Tee Times
Thursday-Friday
Hole 1-Hole 10
7:10 a.m.-12:20 p.m. — Rob Labritz, United States; John Senden, Australia; Shane Lowry, Ireland
7:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thailand; Bob Gaus, United States; Luke Guthrie, United States
7:30 a.m.-12:40 p.m. — Marc Leishman, Australia; Josh Teater, United States; Pablo Larrazabal, Spain
7:40 a.m.-12:50 p.m. — Tommy Gainey, United States; Ryan Palmer, United States; David Hearn, Canada
7:50 a.m.-1 p.m. — Michael Thompson, United States; Marcel Siem, Germany; Bo Van Pelt, United States
8 a.m.-1:10 p.m. — Shaun Micheel, United States; Rich Beem, United States; J.J. Henry, United States
8:10 a.m.-1:20 p.m. — Richard Sterne, South Africa; Scott Brown, United States; David Lingmerth, Sweden
8:20 a.m.-1:30 p.m. — Ben Curtis, United States; Marcus Fraser, Australia; Peter Hanson, Sweden
8:30 a.m.-1:40 p.m. — Stewart Cink, United States; Paul Lawrie, Scotland; Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Spain
8:40 a.m.-1:50 p.m. — Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark; Brian Gay, United States; David Lynn, England
8:50 a.m.-2 p.m. — Stephen Gallacher, Scotland; David McNabb, United States; Branden Grace, South Africa
9 a.m.-2:10 p.m. — Caine Fitzgerald, United States; Kevin Streelman, United States; Bernd Wiesberger, Austria
9:10 a.m.-2:20 p.m. — JC Anderson, United States; Matt Jones, Australia; Jaco Van Zyl, South Africa
12:25 p.m.-7:15 a.m. — John Huh, United States; Ryo Ishikawa, Japan; Danny Balin, United States
12:35 p.m.-7:25 a.m. — Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland; Tom Watson, United States; Paul McGinley, Ireland
12:45 p.m.-7:35 a.m. — Kohki Idoki, Japan; Rod Perry, United States; Nick Watney, United States
12:55 p.m.-7:45 a.m. — Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium; Jason Day, Australia; Brandt Snedeker, United States
1:05 p.m.-7:55 a.m. — Tim Clark, South Africa; Lee Westwood, England; Bubba Watson, United States
1:15 p.m.-8:05 a.m. — Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain; Webb Simpson, United States; Angel Cabrera, Argentina
1:25 p.m.-8:15 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Vijay Singh, Fiji; Martin Kaymer, Germany
1:35 p.m.-8:25 a.m. — Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Spain; Luke Donald, England; Jordan Spieth, United States
1:45 p.m.-8:35 a.m. — Adam Scott, Australia; Justin Rose, England; Phil Mickelson, United States
1:55 p.m.-8:45 a.m. — Lucas Glover, United States; Ian Poulter, England; Zach Johnson, United States
2:05 p.m.-8:55 a.m. — Kevin Chappell, United States; Christopher Wood, England; Mike Small, United States
2:15 p.m.-9:05 a.m. — Kevin Stadler, United States; Chip Sullivan, United States; Chris Stroud, United States
2:25 p.m.-9:15 a.m. — Sonny Skinner, United States; Gary Woodland, United States, Richie Ramsay, Scotland
(Tee No. 10-Tee No. 1)
7:15 a.m.-12:25 p.m. — Charley Hoffman, United States; Bob Sowards, United States; Matt Every, United States
7:25 a.m.-12:35 p.m. — Mark Sheftic, United States; Robert Garrigus, United States; Hiroyuki Fujita, Japan
7:35 a.m.-12:45 p.m. — Hunter Mahan, United States; Paul Casey, England; Billy Horschel, United States
7:45 a.m.-12:55 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Steve Stricker, United States; Jason Dufner, United States
7:55 a.m.-1:05 p.m. — Sergio Garcia, Spain; Matt Kuchar, United States; Rickie Fowler, United States
8:05 a.m.-1:15 p.m. — Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Ernie Els, South Africa; Bill Haas, United States
8:15 a.m.-1:25 p.m. — David Toms, United States; Padraig Harrington, Ireland; Y.E. Yang, South Korea
8:25 a.m.-1:35 p.m. — Henrik Stenson, Sweden; Dustin Johnson, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa
8:35 a.m.-1:45 p.m. — Davis Love III, United States; Keegan Bradley, United States; Tiger Woods, United States
8:45 a.m.-1:55 p.m. — Peter Uihlein, United States; Jim Furyk, United States; Thomas Bjorn, Denmark
8:55 a.m.-2:05 p.m. — K.J. Choi, South Korea; Ryan Polzin, United States; Jonas Blixt, Sweden
9:05 a.m.-2:15 p.m. — Scott Stallings, United States; Jason Kokrak, United States; Jeff Sorenson, United States
9:15 a.m.-2:25 p.m. — Scott Jamieson, Scotland; Roberto Castro, United States; Stuart Smith, United States
12:20 p.m.-7:10 a.m. — Mark Brown, United States; Scott Piercy, United States; Brooks Koepka, United States
12:30 p.m.-7:20 a.m. — Derek Ernst, United States; Jeff Martin, United States; Charles Howell III, United States
12:40 p.m.-7:30 a.m. — Ken Duke, United States; Matteo Manassero, Italy; Jimmy Walker, United States
12:50 p.m.-7:40 a.m. — Danny Willett, England; Joost Luiten, Netherlands; Russell Henley, United States
1 p.m.-7:50 a.m.— Freddie Jacobson, Sweden; George Coetzee, South Africa; Harris English, United States
1:10 p.m.-8 a.m. — Boo Weekley, United States; Francesco Molinari, Italy; Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand
1:20 p.m.-8:10 a.m. — Jamie Donaldson, Wales; Ryan Moore, United States; Alex Noren, Sweden
1:30 p.m.-8:20 a.m. — Brett Rumford, Australia; Geoff Ogilvy, Australia; John Merrick, United States
1:40 p.m.-8:30 a.m. — Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea; Woody Austin, United States; Martin Laird, Scotland
1:50 p.m.-8:40 a.m. — Carl Pettersson, Sweden; D.A. Points, United States; Mikko Ilonen, Finland
2 p.m.-8:50 a.m. — Graham DeLaet, Canada; Kirk Hanefeld, United States; Kyle Stanley, United States
2:10 p.m.-9 a.m. — David Muttitt, United States; Charlie Beljan, United States; Brendon de Jonge, United States
2:20 p.m.-9:10 a.m. — Lee Rhind, United States; Chris Kirk, United States; Marc Warren, Scotland
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Here they are again, back at the top of the world rankings.
