tony Finau | Danny Lee | Branden Grace |
| 8:25 a.m. | Anirban Lahiri | Morgan Hoffmann | Steven Young |
| 8:35 a.m. | Matt Jones | Brian Cairns | Matt Every |
| 8:45 a.m. | Adam Rainaud | Brian Harman | J.J. Henry |
| 12:00 p.m. | Alex Cejka | Koumei Oda | Bob Sowards |
| 12:10 p.m. | Kevin Chappell | Ryan Kennedy | Brendon de Jonge |
| 12:20 p.m. | Darren Clarke | Steve Stricker | Davis Love III |
| 12:30 p.m. | Justin Thomas | Tommy Fleetwood | Jimmy Walker |
| 12:40 p.m. | Bernd Wiesberger | Shane Lowry | Webb Simpson |
| 12:50 p.m. | Ian Poulter | Nick Watney | Joost Luiten |
| 1:00 p.m. | Patrick Reed | Graeme McDowell | Luke Donald |
| 1:10 p.m. | Brooks Koepka | Adam Scott | Henrik Stenson |
| 1:20 p.m. | Jordan Spieth | Rory McIlroy | Zach Johnson |
| 1:30 p.m. | Jason Dufner | Phil Mickelson | Padraig Harrington |
| 1:40 p.m. | Danny Willett | John Senden | Cameron Tringale |
| 1:50 p.m. | Marcel Siem | Jason Bohn | Omar Uresti |
| 2:00 p.m. | Daniel Venezio | Richard Ramsay | Nick Taylor |
| 6:45 a.m. | Brian Gaffney | David Hearn | Pat Perez |
| 6:55 a.m. | Brendan Steele | Johan Kok | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 7:05 a.m. | John Daly | Matt Dobyns | Colin Montgomerie |
| 7:15 a.m. | Victor Dubuisson | Matt Kuchar | Charl Schwartzel |
| 7:25 a.m. | Bill Haas | Sergio Garcia | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 7:35 a.m. | Justin Rose | Geoff Ogilvy | Brandt Snedeker |
| 7:45 a.m. | Bubba Watson | Jim Furyk | Paul Casey |
| 7:55 a.m. | Ernie Els | Lee Westwood | Hunter Mahan |
| 8:05 a.m. | Rickie Fowler | Jason Day | Dustin Johnson |
| 8:15 a.m. | Tiger Woods | Martin Kaymer | Keegan Bradley |
| 8:25 a.m. | Marc Warren | Francesco Molinari | Gary Woodland |
| 8:35 a.m. | Tyrrell Hatton | Brent Snyder | Brendon Todd |
| 8:45 a.m. | Fabian Gomez | Martin Laird | Jeff Olson |
| 12:00 p.m. | Charles Frost | George McNeill | Emiliano Grillo |
| 12:10 p.m. | Brett Jones | Chris Wood | Sean O'Hair |
| 12:20 p.m. | George Coetzee | Soren Kjeldsen | Ben Martin |
| 12:30 p.m. | Shaun Micheel | Rich Beem | Y.E. Yang |
| 12:40 p.m. | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | Steven Bowditch | Daniel Berger |
| 12:50 p.m. | Pablo Larrazabal | COLCamilo Villegas | Kiradech Aphibarnrat |
| 1:00 p.m. | Cameron Smith | Hiroshi Iwata | Shawn Stefani |
| 1:10 p.m. | David Lingmerth | Kevin Streelman | Sangmoon Bae |
| 1:20 p.m. | Alexander Levy | Troy Merritt | Russell Knox |
| 1:30 p.m. | Miguel Angel Jimenez | Tim Clark | Billy Horschel |
| 1:40 p.m. | Eddie Pepperell | Sean Dougherty | Kevin Na |
| 1:50 p.m. | Kevin Kisner | Marc Leishman | Ben Polland |
| 2:00 p.m. | Alan Morin | Andy Sullivan | Scott Piercy |
Thursday PGA Championship Predictions
Rory, Spieth Start Hot
The last time the PGA was held at Whistling Straits came in 2010, when McIlroy's putter went cold in the final round and left him just one shot out of the playoff Martin Kaymer won over Bubba Watson.
