Who to follow Thursday and Friday at the PGA Championship

The PGA Championship at Aronimink kicks off Thursday morning and the first-round pairings are loaded.

Majors always do this. They put the biggest names together for the first two days to maximize the spectacle and give fans a reason to show up early. The PGA Championship at Aronimink is no exception. Here are the groups worth watching.

Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Jon Rahm

First Round: 8:40 a.m. | Second Round: 2:05 p.m.

The reigning Masters champion alongside the guy chasing the career Grand Slam alongside one of the most talented ball-strikers of this generation who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.

I’m sure Rory and Rahm have plenty to talk about given everything that’s happened with LIV over the last two years. Maybe Rory gives Spieth a little Grand Slam energy and Jordan finally gets it done on his 10th attempt at the PGA.

Rahm was disappointing at the Masters last month and needs a strong performance here to remind everyone he’s still one of the five best players in the world regardless of what tour he plays on.

Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley, and Justin Thomas

First Round: 1:54 p.m. | Second Round: 8:29 a.m.

A Ryder Cup captain paired with two of his players. Bradley won at Aronimink at the 2018 BMW Championship and has played well over the last few months. He knows the course and has to be feeling confident about his chances this week.

Young is the hottest player in professional golf right now and has the game to win his first major on a course that rewards precision and ball-striking.

JT is chasing his third Wanamaker Trophy. Three guys who can all legitimately contend on Sunday playing together for the first two days. This should be a fun watch.

Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Justin Rose

First Round: 2:05 p.m. | Second Round: 8:40 a.m.

Fitzpatrick has been doing his best Scheffler impression this season with three wins already. Pairing those two together makes perfect sense because they’re arguably the two most consistent players in the field right now.

Rose has legitimate Aronimink history with a win and a playoff loss at the course in previous events. He made another run at Augusta last month before fading. Can the course familiarity bring out his best golf this week? This is the group to watch Thursday afternoon.

Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, and Rickie Fowler

First Round: 8:18 a.m. | Second Round: 1:43 p.m.

McIlroy said Tuesday that he’s planning on hitting driver everywhere and figuring it out from there. I assume the plan is the same for DeChambeau because that’s been the plan for Bryson at every tournament he’s ever played.

He thrives when the strategy is “hit it as far as humanly possible and deal with the consequences later.” Remember Winged Foot? Aberg is one of the most talented young players in the world and is due for a major breakthrough.

Fowler is balling right now and could legitimately contend for the Wanamaker on Sunday. This is an early-morning group that’s going to draw a massive gallery.

Thursday Morning at Aronimink

Four must-watch groupings across the first two days at the PGA Championship.

The biggest names in golf playing a Donald Ross gem twenty minutes from Center City Philadelphia. The PGA Championship being in our backyard is a treat and the pairings committee made sure the first two days are going to be appointment viewing from the first tee time to the last.

Enjoy the week.

The PGA Championship is at Aronimink this week and the world’s best are in Philly’s backyard >>

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