The PGA of America today announced the groups and starting times for the first two rounds (Thursday and Friday, Aug. 8-9) of the 95th PGA Championship, to be contested on Oak Hill Country Club’s par-70 East Course.

The pairings for the first two rounds are attached with this email.

FEATURED GROUPS: Keeping with tradition, The PGA of America has put the winners of the first three major championships of 2013 in the same group for the first two rounds.

Adam Scott (Masters), Justin Rose (U.S. Open) and Phil Mickelson (Open Championship) will begin their rounds:

Thursday, at 1:45 p.m. on No. 1

Friday, at 8:35 a.m. on No. 10

In addition to Mickelson, the 2005 PGA Champion, there are 12 other PGA Champions in the field.

Rory McIlroy with the Rodman Wanamaker Trophy. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)

Defending PGA Champion Rory McIlroy, who won by a record eight strokes last year in Kiawah Island. S.C., is joined for the first two rounds at Oak Hill by Vijay Singh (1998 and 2004 PGA Champion) and Martin Kaymer (2010 PGA Champion).

McIlroy, Singh and Kaymer will begin their rounds: Thursday, at 1:25 p.m. on No. 1; Friday, at 8:15 a.m. on No. 10

Four-time PGA Champion Tiger Woods will compete over the first two rounds with two other PGA Champions – Davis Love III (1997 Champion) and Keegan Bradley (2011).

Woods, Love and Bradley will begin their rounds: Thursday, at 8:35 a.m. on No. 10; Friday, at 1:45 p.m. on No. 1

Shaun Micheel, who won the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, is paired with 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem and Mark Brooks, the 1996 PGA Champion.

Micheel, Beem and Brooks will begin their rounds: Thursday, at 8 a.m. on No. 1; Friday, at 1:10 p.m. on No. 10

PGA Champions David Toms (2001), Padraig Harrington (2008) and Y.E. Yang (2009) are in the same group and will begin their rounds:

Thursday, at 8:15 a.m. on No. 10; Friday, at 1:25 p.m. on No. 1

Other notable groups and their starting times …

Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler: Thursday, at 7:55 a.m. on No. 10; Friday, at 1:05 p.m. on No. 1

Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els and Bill Haas: Thursday, at 8:05 a.m. on No. 10; Friday, at 1:15 p.m. on No. 1

Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson and Charl Schwartzel: Thursday, at 8:25 a.m. on No. 10; Friday, at 1:35 p.m. on No. 1

Tim Clark, Lee Westwood and Bubba Watson:  Thursday, at 1:05 p.m. on No. 1; Friday, at 7:55 a.m. on No. 10

Miguel Angel Jimenez, Webb Simpson and Angel Cabrera: Thursday, at 1:15 p.m. on No. 1; Friday, at 8:05 a.m. on No. 10

Lucas Glover, Ian Poulter and Zach Johnson: Thursday, at 1:55 p.m. on No. 1; Friday, at 8:45 a.m. on No. 10

Kohki Idoki (2013 Senior PGA Champion), Rod Perry (2013 PGA Professional National Champion) and Nick Watney: Thursday, at 12:45 p.m. on No. 1; Friday, at 7:35 a.m. on No. 10

RYDER CUP CAPTAINS TOGETHER: Paul McGinley and Tom Watson, the 2014 Ryder Cup Captains for Europe and the United States, respectively, will be in the same group for the first two rounds.

Watson, McGinley and Darren Clarke will begin their rounds:

Thursday, at 12:35 p.m. on No. 1; Friday, at 7:25 a.m. on No. 10.

LABRITZ TO LEAD OFF: PGA Club Professional Rob Labritz’s dramatic hole-out from the fairway in sudden death at the PGA Professional National Championship in June, earned him a berth into the 95th PGA Championship. Labritz, of Pound Ridge, N.J., now has the honor of hitting the first official shot at Oak Hill, Thursday at 7:10 a.m. on No. 1.

