Rory McIlroy drawn with young American stars at Masters

Rory McIlroy will play with two of the most exciting young talents in American golf over the opening two rounds of the Masters after being drawn with Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed.

Reed has won two times on the USPGA Tour this season, including the WGC-Cadillac Championship recently. His other win came at the Humana Challenge and the 23-year-old is standing second in the FedEx rankings.

At just 20, Spieth has blazed a trail since turning pro in 2013, securing a victory in his rookie season and finishing eighth on the FedEx rankings.

The trio will tee it up at 3.53pm Irish time on Thursday and 6.59pm on Friday.

Graeme McDowell has been drawn alongside Rickie Fowler and FedEx points leader Jimmy Walker over his opening two rounds. They will tee off at 2.35pm Irish time on Thursday and 5.53pm on Friday.

Darren Clarke will play alongside Masters rookie Stephen Gallacher from Scotland and American Nick Watney. They go off at 4.47pm Irish time on Thursday and 1.29pm on Friday.

Defending champion Adam Scott will play with USPGA champion Jason Dufner and 19-year-old English amateur Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick won the US Amateur last year to qualify for Augusta and played a practice round with McIlroy on the course today.

Scott is one of three players who can overtake the absent Tiger Woods as world number one this week and the other two – his fellow Australian Jason Day and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson – have been drawn together with American Dustin Johnson at 6.04pm on Thursday.

US Open champion Justin Rose faces a lengthy wait before he can begin his bid for a second Major title.

Rose has been drawn in the penultimate group for the opening round at Augusta National, teeing off at 6.48pm Irish time with British Open champion Phil Mickelson and four-time Major winner Ernie Els in one of the standout groupings.

Fellow Englishman Lee Westwood has to wait another 11 minutes before he can get his 64th campaign for a first Major title up and running, the 40-year-old in the last group out along with American pair Harris English and Russell Henley.

With 97 players in the field, former British Open champion Stewart Cink and South African Tim Clark make up the first group out in the tournament proper at 12.45pm Irish time, with Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer again acting as honorary starters five minutes earlier, the legendary trio hitting tee shots on the par-four first before retiring to the clubhouse.

TEE-TIMES
(all times are Irish, US unless stated; a - denotes amateur)
THURSDAY
12.40pm Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus - honorary starters
12.45 Stewart Cink, Tim Clark (South Africa)
12.56 Ian Woosnam (Wales), John Huh, Kevin Stadler
1.07 Ben Crenshaw, Yang Yong-eun (South Korea), Jonas Blixt (Sweden)
1.18 Mark O'Meara, Steven Bowditch (Australia), a-Jordan Niebrugge
1.29 John Senden (Australia), Boo Weekley, David Lynn (England)
1.40 Craig Stadler, Scott Stallings, Martin Kaymer (Germany)
1.51 Tom Watson, Billy Horschel, Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe)
2.02 Mike Weir (Canada), Matt Every, Roberto Castro
2.13 Angel Cabrera (Argentina), Gary Woodland, Ian Poulter (England)
2.24 Fred Couples, Webb Simpson, a-Lee Chang-woo (South Korea)
2.35 Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland), Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker
2.57 Zach Johnson, KJ Choi (South Korea), Steve Stricker
3.08 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Bill Haas, Matteo Manassero (Italy)
3.19 Hideki Matsuyami (Japan), Brandt Snedeker, Jamie Donaldson (Wales)
3.30 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa), Jim Furyk, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark)
3.41 Adam Scott (Australia), Jason Dufner, a-Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)
3.52 Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
4.03 Kevin Streelman, DA Points
4.14 Larry Mize, Branden Grace (South Africa), a-Michael McCoy
4.25 Sandy Lyle (Scotland), Matt Jones (Australia), Ken Duke
4.36 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain), Lucas Glover, a-Garrick Porteous (England
4.47 Nick Watney, Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland
5.09 Vijay Singh (Fiji), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Ryan Moore
5.20 Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa), Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand
5.31 Trevor Immelman (South Africa), Graham DeLaet (Canada), a-Oliver Goss (Australia
5.42 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Derek Ernst, Bae Sang-moon (South Korea
5.53 Bernhard Langer (Germany), Francesco Molinari (Italy), Chris Kirk
6.04 Jason Day (Australia), Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
6.15 Bubba Watson, Luke Donald (England), Sergio Garcia (Spain)
6.26 Joost Luiten (Netherlands), Marc Leishman (Australia), Hunter Mahan
6.37 Keegan Bradley, Victor Dubuisson (France), Peter Hanson (Sweden)
6.48 Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els (South Africa), Justin Rose (England)
6.59 Harris English, Lee Westwood (England), Russell Henley

FRIDAY (Irish times)
12.45 Kevin Streelman, DA Points
12.56 Larry Mize, Branden Grace (South Africa), a-Michael McCoy
1.07 Sandy Lyle (Scotland), Matt Jones (Australia), Ken Duke
1.18 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain), Lucas Glover, a-Garrick Porteous (England
1.29 Nick Watney, Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland
1.40 Vijay Singh (Fiji), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Ryan Moore
1.51 Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa), Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand
2.02 Trevor Immelman (South Africa), Graham DeLaet (Canada), a-Oliver Goss (Australia
2.13 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Derek Ernst, Bae Sang-moon (South Korea
2.24 Bernhard Langer (Germany), Francesco Molinari (Italy), Chris Kirk
2.35 Jason Day (Australia), Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
2.57 Bubba Watson, Luke Donald (England), Sergio Garcia (Spain)
3.08 Joost Luiten (Netherlands), Marc Leishman (Australia), Hunter Mahan
3.19 Keegan Bradley, Victor Dubuisson (France), Peter Hanson (Sweden)
3.30 Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els (South Africa), Justin Rose (England)
3.41 Harris English, Lee Westwood (England), Russell Henley
3.52 Stewart Cink, Tim Clark (South Africa)
4.03 Ian Woosnam (Wales), John Huh, Kevin Stadler
4.14 Ben Crenshaw, Yang Yong-eun (South Korea), Jonas Blixt (Sweden)
4.25 Mark O'Meara, Steven Bowditch (Australia), a-Jordan Niebrugge
4.36 John Senden (Australia), Boo Weekley, David Lynn (England)
4.47 Craig Stadler, Scott Stallings, Martin Kaymer (Germany)
5.09 Tom Watson, Billy Horschel, Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe)
5.20 Mike Weir (Canada), Matt Every, Roberto Castro
5.31 Angel Cabrera (Argentina), Gary Woodland, Ian Poulter (England)
5.42 Fred Couples, Webb Simpson, a-Lee Chang-woo (South Korea)
5.53 Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland), Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker
6.04 Zach Johnson, KJ Choi (South Korea), Steve Stricker
6.15 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Bill Haas, Matteo Manassero (Italy)
6.26 Hideki Matsuyami (Japan), Brandt Snedeker, Jamie Donaldson (Wales)
6.37 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa), Jim Furyk, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark)
6.48 Adam Scott (Australia), Jason Dufner, a-Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)
6.59 Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)