Block Party! Popular Michael Block set to hit opening tee shot at US PGA Championship

Block dominated the headlines at Oak Hill last year after becoming an unlikely contender for the title and then, while playing alongside Rory McIlroy, making a hole-in-one in the final round on his way to a tie for 15th.

That secured a return to Valhalla, where he made his US PGA debut in 2014, and the 47-year-old will get play under way at 0715 local time (1215 BST) on Thursday alongside Europe's Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and 2003 winner Shaun Micheel.

McIlroy, who won the last of his four major titles to date here in 2014, gets his challenge under way from the 10th tee at 0815 local time (1315 BST) alongside Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose, with Tiger Woods in the preceding group with Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley.

Defending champion Brooks Koepka was also among the early starters alongside Max Homa and Jordan Spieth, while Masters champion Scottie Scheffler will have to wait until mid-afternoon to start his bid for back-to-back major titles and a fifth win in his last six starts.

Scheffler, whose wife Meredith gave birth to their first child last week, will play the first two rounds alongside US Open champion Wyndham Clark and Open champion Brian Harman.