Corey Conners with a hole-in-one to climb the leaderboard at the Masters

Phil Mickelson didn’t have his best day Saturday at the Travelers Championship. Did that cost him a chance for a win on Sunday?

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jordan Spieth will begin his quest for the career grand slam by playing with the other two major winners this season in the traditional featured group at the PGA Championship. Spieth, last month’s Open Championship winner, will play with Masters champ Sergio Garcia and U.S. Open champ Brooks Koepka in the first two rounds at Quail Hollow. Spieth had the same honor two years ago at Whistling Straits after winning the season’s first two majors. He played with then-Open champ Zach Johnson, along with Rory McIlroy, who was the defending PGA champ. Spieth, incidentally, finished second that week to Jason Day. The PGA Championship begins Thursday, with television coverage on TNT scheduled from 1 p.m.-7 p.m. ET in the first two rounds, and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. CBS will pick up coverage on the weekend starting at 2 p.m. With the FedExCup Playoffs beginning in two weeks, the PGA Championship offers an opportunity to make a move inside the top 125 who will advance to the Playoffs. FedExCup points are increased this week, with 600 points going to the winner. Here’s a look at some of the featured groups in the first two rounds (FedExCup rankings in parentheses): MORE: Tee times Jordan Spieth (2), Brooks Koepka (7), Sergio Garcia (20) – Since 2000, four previous winners of a major that season have gone on to win the PGA – Tiger Woods in 2000 and 2006, Padraig Harrington in 2008 and Rory McIlroy in 2014. This is the second consecutive year that Spieth and Garcia have been paired in the first two rounds of the PGA. Meanwhile, Spieth and Koepka are paired together for the first time in 2017. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 8:25 a.m. ET off 10th tee; Rd. 2 – 1:35 p.m. ET off 1st tee Dustin Johnson (3), Jason Day (52), Henrik Stenson (84) – Each player will be trying to get their mojo back. Johnson was the dominant force going into the Masters, with three straight wins, but has struggled to match that form since the off-course injury at Augusta. Day hasn’t won since the 2016 THE PLAYERS Championship, and Stenson hasn’t won since last year’s Open Championship. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 8:35 a.m. ET off 10th tee; Rd. 2 – 1:45 p.m. ET off 1st tee Jason Dufner (22), Phil Mickelson (45), Jimmy Walker (98) – Walker, the defending champ, showed signs of life in the first two rounds last week at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational before sliding back on the weekend. Dufner’s best major is usually the PGA – he has a win and two other top-5s. Mickelson has never won at Quail Hollow, but he does have nine top-10s in 13 career starts. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 1:25 p.m. ET off 1st tee; Rd. 2 – 8:15 a.m. ET off 10th tee Jon Rahm (5), Rickie Fowler (6), Rory McIlroy (43) – Based on his course history, McIlroy might be the favorite this week – in seven starts at Quail Hollow, he has six top-10s, including two wins. Fowler also has won at Quail Hollow, and was fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship a year ago. Rahm, meanwhile, is making his first start at the course. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 1:35 p.m. ET off 1st tee; Rd. 2 – 8:25 a.m. ET off 10th tee Other notables Hideki Matsuyama, Sunday winner at Bridgestone after his sizzling final-round 61, is playing with Ernie Els and Ian Poulter … Past PGA Championship winners Davis Love III, Keegan Bradley and Padraig Harrington are in the same group … Reigning PLAYERS champion Si Woo Kim is paired with Billy Horschel and Matthew Fitzpatrick … Matt Kuchar was the runner-up at The Open Championship; Justin Rose was the runner-up at the Masters. They’re together with Brandt Snedeker, who has nine career top-10s in majors.

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The PGA TOUR announced that Vivint Smart Home, Inc., a leading smart home company in North America, will become title sponsor of the Houston Open for 2020 in support of tournament host and beneficiary, the Astros Golf Foundation. The Vivint Houston Open will be played November 5-8 and returns to Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston for the first time since 1963. The Astros Golf Foundation, led by Houston Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane, operates and serves as the host organization for the event. The commitment to the Houston Open from the Astros Golf Foundation, with the support of a number of community partners, is in place through 2023. The Astros Golf Foundation recently completed a $34 million renovation to Memorial Park Golf Course over a two-year period in order to bring the tournament back to the heart of the city. "The Houston Open has been a staple on the PGA TOUR calendar since 1946 and this year marks its celebrated return to Memorial Park Golf Course, thanks to the Astros Golf Foundation whose dedication to community is unmatched in Houston," said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. "We are thrilled to partner with Vivint whose enthusiasm and innovative thinking allowed us to finalize this partnership just a month before the tournament." All four rounds of the Vivint Houston Open will be televised on the Golf Channel, featuring a 132-player field, 500 FedExCup points and a $7 million purse. "We are excited to bring the Houston Open back to the City of Houston's Memorial Park Golf Course," says Giles Kibbe, President Astros Golf Foundation. "We recognize this is a unique year and are appreciative of Vivint for their support in Houston in 2020 and their commitment to helping us serve our community through the game of golf." "We're proud to partner with the PGA TOUR and the Astros Golf Foundation for this incredible event," said Todd Pedersen, CEO of Vivint Smart Home. "Giving back is a core company value for Vivint so we're delighted to participate in a charitable effort that will benefit one of our flagship markets." The Houston Open was first played in 1946, with the inaugural event captured by Byron Nelson at River Oaks Country Club. Other notable winners throughout the 72-year history of the event include World Golf Hall of Fame members Arnold Palmer, Jack Burke, Jr., Bobby Locke, Cary Middlecoff, Gary Player, Curtis Strange, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. Most recently, Lanto Griffin won the 2019 Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston. One of Houston's premier sporting events, the tournament has also made significant contributions to the Houston community, raising more than $69 million for charitable causes.

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