US Open: Tiger Woods groups with Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth

By Keith Jackson

Friday 7 June 2019 09:39, UK

Tiger Woods has been grouped with fellow former champions Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth for the first two rounds of the 119th US Open at Pebble Beach.

Woods returns to the scene of his historic 15-shot win in 2000 looking for his second major of the year, having ended an 11-year drought at the Masters in April, and he has played only twice since Augusta National.

The 43-year-old was hampered by illness as he missed the halfway cut at the PGA Championship last month, although he looked close to his best in a tie-for-ninth at The Memorial last week.

Woods is among the later starters in Thursday's opening round and will tee off at 10:09pm (BST) alongside 2013 champion Rose and 2015 winner Spieth, who has shown signs of resurgence in recent weeks following a lean spell, although he remains winless since The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017.

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Defending champion Brooks Koepka begins his quest for a third consecutive US Open title two groups earlier in the company of reigning Open champion Francesco Molinari and US Amateur winner Viktor Hovland.

Rory McIlroy finds himself in the opposite half of the draw and goes out from the 10th tee at 3:51pm along with Ryder Cup team-mate Jon Rahm and Australian Marc Leishman.

They will be followed two groups later by the heavyweight trio of six-time runner-up Phil Mickelson, 2016 champion Dustin Johnson and the last man to win the US Open at Pebble Beach, Graeme McDowell.

Tommy Fleetwood, who threatened to deny Koepka at Shinnecock Hills last year when he closed with a sensational 63 having finished fourth behind the world No 1 at Erin Hills in 2017, is out in the next group with Sergio Garcia and Hideki Matsuyama.