Marquee Groups for the 2025 PGA Championship Feature World Nos. 1-3 Grouped Together

In the featured groups presented by Rolex, there’s an eclectic mix of American and international stars. All of whom bring a strong Ryder Cup pedigree.

The top three players in the world, No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 Masters champion Rory McIlroy, and defending PGA Champion No. 3 Xander Schauffele, are off together on Thursday morning at 8:22 am ET, and back out at 1:47 pm ET Friday. McIlroy is coming off of three straight top 7 finishes, including his career grand-slam capturing Masters win last month. Scheffler won by eight in his last start in Houston earlier this month and he’s finished T2 and T8 in his last two PGA Championships. Xander has found some form since his early-season injury, including a tie for eleventh last week and a tie for eighth at the Masters.

“I'm playing with two guys that are playing some of the best golf in the world,” Scheffler said in his Tuesday press conference. “Xander won two majors last year, and Rory already won the Players and the Masters this year so he's playing some fantastic golf. It should be a lot of fun.”
Leave it to Scheffler to remember playing with this group in the past. “I’ve seen this pairing before, and we have a good time out there, and it's competitive. I think when I look back on my career, these will be some of the fondest memories getting to play with some of the best players in the world and compete to try to win tournaments.”

Three-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka is playing with crowd favorite Rickie Fowler and the in-form Shane Lowry. They are off at 7:38am on Thursday and 1:03pm on Friday. Lowry’s coming off a strong T2 finish last week at the Truist Championship. Fowler also seems to be finding some recent form after posting a T15 last week after initially grabbing the early first round lead. All three are veteran Ryder Cup stars and know that this week will be an important one in trying to qualify for their respective teams.

The first round afternoon pairings pack plenty of punch as well. Off at 1:25pm (8:00am on Friday) are the impressive and still young group of Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, and Ludvig Aberg. Spieth needs only a win at the PGA
Championship to complete his career grand slam. It would be an unbelievable follow up to Rory McIlroy’s completion of the slam last month. Patrick Reed is coming off a third place finish at the Masters, and it was at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in 2017 where he grabbed his first runner up in a major (T2). “It gives me a
ton of confidence, and it feels good to perform well at this course,” Reed said that Sunday in 2017. Aberg told pgachampionship.com that he got a practice round in
at Quail Hollow last Sunday before the Truist Championship (the first time he’d seen it in person after missing last year’s Tour event with injury). Even with only one round under his belt entering this week, Aberg still figures to be a formidable competitor.

The 1:14pm grouping of Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, and Collin Morikawa is also packed with major championship pedigree. Thomas won here the last time Quail Hollow hosted the PGA Championship. Johnson owns five PGA Championship top tens in his career in fifteen starts. Morikawa won the PGA Championship in 2020 and played in the final pairing last year and finished tied for fourth.

A number of other groupings stand out as well including a European Ryder Cup juggernaut at 7:00am ET on Thursday with current European captain Luke Donald grouped with former captain Padraig Harrington, and Martin Kaymer—the hero at Medinah in 2012—who clinched the winning putt that Sunday.

Two-time champ Phil Mickelson is playing with 2015 PGA Champion Jason Day and Tommy Fleetwood at 7:49am on Thursday morning.

For players, how much of an effect can groupings have on their performance? PGA Tour winner Rafa Campos said it’s enough to give you an extra kick in your step. “If you’re grouped with a big name player I think subconsciously it makes you focus a little more and at the same time I seem to enjoy and admire more the profession that I play when paired with golfers like that. To me, it’s these little things that can truly make a difference specially in the first couple days of a tournament,” Campos explained.

Ryan Gerard figures he’s played Quail Hollow about twelve times in total and he thinks pairings affect performance.
“I would say that pairings can have a positive impact if you’re super comfortable and know the players you’re with or you all are playing really well. If you don’t like the guy or don’t know them you kind of stay in your own world with your caddie and don’t worry about it.”

For the full pairings of the 107th PGA Championship you can click here.