Former Open champion Cam Smith will be the first of the nine-strong Australian contingent onto the tee box at Royal Portrush with the 2022 winner hoping his return to the event sparks a return to form.
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The 31-year-old Queenslander goes out just before 7am local time Thursday (15:57 AEST), the third group on the course, and the status of his playing partners - amateur Cayman Islander Justin Hastings and unheralded Englishman Marco Penge, underlines his fall from grace.
Smith, who switched to the LIV Golf circuit not long after winning at St Andrew's, has missed cuts at this year's Masters, US Open and US PGA and is now outside the world's top 200.
That is in part as LIV events don't garner ranking points, but his form has been modest on the rebel circuit too.
Jason Day, Australia's top-ranked golfer at No.30, goes out in the following group with Ryan Peake in the next. The former bikie gang member and convict will be in illustrious company, accompanying the West Australian is six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, who won the Open at Muirfield in 2013.Â
Other Australians paired with former Open winners are Lucas Herbert with Darren Clarke (2011) and Marc Leishman with Stewart Cink (2009).
Adam Scott plays his 97th consecutive major alongside Rikki Fowler while Elvis Smylie's three-ball includes Sergio Garcia.
Min Woo Lee is in a form group with Tyrrell Hatton and Russell Henley, both of whom made the top 10 in the US Open, while Curtis Luck is the last of the Australians onto the County Antrim links.
Ireland's two-time major winner Padraig Harrington will have the honour of striking the first tee shot at the 153rd Open Championship while local hero Rory McIlroy will tee off alongside American two-time major winner Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, who is bidding to become the first Englishman to hoist the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo in 1992.
McIlroy, 36, will be desperate to banish the ghosts of 2019, when his dream turned into a nightmare with a quadruple-bogey eight at the par-four opening hole after going out of bounds en route to a tournament-wrecking 79.
Xander Schauffele begins his title defence in a powerful group featuring Spain's Jon Rahm and this year's surprise US Open champion J J Spaun.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is in the next group alongside fellow American, 2021 champion Collin Morikawa, and Ireland's Shane Lowry, who romped to an emotional victory on this very Dunluce course six years ago.
Tee times could be crucial with heavy rain showers forecast for Thursday and the breeze expected to strengthen, that could make the scenic par-71 course, which has been left firm and fast by recent hot weather, much trickier for the later starters such as McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Lee..
FIRST ROUND (selected, AEST, Thursday unless stated)
15:57 Justin Hastings (Cay)*, Marco Penge (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus)
16:08 Jason Day (Aus), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den), Taylor Pendrith (Can)
16:19 Phil Mickelson (US), Ryan Peake (Aus), Daniel van Tonder (SA)
16:52 Darren Clarke (NI), Lucas Herbert (Aus), Davis Riley (US)
18:58 Jon Rahm (Spa), Xander Schauffele (US), JJ Spaun (US)
19:09 Shane Lowry (Ire), Collin Morikawa (US), Scottie Scheffler (US)
20:26 Stewart Cink (US), Marc Leishman (Aus), Matteo Manassero (Ita)
21:09 Ethan Fang (US)*, Rickie Fowler (US), Adam Scott (Aus)
21:20 Laurie Canter (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Elvis Smylie (Aus)
23:37 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Russell Henley (US), Min Woo Lee (Aus)
23:48 Bryson DeChambeau (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Justin Rose (Eng)
Friday 00:10 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI), Justin Thomas (US)
Friday 01:05 Curtis Knipes (Eng), Curtis Luck (Aus), Daniel Young (Sco)
SECOND ROUND (selected, AEST, Friday unless stated)
15:35 Stewart Cink (US), Marc Leishman (Aus), Matteo Manassero (Ita)
16:08 Ethan Fang (US)*, Rickie Fowler (US), Adam Scott (Aus)
16:19 Laurie Canter (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Elvis Smylie (Aus)
18:36 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Russell Henley (US), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
18:47 Bryson DeChambeau (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Justin Rose (Eng)
19:09 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI), Justin Thomas (US)
20:04 Curtis Knipes (Eng), Curtis Luck (Aus), Daniel Young (Sco)
20:58 Justin Hastings (Cay)*, Marco Penge (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus)
21:09 Jason Day (Aus), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den), Taylor Pendrith (Can)
21:20 Phil Mickelson (US), Ryan Peake (Aus), Daniel van Tonder (SA)
21:53 Darren Clarke (NI), Lucas Herbert (Aus), Davis Riley (US)
23:59 Jon Rahm (Spa), Xander Schauffele (US), JJ Spaun (US)
Saturday 00:10 Shane Lowry (Ire), Collin Morikawa (US), Scottie Scheffler (US)
* denotes amateur
with Reuters
Australian Associated Press