June 7 (Reuters) – Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson and Phil
Mickelson have been grouped together for the first two rounds of
next week’s U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
The three Americans, all winners of the Masters after Watson
triumphed at Augusta National in April, will start on the ninth
tee at 7:33 a.m. PDT (1433 GMT) on June 14 and from the first
hole at 1:18 p.m. on June 15.
Players normally start their rounds from the first and 10th
tees but tournament officials decided to send players off on the
first and ninth holes for logistical reasons as the ninth tee is
closer to the clubhouse.
The last time Woods was paired with Mickelson for the first
two rounds of a U.S. Open was in 2008 when he won the tournament
for the third time.
The former wold number one has not won a major since then
but goes into next week’s championship with renewed confidence
after winning last week’s Memorial in Ohio.
Defending U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy of Northern
Ireland was also put in a star-studded group alongside world
number one Luke Donald and fellow Englishman Lee Westwood.
South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, who was beaten by Watson in
a playoff at the Masters, was paired with last year’s U.S. Open
runner-up, Australian Jason Day, and 2011 U.S. PGA runner-up
American Jason Dufner.
Three of the sport’s rising stars, Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa and
Americans Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, were also paired
together.
South African Ernie Els, a two-time U.S. Open champion, will
tee off alongside Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 winner, and
Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, who won the following year.
(Reporting by Julian Linden in New York; Editing by Frank
Pingue)
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