The Starter: Round 1, PGA Championship

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The first round of the PGA Championship is set to begin. TNT will televise live action on Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m. ET.

Groups we're watching

Tee time Players   8:15 a.m. ET No. 10 David Toms, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson Of all the pairings of former PGA Championships, this Featured Group will have the most eyeballs. Can Toms recapture the magic he had here a decade ago? 8:25 a.m. ET No. 10 Alvaro Quiros, Luke Donald, Nick Watney Donald can lay claim to the best-without-a-major title, while FedExCup points leader Watney isn't too far from that conversation. 8:35 a.m. ET No. 10 Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington Just 20 minutes after the Featured Group comes another trio of past champions, headlined by, of course, Woods. He'll need a better week off the tee than last week to be a factor. 1:25 p.m. ET No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia If the streak of new-major-winners continues in Atlanta, it could be with any of these three. Johnson came up short last year after the "Bunkergate" in Wisconsin. 1:45 p.m. ET No. 1 Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke In the traditional pairing of the year's first three major champs, all eyes will be on McIlroy to see if he can duplicate his U.S. Open performance on another big U.S. course.

MORE ROUND 1: Tee Times | LIVE REPORT: PGA Championship news, notes

WHAT TO WATCH IN ROUND 1
• Prognostication skills: Our experts made their selections for the PGA Championship but you still have time to make yours. Let us know who you expect to win at Atlanta Athletic Club. Click here to pick

• Woods needs a big week: Tiger Woods is not only gunning for his 15th major title, he's looking to secure a spot in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. He's not playing next week, so this is his last chance to accumulate points. Story

• Is Rory ready? Winning the U.S. Open in grand fashion was one thing, but winning a second major on U.S. soil two months later would push Rory McIlroy into a new level of superstardom. As he said, a new era can only begin with multiple majors. Story

Round 1 weather forecast

Partly cloudy Temp: 95 high/70 low Partly cloudy and steamy, with possible thunderstorms developing in late afternoon. Winds at 5 mph with occasional gusts to 18 mph.