AKRON, Ohio -- Defending champion Justin Thomas will be grouped with a couple of multiple PGA Championship winners during the first two rounds of the tournament next week at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
Thomas, who won a year ago at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, will play with four-time winner Tiger Woods and two-time champ Rory McIlroy beginning at 9:23 a.m. ET Thursday.
This will be the 100th playing of the PGA Championship, and the last in August as the tournament is moving to May starting in 2019.
The year's major champions, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari, are also grouped together for the first two rounds starting at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Jordan Spieth, who will attempt to complete the career Grand Slam with a victory at the PGA, plays with Jon Rahm and Justin Rose. Their first-round tee time is at 2:37 p.m.
Past PGA winners make up other groups, including Davis Love III, Martin Kaymer and Rich Beem (8:28 a.m. ET) and Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Keegan Bradley (9:01 a.m. ET).
No. 1-ranked Dustin Johnson is grouped with Adam Scott and Bubba Watson at 1:53 p.m. ET.
The PGA Championship is at Bellerive for the first time since Nick Price won in 1992. The only other significant men's event played there since was the 2008 BMW Championship won by Camilo Villegas.
