Rory McIlroy has been grouped alongside another former world No1 in Jason Day and his Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose for the first two rounds of next week’s US Open.

McIlroy earlier this week confirmed his participation at Erin Hills after recovering from a stress fracture to a rib which forced him to withdraw from last month’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

The Northern Irishman claimed his first major victory in a wire-to-wire triumph at the 2011 US Open, defeating his nearest challenger Day by eight shots. Rose was the 2013 champion in Wisconsin. The trio will tee off on Thursday at 2.09pm local time (7.09pm BST).

Rose’s conqueror at the Masters, Sergio García, will tee off with Bubba Watson, the 2012 and 2014 champion at Augusta, and Adam Scott, who walked away with the green jacket four years ago, at 1.36pm. The pick of the morning groupings sees Dustin Johnson begin the defence of his title alongside his two predecessors, Jordan Spieth and Martin Kaymer. The world No1, who broke his major duck 12 months ago at Oakmont Country Club, will play alongside the man who pipped him to the title in a final-round showdown in 2015 and Germany’s 2014 winner.

Johnson is looking to become the first man to successfully defend his title since Curtis Strange in 1989 and clinch a first victory following a back injury which forced him to miss the Masters in April. The trio will commence their first round at 9.35am.

The English duo Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell go off at 8.02am while the Scottish pair Russell Knox and Martin Laird are in the next grouping setting off at 8.13am.