Labritz is one of four PGA Club Professionals in the field next week who also competed in the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill. The others – JC Anderson of St Louis, Mo.; Chip Sullivan of Troutville, Va.; and Bob Sowards of Dublin, Ohio.

STRONGEST FIELD IN GOLF: The PGA Championship once again boasts the strongest field in golf, with 99 of the top 100 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, set to contend for the right to raise the Wanamaker Trophy at Oak Hill. Louis Oosthuizen, the 12th-ranked player in the world, was forced to withdraw from the PGA Championship because of back, neck and hip injuries.

PGA CHAMPION EARNS SPOT IN PGA GRAND SLAM OF GOLF: The 95th PGA Champion will earn a berth in the 2013 PGA Grand Slam of Golf, Oct. 14-16 at Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda. Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson already have gained berths into the Grand Slam.

THIRD TIME BACK, ONLY 10 UNDER PAR: This marks the third PGA Championship to be held at Oak Hill. In the seven major championships played to date at Oak Hill – Jack Nicklaus (1980) and Shaun Micheel (2003) won the previous PGA Championships; three U.S. Opens; the Senior PGA Championship; and the Senior U.S. Open — only 10 players out of 1,074 starters have finished 72 holes under par.

Both Nicklaus (6-under par) and Micheel (4-under par) finished better than a score of even-par 280 for four rounds. In fact, Chad Campbell and Tim Clark also finished under par in ’03.

YOUNGEST, OLDEST, IN FIELD: At age 20 (on July 27), Jordan Spieth is the youngest player in the 95th PGA Championship. Spieth broke through with a victory at the John Deere Classic on July 11, in the process becoming the youngest player to win a PGA Tour event in 82 years.

Tom Watson, who turns 64 on Sept. 4, is the oldest player in the field.

GOING FOR SIX STRAIGHT?: In the past five years, the PGA Championship has been won by five different players, each of whom had never previously won the Championship – Padraig Harrington in 2008, Y.E. Yang in 2009, Martin Kaymer in 2010, Keegan Bradley in 2011, and Rory McIlroy last year.

With his victory in 2007, Tiger Woods is the most recent PGA Champion who had won the title before.

CLARK, ELS, HOWELL AMONG TOP FINISHERS IN ’03: Of the 37 players in the field next week who also competed in the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, Shaun Micheel has the best memory because he won that year. But it should be noted that Tim Clark (third in 2003), Ernie Els (tied for fifth) and Charles Howell III (tied for 10th) are also back for another go at Oak Hill.

1-2 PUNCH?: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, currently ranked No. 1 and 2 in the world, respectively, did not have stellar showings at Oak Hill in 2003.

Mickelson did start fast in ’03, opening with 66 that tied for the lead. But he struggled, with a pair of 75s and a 72, to finish tied for 23rd. Woods never shot better than 72 in any round and tied for 39th.

95th PGA CHAMPIONSHIP … BY THE NUMBERS

3 Times the PGA Championship has now been held at Oak Hill Country Club

4 Times that Tiger Woods has won the PGA Championship

5 Record for most PGA Championship victories, held by Rochester native Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus

6 Strokes under par for Jack Nicklaus, when he won the 1980 PGA Championship at Oak Hill

7 Championship record (at the time) for margin of victory, set by Jack Nicklaus in 1980 at Oak Hill

8 New Championship record for margin of victory, set by Rory McIlroy last year

10 Total number of finishing scores under par in the seven major championships held at Oak Hill

12 Total number of PGA Championships contested in New York, the most of any state

20 PGA Club Professionals in the field this week

24 All members of the two Ryder Cup Teams from 2012 in the field this week

30 Major champions in the field this week

32 PGA Championship appearances by Tom Watson, ranking him third all-time (Nicklaus and Palmer have 37 each)

37 Players in the field this week who played in the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill

42 Years Craig Harmon has served as Oak Hill’s PGA Head Professional