Reuters
June 6, 2008
Tiger Woods will launch his bid for a 14th major victory in high-profile company with world number two Phil Mickelson and third-ranked Adam Scott at next week's U.S. Open.
World number one Woods,Mickelson and Australian Scott are scheduled to tee off on the first hole at 11:06 a.m. in Thursday's opening round at Torrey Pines in San Diego. The heavyweight trio will start from the 10th tee to begin Friday's second round.
Woods, despite having been sidelined for eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery midway through April, is the heavy favorite to win the second major championship of the year.
The U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach in 2000 and at Bethpage Black in 2002, Woods has clinched the PGA Tour's Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines for the last four years and six times overall.
Left-hander Mickelson, a three-time major champion who lives in nearby Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., probably knows the course better than anyone else in the field. He first visited Torrey Pines as a child and has won the Buick Invitational there three times - in 1993, 2000 and 2001.
U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina, who claimed last year's title by a shot at Oakmont Country Club, has been grouped with British Open winner Padraig Harrington and Davis Love III for the first two rounds.
Other notable threesomes include Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy and Justin Rose; Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Stewart Cink; and a trio of former Masters champions in Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Mike Weir.
World number 17 Luke Donald tees off in an all-British grouping with Paul Casey and fashion-conscious Ian Poulter, who is one of the most flamboyant dressers in the game.
Copyright Reuters.
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