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World number one Scottie Scheffler says he is thrilled to be playing the first two rounds at Quail Hollow with defending champion Xander Schauffele and reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy.

"I'm playing with two guys that are playing some of the best golf in the world," Scheffler said.

"Xander won two majors last year and Rory already won the Players and the Masters this year so he's playing some fantastic golf. 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.

"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."

And the normally even-keeled Scheffler reckons he is in great shape to contend at the top of the leaderboard after capturing his 14th PGA Tour title at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in record-equalling fashion.

"When I got my first win in 2022, I won some tournaments pretty quickly after that," said Scheffler.

"I think it would be silly to say I can't ride a little bit of that momentum going into this tournament. To finish off that tournament the way I did and have it not really be too close on the back nine, I played some really nice golf."

Buoyed by finally becoming the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy arrives at Quail Hollow looking for another slice of history.

Only Ben Hogan (1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2002) and Jordan Spieth (2015) have won the first two majors of the calendar year and the Northern Irishman could hardly ask for a better venue for that pursuit.

McIlroy won his maiden PGA Tour title at Quail Hollow in 2010 and has since racked up three more wins at the North Carolina course including when he set a course record 10-under 61 in the third round in 2015 on the way to victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Should McIlroy succeed he would also become the first non-American winner of the US PGA Championship since Australia's Jason Day lifted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2015 at Whistling Straits.

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Talk about a marquee first-round group...it's just like Pinehurst all over again.

Masters winner Rory McIlroy goes off alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Xander Schauffele in the opening two rounds of the US PGA Championship.

The stellar group of the top three players in the men's game will tee off at 13:22 BST (08:22 local time) in Thursday's first round at Quail Hollow.

McIlroy is aiming to become the first player to win the first two majors of the year since Jordan Spieth won the Masters and US Open in 2015.

Spieth, who needs to win the US PGA to follow McIlroy in completing the career Grand Slam of all four majors, is among the later starters and will play with former Masters champion Patrick Reed and rising European golfer Ludvig Aberg at 18:25 BST.

And here are some of those out already or about to get under way fairly soon:

Starting at hole one:

12:00 Luke Donald (Eng), Padraig Harrington (Ire), Martin Kaymer (Ger)

12:55 Thomas Detry (Bel), Harris English (US), Michael Kim (US)

13:06 Stephan Jaeger (Ger), Chris Kirk (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco)

13:28 Rico Hoey (Phi), Si-Woo Kim (Kor), Sam Stevens (US)

Starting at Hole 10:

12:27 Max McGreevy (US), Sepp Straka (Aut), Alex Smalley (US)

12:38 Rickie Fowler (US), Brooks Koepka (US), Shane Lowry (Ire)

12:49 Jason Day (Aus), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Phil Mickelson (US)

13:00 Patrick Cantlay (US), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Jon Rahm (Spa)

13:11 Corey Conners (Can), Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)

13:22 Rory McIlroy (NI), Xander Schauffele (US), Scottie Scheffler (US)

13:33 Tony Finau (US), Max Greyserman (US), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den)

13:44 Keegan Bradley (US), Maverick McNealy (US), Andrew Novak (US)

13:55 Akshay Bhatia (US), Sam Burns (US), Denny McCarthy (US)

First and second round tee times

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Each of the past nine US PGA Championships have been won by Americans, with Jimmy Walker, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka in successive years, Collin Morikawa, Phil Mickelson, Thomas, Koepka and Xander Schauffele claiming the titles.

It is the longest such streak at this championship since a 10-year run from 1980 to 1989.

Will US dominance continue this time around? We shall have to wait and see.

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World number 31 Sahith Theegala has withdrawn from the US PGA Championship due to injury.

The 27-year-old American has been struggling with a neck problem and elected to drop out on Wednesday to be replaced by Alex Smalley.

The news is not entirely a surprise given Theegala had to withdraw from last week’s Truist Championship after and eight-over 78 on the Saturday followed his opening two rounds of 69 and 71.

Theegala finished in a tie for 12th in last year’s tournament.

World number one Scottie Scheffler has just won a tournament by eight shots. Bryson DeChambeau is back in the winners' circle on LIV Golf. Rory McIlroy has finally completed the career Grand Slam.

There are narratives around every corner at the US PGA Championship, the next major of the season, which gets under way at Quail Hollow today.

And yet one golfer is going under the radar - but his plotline could be the biggest of them all.

It is 10 years since Jordan Spieth's incredible breakout season on the PGA Tour, when he won the Masters, the US Open and went close at both the Open Championship and the US PGA.

In 2017 he added the Claret Jug, to secure an annual shot at the career Grand Slam.

However, eight attempts later - and none particularly close - the 31-year-old arrives at this latest effort as a side story but perhaps ready to write headlines of his own. Three top 10s in 2025 suggests he is on the climb.

"Jordan is like a bomb waiting to go off," says his celebrated University of Texas coach John Fields. "The fuse is lit and if he wins again, he may not stop."

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Let's hear from Rory McIlroy, who tells us about his mad month since winning the Masters and how he feels his game is ahead of the US PGA Championship.

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Now, given there were fairly substantial downpours earlier this week at Quail Hollow you might have been forgiven for thinking preferred lies might come into the equation to avoid mud balls.

The rule, which is typically extremely helpful in winter, allows golfers to lift, clean, and place their ball within a specified distance of its original position on closely mown areas, generally during periods of adverse weather.

But with conditions improving the PGA of America issued the following statement on Wednesday evening:

"We do not plan to play preferred lies. The playing surfaces are outstanding and are drying by the hour. We are mowing the fairways this evening.

"We are looking forward to an exciting opening round to the 107th PGA Championship."

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Have the stars aligned for Rory McIlroy? BBC Golf correspondent Iain Carter certainly thinks so....

They say you drive for show and putt for dough but Rory McIlroy's remarkable record at Quail Hollow, the home of this week's second major of the year, suggests otherwise.

McIlroy has won no fewer than four titles at a Charlotte venue where he happens to hold a spectacular course record. He also made it into a play-off in 2012, which was won by Rickie Fowler.

It is little wonder that Jordan Spieth referred to the home of the upcoming US PGA Championship as the "Rory McIlroy Country Club", when the two players exchanged pleasantries before last week's Truist Championship in Philadelphia.

Masters winner McIlroy, fresh from completing his full set of major victories, suggested the American, who has won the Masters, US Open and Open Championship, would become the next player to complete the career Grand Slam. Spieth seemed more realistic.

His quipped response reflected the Northern Irishman's fearsome reputation at Quail Hollow. Of all the regular stops on the PGA Tour, none fits better the 36-year-old world number two than this 7,626 yard par-71 layout.

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Welcome back golf fans to the second major of the year - the US PGA Championship, being staged this year at Quail Hollow.

The perfect venue to possibly help Rory McIlroy to win back-to-back majors given he's won at the North Carolina venue four times in his career.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler will have something to say about that, as will Bryson DeChambeau with both men enjoying recent wins to boost their form.

Xander Schauffele is the defending champion, Justin Thomas won the last time the US PGA was held here in 2017, with JT also winning this year and looking in form.

Oh, and there's the small matter of Jordan Spieth going for the career Grand Slam - enough storylines for you? OK, good, so let's get cracking....