Jason Day joined by Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson to start PGA Championship

Stenson, Johnson and Willett will start from the first tee Thursday at 1:45 p.m. and the 10th tee at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

New Jersey: World number one Jason Day will have Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson alongside him for the first two rounds of the 98th PGA Championship as he begins defending his title.

Groupings and tee times released Friday by the PGA of America for the year`s final major tournament at Baltusrol also featured the traditional grouping of the year`s prior major winners -- Sweden`s Henrik Stenson from the British Open, American Dustin Johnson from the US Open and England`s Danny Willett from the Masters.

Australian star Day, who won his first major crown last year at Whistling Straits and has seven titles in the past 12 months, will tee off at 8:30 a.m. (12:30 GMT) Thursday at the 10th hole and 1:45 p.m. Friday off the first tee with fourth-ranked McIlroy, the 2014 PGA winner at Valhalla, and 13trh-ranked Mickelson, who captured the title in 2005, the last time the PGA was played at Baltusrol.

World number five Stenson, second-ranked Johnson and ninth-ranked Willett will start from the first tee Thursday at 1:45 p.m. and the 10th tee at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Two-time Masters champion and world number six Bubba Watson, fellow American and world number three Jordan Spieth, twice a major winner, and Spain`s 10th-ranked Sergio Garcia will be two groups ahead of the 2016 major winner trio.

The group between them includes England`s 11th-ranked Justin Rose, South African Charl Schwartzel and 14th-ranked American Patrick Reed.

Starting just ahead of Day, British Open runner-up Mickelson and McIlroy will be eighth-ranked Aussie Adam Scott, Welshman Jamie Donaldson and American Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA champion.