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Woods, Mickelson and Scott prepare for Torrey Pines tee-off

12/06/2008

The world's top three golfers - Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott - are preparing to tee off together at the US Open later today.

In an unusual move, the tournament organisers have arranged for the trio to be paired together in the first two rounds at Torrey Pines.

Normally the top players are kept apart over the first two days to prevent crowd congestion as fans follow the top-ranked players around the course.

This system is also helpful for TV coverage, allowing pundits and commentators to better keep track of the players if they are spread evenly throughout the field.

But despite fears that having Woods, Mickelson and Scott in the same group could distract from the other competitors on the course at the time, the PGA Tour has backed the decision because it believes the policy adds 'a touch of glamour' to the early stages.

The top-three trio tee off from the first hole at 16:06 BST (09:06 local time) on Thursday, with their second round beginning at the tenth at 21:36 BST (14:36 local time) on Friday.

Other big-name groups teeing off together at the first hole include Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh, who start at 20:52 BST on Thursday; Masters winner Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Mike Weir go in the following group at 21:03 BST; and Angel Cabrera, Padraig Harrington and Davis Love III get underway at 21:36 BST.