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Is this the start of two decades of dominance and one of the game's greatest rivalries? That's how it's being hyped in the first two rounds of the PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth both sit at 1-under after grinding through the tougher conditions in Thursday's first round. When Rory announced that he'd return and be back for the season's final major, the PGA did not mess around and delivered us the gift of the world Nos. 1 and 2 in the same group. And keeping with the PGA tradition of putting the season's first three major winners in the same group, they also threw Zach Johnson in there (Rory is actually the third wheel here). So the winners of the last five major championships are all out there together. Two of them are in their early-to-mid 20s, the top talents in the world, but getting there with totally different games.
This time last year, it seemed no one could come close to touching McIlroy and his grasp on the No. 1 ranking. But that Summer of Rory gave way to this Year of Spieth, and we rolled into the final major of the season with the hype turned all the way up. Thursday's round was a slog at the start, but both found their form on the back nine and salvaged a round with less than their best stuff in the toughest conditions.
Now they both get an early morning tee time and that should provide more benign and easier scoring conditions (Thursday's early tee times had it almost two full strokes easier). But if you want to watch this all-world tee time that's a preview of the next 20 years, you're going to have to pull it up on your computer or mobile device. That's because the group everyone wants to see won't actually play their second round during the TV window.
The PGA's TV coverage is fairly limited compared to the U.S. Open and British Open, which both come on the air at 9 a.m. local and show the morning and afternoon waves of tee times. McIlroy, Spieth and Johnson should be finishing right around 2 p.m. when TNT is scheduled to go live on the air. Fear not, however, there will be golf in the morning and the only golf you can see is this tee time.
Rory and Jordan will be on PGA.com's marquee groups stream, which will cover their every shot and also has mics that pick up most of their fascinating discussions with their caddies (as well as testy reactions to shots). So that's a pretty good option to ignore your work on a Friday morning in August when the golf is not on TV yet.
Later in the day, two more additional streams will go live, including a simulcast of the TV coverage. Here are all your media options on Friday at the PGA:
Friday's second round coverage
Television
2 to 8 p.m. ET -- TNT
Online streams
9 a.m to 8 p.m. -- Marquee groups on PGA.com and on mobile via PGA Championship app
2 to 8 p.m. -- Par 3 stream on PGA.com and on mobile via PGA Championship app
2 to 8 p.m. -- TV simulcast stream on PGA.com and on mobile via PGA Championship app
Radio
Noon to 8 p.m. -- PGA Tour Radio on Sirius-XM (Ch. 93/208)
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