'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Scottie Scheffler will tee it up at the 107th PGA Championship alongside Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele on Thursday. The top-three ranked golfers in the world will tee off together at 8:22 am ET at Quail Hollow Golf Club. Ahead of the events start, Scheffler has come out to laud his playing partners.
For the unversed, McIlroy is in the form of his life having won the Masters and The Players Championship this year. Meanwhile, Schauffele, who won two major championships last year, returns to defend his PGA Championship title this weekend. Scheffler addressed both the golfers’ achievements and dubbed them “some of the best golf in the world.” However, the World No.1 dismissed being intimidated by the marquee grouping.
The 28-year-old said the pairing “should be a lot of fun.” He claimed looking forward to creating “some of the fondest memories getting to play with some of the best players in the world.”
Speaking about his playing partners at the PGA Championship round 1, Scottie Scheffler said, as quoted by ASAP Sports:
Trending
“Yeah, I'm playing with two guys that are playing some of the best golf in the world. Xander won two majors last year, and Rory already won THE PLAYERS and the Masters this year so he's playing some fantastic golf.
Yeah, it should be a lot of fun. I've seen that 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.”
Scheffler, McIlroy and Schauffele tees up together at the PGA Championship
Scheffler, McIlroy and Schauffele are the top-three ranked golfers in the world. Unsurprisingly, they are also the top favorites to win the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow this weekend. In-form McIlroy, who won the Masters last month to end his decade-long major championship drought and complete the career grand slam, is the outright favorite for the contest.
For the unversed, the Northern Irishman has also won the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014, making him a top pick. However, he will face some competition from ranking rival Scheffler, who comes into the latest edition of the event on the back of his maiden win of the season at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The 28-year-old, who had an eventful outing in the competition at Valhalla Golf Course last year which featured him getting arrested for a brief period and finishing T8 in the contest, will be eyeing his first major of the calendar year.
Schauffele surprised many by winning the competition last year. He beat LIV Golf rival Bryson DeChambeau and a stacked field to clinch his maiden major championship title at Valhalla. The now-world no.3 golfer carried on his major form to win The Open Championship 2024 as well. Now, the two-time major champion returns to defend his title on the back of a T11 finish at the Truist Championship.
It is noteworthy that the second major championship of the season features a stacked 156-player field. The top three will be joined by 46 others from the top-50 world rankings, with World No.24 Billy Horschel being the sole top 50-ranked player missing from the field.