Tiger Woods, No. 1.
Phil Mickelson, No. 2.
Wouldn't it be something if they went out in the final pairing of the PGA Championship on Sunday, dueling head-to-head with a major title on the line, still the guys to beat after all these years?
Mickelson would certainly relish the challenge.
"I've always been a competitive person," Lefty said Tuesday, coming in from a practice round at Oak Hill. "I'm as motivated as ever to compete and to play and get the best golf out of me, to hopefully play against Tiger when he's playing his best. That would ultimately be the goal — I can play as well as I can at the same time he's doing the same.
"I would love that opportunity."
Both players are on top of their games entering the final major of the year.
Woods is coming off a seven-stroke win at the Bridgestone, his PGA Tour-leading fifth victory of the year.
Less than three weeks ago, Mickelson won the British Open with a dazzling final round at Muirfield.
While Woods is mired in the longest major drought of his career — more than five years — he's clearly bounced back from personal woes, a series of injuries, and major changes in his swing.
"I feel like my game's pretty good," Woods said.
Mickelson is playing with similar confidence, especially after claiming the claret jug.
"I'm more motivated than ever to work hard to succeed, because I can taste some of my best golf coming out," he said. "I can feel it."
Woods and Mickelson have never been especially close off the course, that sense of underlying animosity only adding to their rivalry.
Also, it was a one-sided affair for much of the late 1990s and early 2000s, as Woods piled up major titles with staggering regularity while Mickelson developed a reputation as the best player without one.
But things began to heat up in 2004 when Lefty finally broke through to win the Masters. That began a three-year stretch where Woods and Mickelson combined to win six of the 12 major titles.
In 2005, Woods won the Masters and the British Open, while Mickelson closed the year with a victory in the PGA Championship. In 2006, Mickelson earned another green jacket (and should've won the U.S. Open, if not for an epic blunder on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot), while Woods took the PGA.
Things cooled a bit in recent years, as Woods went through his well-documented problems and Mickelson endured a six-year span with only one major title — the 2010 Masters. With Lefty moving into his 40s, Woods struggling to get his game and his life back in order, and a long string of first-time major champions stealing the spotlight, it looked as though the rivalry was fading.
Not so fast.
While Woods hasn't won a major title since his one-legged performance at the 2008 U.S. Open, he's reclaimed his top spot in the world rankings with more PGA Tour victories (eight) than anyone over the last two years. He's also been a consistent contender in the biggest events and it seems just a matter of time before he claims major No. 15.
Mickelson has addressed two of the biggest flaws in his game, a shaky putting touch and wayward shots off the tee — so much so, that he now considers them to be strengths.
In June, there was another close-but-no-cigar call in the U.S. Open, where he was runner-up for a record sixth time. Then, he conquered Muirfield with one of the greatest clutch rounds in major championship history, a 5-under 66 on a course that was about as hard as a paved road.
The 43-year-old Mickelson can sense another golden era in his career about to unfold, even though he's at an age when most players are beginning their slow, steady spiral toward the senior tour.
"I feel as though I started to play my best golf in the last four, five, six months," he said. "I feel like now the major championships are possibly the easiest ones for me to be in contention and maybe even win, because of those weaknesses becoming strengths."
Mickelson is even more confident in his game when he goes against Woods.
"He brings out the best golf in me," Lefty said. "He's a great motivator for me. He's helped me work hard. He's helped me put forth the effort to try to compete at the highest level, year in and year out."
Woods isn't quite as exuberant when the subject turns to Mickelson.
When asked about their relationship Tuesday, Woods meandered through a drawn-out answer that didn't say much about anything until he summed up tersely, "It's been a lot of fun."
If Woods should go through another year without a major title, he doesn't think it diminishes what he's done in 2013 — or might still do, considering the Tour playoff and championship are still to come.
Some might perceive that Woods has lowered his standards just a bit. After all, the four majors have always been the focal point of his season, with Jack Nicklaus' record 18 titles the end game he was striving to reach. He's been stuck on 14 for a while, and each passing year makes it a little more likely that he won't beat the Golden Bear's mark.
"I think it's been a great year so far for me," Woods said. "Winning five times, and you look at the quality of tournaments I've won, a Players and two World Golf Championships in there, that's pretty good."
You know what would be even better?
Woods vs. Mickelson on Sunday, with a major title on the line.
