World No. 1 Rory McIlroy will begin his quest to claim the European Tour’s flagship event, as will the man who redesigned the host track.
McIlroy will play with Ernie Els, as well as Martin Laird, for the first two rounds of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. The trio will begin at 8:25 a.m. local time (4:25 a.m. ET) from the first tee - like every group in the field.
Lee Westwood, the playoff runner-up from a year ago, goes off 10 minutes before McIlroy. He plays with Graeme McDowell and Thomas Bjorn.
Defending champion Luke Donald plays with Justin Rose and Alvaro Quiros, starting at 12:40 p.m.
Branden Grace, who has won three times on the European Tour this season, will tee off just prior to Donaldwith Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Francesco Molinari. Cabrera-Bello won in Dubai earlier this year, while Molinari won the Spanish Open.
Ben Curtis is the best American chance in the field, playing at 1 p.m. with Paul Casey and Miguel Angel Jimenez. He is one of a handful of Americans in the field this week.