Rory McIlroy partners Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth in opening two rounds of the US PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy is under scrutiny from the start after being drawn against Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth in the first two rounds of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

he Holywood star is looking to end his seven-and-a-half-year wait for that elusive fifth Major and he could not have asked for a higher-profile 10th draw at 2.11pm Irish time alongside 15-time Major winner Woods, who is back at the scene of his PGA -Sieges of 2007, and three-time Major winner Spieth, who is trying to end the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy headed for a practice round on the back nine with 2008 champion Pádraig Harrington, former Open champion Shane Lowry and PGA Championship debutant Séamus Power looking forward to the challenge.

“I really liked it,” he said of his reconnaissance trip on Monday. “I didn’t know what this place was like before Gil (Hanse) got his hands on it but I think he did a wonderful job with it. I love the green complexes. I love that he gives you options off the tee.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of different strategies this week, guys hitting riders where other guys might not be and vice versa. It’s a really good track. I really enjoyed playing them yesterday and I think it will be a wonderful test this week.”

Harrington is on the opposite side of the course with fellow Major winners Stewart Cink and Jason Dufner at 2.06pm Irish time from the first.

Lowry and Power are also down within five minutes on opposite sides of the course.

Power joins Scotland’s Russell Knox and Scott Stallings from the first at 6.58pm Irish time, with Lowry looking to continue his sensational form when he comes off 10th place with fellow Major champions Brooks Koepka and Adam Scott.

The top three players in the world will be drawn along with world No. 1 and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler with US Open champion Jon Rahm and Open champion Collin Morikawa on the 10th at 19:36 Irish time.

Selected start times

1406 (1st) Stewart Cink, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington
1411 (10th) Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods
1858 (1st) Russell Knox, Seamus Power, Scott Stallings
1903 (10th) Shane Lowry, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott
1914 (10th) Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas
1936 (10th) Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler