Defending champion Justin Rose will be joined by Phil Mickelson for the first two rounds of next week’s US Open while top-ranked Adam Scott begins alongside Masters champion Bubba Watson.
The US Golf Association released groupings on Friday for the major showdown that begins on Thursday at Pinehurst.
Reigning British Open champion Mickelson, a six-time US Open runner-up seeking a triumph that will complete a career Grand Slam, will join Rose, trying to become the first back-to-back US Open winner since Curtis Strange in 1988-89, and England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, last year’s US Amateur winner, off the 10th tee at 7:51am, local time.
Two groups behind them will be a trio of young rising stars — Memorial winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Americans Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth.
Scott, the 2013 Masters champion from Australia, and Watson, who won the green jacket at Augusta National in 2012 and this year, will start off the first tee at 1:25pm alongside South African Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters winner.
The group behind them features the three British Open champions before current Claret Jug holder Mickelson — South Africans Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen and Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy starts off the first tee at 7:40am alongside compatriot Graeme McDowell and American Webb Simpson, uniting the three past US Open winners before Rose.
Two Englishmen, Luke Donald and Paul Casey, are paired with Harris English, an American, off the 10th tee at 1:25pm, one group in front of a trio of US Open champions — South African Retief Goosen, American Lucas Glover and Australian Geoff Ogilvy.