PGA threesome: Johnson, Spieth, McIlroy

Zach Johnson will be in the same PGA Championship threesome as the world's top two players next Thursday and Friday.

The PGA of America announced Friday that Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Johnson will be in a 1:20 p.m. grouping next Thursday at the first round of the PGA at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wis.

Typically, the PGA groups the three winners of the year's major championships that have already been played. But Spieth won two of those, the Masters and U.S. Open. So he and British Open champ Johnson will be joined by the defending PGA champion and world's No. 1 player, McIlroy.

That assumes McIlroy will play. He has indicated he will. He suffered a severe ankle injury playing soccer with friends on July 4, and hasn't played competitive golf since the U.S. Open in mid-June.

The threesome has a combined eight victories in majors. McIlroy has four, Spieth and Johnson two. Johnson is ranked 12th in the world.

Spieth was Johnson's playing partner Thursday and Friday at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Spieth is 2-under and Johnson even-par entering today's third round in Akron, Ohio.