World No.1 Rory McIlroy will lead out the big guns in this week’s Emirates Australian Open.
Click here for round 1 tee times
McIlroy was this morning announced to play alongside fellow US PGA Tour players and multiple Australian triple crown event winners Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby.
The trio will tee off at The Australian at 7.05am on Thursday morning off the 10th tee.
True to his word to keep the Open’s top two drawcards apart for logistical reasons, tournament director Trevor Herden put Adam Scott in the afternoon field on Thursday.
Scott will play alongside boom American and world No.14 Jordan Spieth and last weekend’s Australian Masters champ Nick Cullen from 12.05pm off the first tee.
Other marquee matches include:
* Jarrod Lyle, dual national champion Greg Chalmers and Brett Rumford at 6.55am.
* US PGA Tour winners John Senden, Matt Jones and boom amateur Lucas Herbert at 7.15am.
* Richard Green, rising Korean Kang Sung-hoon and Mathew Goggin at 7.25am
* Robert Allenby, Rod Pampling and Matthew Griffin at 11.55am
* US Tour winners Boo Weekley, Steve Bowditch and Presidents Cup star Brendon de Jonge at 12.15pm.
* US-based Korean Kim Bi-o, Nick O’Hern and American star Kyle Stanley at 12.25pm
The remainder of the draw will be finalised this afternoon.