The Masters 2013: Ian Poulter paired with defending champion Bubba Watson
The two have history from the Ryder Cup
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Your support makes all the difference.Defending champion Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter are likely to find the crowd a little quiet for their taste after being paired together in the opening rounds of the US Masters.
Watson caused a stir at last year's Ryder Cup by encouraging the spectators around the first tee at Medinah to break with golf etiquette by making as much noise as they wanted while he teed off.
Poulter gladly accepted the challenge and did the same, but it promises to be a more traditional scene when he, Watson and US amateur champion Steven Fox tee off at 10:34am local time on Thursday at Augusta National.
World number one Tiger Woods, seeking his fifth Green Jacket, is in the group behind alongside England's Luke Donald and American Scott Piercy, but Rory McIlroy will have to wait until the penultimate match of the day before getting his challenge under way.
McIlroy is out at 1:41pm alongside the man he succeeded as US PGA champion last year, American Keegan Bradley, with Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson completing the group.
American trio Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar and Bill Haas are last out 11 minutes later, while 1988 champion Sandy Lyle is in the first group out in the tournament proper at 8am with John Peterson and amateur Nathan Smith.
Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer will again act as honorary starters a few minutes earlier, hitting tee shots on the par-four first before retiring to the clubhouse.
Lee Westwood, third last year and second in 2010, has 2003 champion Mike Weir and former US Open champion Jim Furyk for company at 9:06am, while Welsh debutant Jamie Donaldson is out at 11:29am alongside 1998 winner Mark O'Meara and Scotland's Martin Laird, who only secured his place by winning the Texas Open on Sunday.
Tee times (GMT) for Thursday and Friday...
noon-2:56 p.m. — Sandy Lyle, John Peterson, a-Nathan Smith
12:11 p.m.-3:07 p.m. — Larry Mize, Brian Gay, Russell Henley
12:22 p.m.-3:18 p.m. — Ian Woosnam, David Lynn, Kevin Na
12:33 p.m.-3:29 p.m. — David Toms, Richard Sterne, Ted Potter Jr.
12:44 p.m.-3:40 p.m. — Tom Watson, Ryan Moore, Kevin Streelman
12:55 p.m.-3:51 p.m. — Robert Garrigus, Carl Pettersson, Tim Clark
1:06 p.m.-4:13 p.m. — Mike Weir, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk
1:17 p.m.-4:24 p.m. — Brandt Snedeker, Ryo Ishikawa, Justin Rose
1:28 p.m.-4:35 p.m. — Jose Maria Olazabal, Marc Leishman, a-T.J. Vogel
1:39 p.m.-4:46 p.m. — Charl Schwartzel, Webb Simpson, Peter Hanson
1:50 p.m.-4:57 p.m. — Zach Johnson, K.J. Choi, Graeme McDowell
2:12 p.m.-1:08 p.m. — Michael Thompson, John Huh, John Senden
2:23 p.m.-1:19 p.m. — Stewart Cink, Nicolas Colsaerts, Thaworn Wiratchant
2:34 p.m.-1:30 p.m. — Bubba Watson, Ian Poulter, a-Steven Fox
2:45 p.m.-1:41 p.m. — Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Scott Piercy
2:56 p.m.-1:52 p.m. — Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Padraig Harrington
3:07 p.m.- noon — John Merrick, Thorbjorn Olesen, D.A. Points
3:18 p.m.-12:11 p.m. — Craig Stadler, Ben Curtis, a-Michael Weaver
3:29 p.m.-12:22 p.m. — Mark O'Meara, Martin Laird, Jamie Donaldson
3:40 p.m.-12:33 p.m. — Paul Lawrie, Thomas Bjorn, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
3:51 p.m.-12:44 p.m. — Trevor Immelman, George Coetzee, a-Alan Dunbar
4:13 p.m.-12:55 p.m. — Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Nick Watney
4:24 p.m.-1:06 p.m. — Ben Crenshaw, Matteo Manassero, a-Guan Tianlang
4:35 p.m.-1:17 p.m. — Bernhard Langer, Lucas Glover, Henrik Stenson
4:46 p.m.-1:28 p.m. — Vijay Singh, Bo Van Pelt, Y.E. Yang
4:57 p.m.-1:39 p.m. — Angel Cabrera, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott
5:08 p.m.-1:50 p.m. — Fred Couples, Dustin Johnson, Branden Grace
5:19 p.m.-2:12 p.m. — Hunter Mahan, Hiroyuki Fujita, Francesco Molinari
5:30 p.m.-2:23 p.m. — Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer
5:41 p.m.-2:34 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Freddie Jacobson
5:52 p.m.-2:45 p.m. — Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar, Bill Haas
PA
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