Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy paired together for PGA Championship

The pair will also be joined by reigning champion Justin Thomas for the opening two rounds

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will play in the same group as title holder Justin Thomas for the opening two rounds of next week's US PGA Championship.

The trio go out early on Thursday's opening day at Bellerive Country Club, with an 8.23am tee time (2.23pm BST), as 25-year-old American Thomas looks to build on last year's Quail Hollow triumph while in the company of two of golf's superstars.

McIlroy won the US PGA in 2012 and 2014, while Woods is a four-time former champion, landing back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000 and again in 2006 and 2007.

Jordan Spieth plays with Justin Rose and Jon Rahm in another eye-catching group, while Italy's Open champion Francesco Molinari will have the company of Americans Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. Molinari and Reed, together with Louis Oosthuizen, were in a tie for second place at the US PGA last year.

Event organisers announced Ian Poulter would be joined in his group by Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama, and Phil Mickelson lines up with Jason Day and Keegan Bradley.