Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson together again at PGA Championship

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been paired together for the first two rounds of the 96th PGA Championship, the PGA of America announced Friday.

Groups revealed for next Thursday and Friday at the year`s final major at Valhalla Golf Club also saw the traditional pairing of the three major winners from earlier this year. Mickelson, who failed in his bid to complete a career grand slam in June at the US Open, and Woods, the 14-time major champion who will be making only his fourth start since back surgery four months ago, will be joined by Irishman Padraig Harrington. That trio tees off Thursday at 8:35 local time in the morning from the 10th tee and Friday at 1:45 in the afternoon off the first tee. Woods, who won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla, has a checkered history with Mickelson, notably a Ryder Cup pairing in which he delievered a death-stare glance at Mickelson in a foursomes match after the left-hander sent his tee shot into the deep rough. Reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson of the United States, US Open winner Martin Kaymer of Germany and Northern Ireland`s Rory McIlroy, winner of last month`s British Open, will start off the first tee at 1:45 in the afternoon Thursday and off the 10th tee at 8:35 Friday morning. Jason Dufner, last year`s PGA Championship winner, is paired with Keegan Bradley, who beat Dufner in a playoff to win the 2011 PGA Championship, and South Korean Yang Yong-Eun, who became the first Asian man to win a major by capturing the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. They start at 1:55 Thursday afternoon off the first tee and 8:45 Friday morning off the 10th tee, just behind the three 2014 major winners. Two other back-to-back groups will be notable as well. American Rickie Fowler, who shared second at the US and British Opens and fifth at the Masters, will be joined by South Africa`s Ernie Els and France`s Victor Dubuisson on Thursday morning and Friday afternoon. One group behind them will be top-ranked Adam Scott of Australia, American Jordan Spieth and England`s Lee Westwood. England`s Justin Rose will be paired with South African Louis Oosthuizen and American Matt Kuchar while Spain`s Sergio Garcia plays the first two rounds alongside American Steve Stricker and Tom Watson, the US captain for this year`s Ryder Cup.