Also tying McIlroy on nine under par was Zach Johnson, but the course conditions don't exactly favor the short-hitting American. FoxSportsAsia's Stephanie Wei alludes to how McIlroy has a leg up:
As long as McIlroy is healthy, he figures to be a factor. His massive distance and high ball flight are ideal for PGA Championship venues. Whistling Straits isn't playing much different right now.
If Spieth weren't 17 years old during the 2010 PGA Championship, maybe he would have contended. Based on how tremendous Spieth has been in the majors this year, it's unwise to count him out.
Coming off a final-round 66 to vault into the top 10 at last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational gives Spieth momentum to carry forward. After the close call at St. Andrews, he'll have the chance to take three of four majors and also allow Americans to hold all four legs of the calendar Grand Slam.
The head-to-head matchup between McIlroy and Spieth should be one for the ages. Both ought to rise to the occasion at least out of the gates. A Sunday showdown may be too much to wish for, but seeing the pair together for 36 holes may be enough.
DJ-Day-Rickie Trio Goes Low
Most don't remember the 2010 PGA Championship for the playoff duel between two eventual multiple major champions in Kaymer and Watson—or the two multiple major champions in McIlroy and Zach Johnson.
The conversation often starts with Dustin Johnson's gaffe on the 72nd hole, when he grounded his club in the bunker right of the 18th fairway. Johnson carded a bogey five to apparently join the playoff, only to be assessed a two-stroke penalty.
A three-putt at the last hole of the U.S. Open to lose by one, an implosion after grabbing the 36-hole lead at St. Andrews and weekend rounds of 75 and 76 in Akron leave Johnson in an interesting place.
The close calls and heartbreaks have to be wearing on the supremely talented player, but Johnson still fancies his chances, per USA Today's Steve DiMeglio:
"It's a golf course that I feel suits my game, especially if I'm driving it well and I feel like I am. There are spots you can cut off the corner a little bit. It's a long course and you still have to hit good shots, no matter what. It's just a golf course I like. It's beautiful, it's fun and it's tough. If you play well, it rewards you.
I like my chances at any venue. Going back there, where obviously I've had success, definitely gives me more confidence. All I'm trying to do is put myself in the situation where I have a chance to win on Sunday.
"
Johnson is seriously challenging anyone for the title of "Best Player Not to Have Won a Major." It's only a matter of time before he breaks through, and don't expect Johnson to go quietly without contending—especially with the favorable current scoring conditions.
Jason Day played with Kaymer in the last round of the 2010 PGA Championship and managed to finish in the top 10. The Aussie, like Spieth, was one stroke out of the St. Andrews playoff after leaving his birdie putt short on the final hole—only to respond and win the RBC Canadian Open in his next start.
One can bet Day's own prior success at Whistling Straits—when he was far from the player he is now—will help him this time around.
And let's not forget about Rickie Fowler. The reigning Players Championship winner also closed out the Scottish Open across the pond and tied Spieth for 10th last week. Fowler finished in the top five in every major last year but hasn't been as sharp in the marquee events in 2015. Expect that to change in his final shot for glory this calendar year.
The circumstances surrounding this threesome arguably make the group more compelling to monitor than the Spieth-McIlroy-Zach Johnson cluster. Don't be surprised if Day, DJ and Fowler combine to go the lowest on Thursday among all the trios.
Bubba Watson Grabs 1st-Round Lead
At last we arrive at Watson, who could have well claimed his maiden major at Whistling Straits if not for Kaymer's 2010 form.
Since then Watson has morphed into a two-time Masters winner and an improved player whose experience and, yes, tremendous power off the tee ought to suit him well.
Watson is known for being a complete feel player, basing his game off of imaginative shot-making and having a particular eye that suits him. When he arrives at a venue he doesn't like, it might be wise to count Watson out. Based on his comments for this week's course, per PGA.com, one may want to place a wager:
If not for Shane Lowry's tremendous finish in Akron, Watson may have been entering the PGA fresh off a WGC triumph, as he was runner-up just two shots behind after a four-under 66 to close.
The links to the players who were prominently involved in the 2010 PGA Championship down the stretch to this year's tournament are remarkable. It's not far-fetched to assume many of those same stars who have evolved since will be in it to win it come Sunday.
In terms of all those aforementioned big names, though, Watson is entering Whistling Straits with the best form right now. That may not necessarily translate to a victory, but it gives Watson a strong chance of landing atop the leaderboard after the first round.
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