Featured Group: Mickelson, Toms, Singh at PGA

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At each PGA TOUR event this season, a featured pairing will be highlighted prior to the first round. Here is the featured group for Thursday and Friday at the PGA Championship.

Ten years ago at the Atlanta Athletic Club, David Toms and Phil Mickelson were paired in the final group of the PGA Championship. Toms ended up winning by one shot after famously laying up on the par-4 finishing hole, then holing his clinching par putt from 12 feet.

This week, the two will be together again in Atlanta, back at the same course and same tournament for at least the first two rounds, each hoping to play well enough to be in contention on the back nine Sunday.

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Toms and Mickelson are two-thirds of our Featured Group this week that also includes two-time PGA champ Vijay Singh. Combined, those three have won eight majors (five PGAs), 86 TOUR events and one FedExCup (Singh in 2008).

When the threesome play the 18th hole this week, Toms won't be able to use the same strategy he did in 2001 to hold off Mickelson.

"They've changed that hole," Toms said. "There's a bunker in the lay-up zone now and the water comes in on the left on the tee shot more."

Toms' win 10 years ago is the only major of his career, but he's enjoyed a renaissance this season. After losing a playoff to K.J. Choi at THE PLAYERS Championship, he bounced back with an impressive win at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, ending a five-year winless streak.

He's currently 10th in the FedExCup standings despite a hip injury that forced him to withdraw from the John Deere Classic and miss nearly a month of action. He showed good form in his return last week at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, however, shooting four rounds in the 60s to tie for ninth.

A win for Mickelson this week would certainly be redeeming, but his recent play hasn't given much indication of how he might perform at the season's last major.

The 41-year-old mounted a charge in the final round of the British Open, finishing tied for second in a major that has plagued him throughout his career. Mickelson missed the cut at The Greenbrier Classic, and finished near the bottom of the field at last week's Bridgestone Invitational.

Among Mickelson's 39 TOUR wins, eight have come in the state of Georgia. He's won the Masters three times ('04, '06, '10), TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta twice ('00, '09) and the AT&T Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth three times ('00, '05, '06).

Singh has been struggling with his health as well; a back problem forced him to withdraw from the AT&T National after 36 holes and also kept him out of the British Open and RBC Canadian Open. But his fond memories of Georgia, and his PGA Championship victories in 1998 and 2004 could spark the 48-year-old's game.

Singh slipped on the Green Jacket in Augusta in 2000 and became the FedExCup champion at the season-ending TOUR Championship in Atlanta in 2008. He is currently 40th in the FedExCup standings, remaining outside the top 30 it would take for the Fijian to qualify for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and give him a shot at his second FedExCup title.

The Atlanta Athletic Club has been lengthened by 270 yards since 2001. The par-70 will play 7,467 yards, but it might not be out of the question for a short hitter like Toms to compete.

The fairway bunkers have been made larger and deeper, and some of the holes have seen their doglegs pinched, forcing players to add more shape to their tee shots.

Still, bombers like Mickelson and Singh will have a decided advantage over the shorter hitters, especially on holes like No. 15, a 260-yard par three, which has been lengthened some 30 yards for this year's event.

Statistical comparison

Key stats from Mickelson, Toms and Singh from the 2011 season

Category MICKELSON TOMS SINGH   Current FedExCup Rank 5th 10th 40th Driving Distance 299.8 yards 278.4 yards 293.7 yards 2011 Wins 1 1 0 Top-10 finishes 5 5 2 Strokes Gained - Putting 73rd 18th 140th Major Championships 4 1 3

Career at the PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson David Toms Vijay Singh Country USA USA Fiji Starts 19 15 20 Top 10s 8 2 6 Top 25s 11 5 8 Cuts Missed 1 4 6 Stroke Average 70.94 71.73 71.53 Total Rds 70 48 64 Par or Better rounds 43 21 34 Over Par rounds 37 27 34 Best Finish 1st (2005) 1st (2001) 1st (1998, 2004)

EXPERT PREDICTIONS: We asked some of our PGATOUR.COM experts to predict which player will fare best this week at Atlanta Athletic Club:

Stan Awtrey: Mickelson. coulda, shoulda, woulda won at the Athletic Club in 2001. He could be the guy to end the international power play in the major championships.

Melanie Hauser: Mickelson. Game may not seem to be trending that way, but he's pointing to the majors this year. His tie for second at the British Open tells you want you need to know about his focus. Toms will deal with the heat better, but Phil's length is the difference.

Craig Dolch: Mickelson. Toms won the PGA here 10 years ago, but the lengthening of Atlanta Athletic Club plays into Mickelson's hands.

FANTASY INSIDER: Rob Bolton has only David Toms (ninth) ranked in the Power Rankings. He has Phil Mickelson in the Power Rankings Plus section of the Fantasy Insider.