Ulsterman Darren Clarke will tee it up alongside US Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Japan's Yasuharo Imano when the British Open gets underway at Royal Liverpool later this week.
Padraig Harrington will be in the company of American Aaron Oberholser and Australian left-hander Nick O'Hern when he tees off at 9.09am on Thursday.
Harrington's fellow Dubliner Paul McGinley will tee off at 2.20pm with 2001 champion David Duval and Hideto Tanihara of Japan. Graeme McDowell will play the first two rounds with American Lucas Glover and Australia's Peter Lonard.
All four Irishmen will be looking to emulate compatriot Fred Daly who won the championship there in 1947. It remains the only major victory by an Irish player.
Tiger Woods will launch his British Open title defence in the company of three-time winner Nick Faldo and Shingo Katayama of Japan. The world number one, who coasted to victory by five strokes at St Andrews last year, will tee off at 2.09pm.
Widely considered the tournament favourite despite having played only two events over the last three months, Woods will be chasing his third Claret Jug, having claimed his first at St Andrews in 2000.
Ernie Els, the 2002 champion at Muirfield, will play the first two rounds with Britain's Luke Donald and Italy's Italian Edoardo Molinari, winner of the 2005 US amateur title. South African Els will start his bid for a fourth major victory at 7.58am.
In other high-profile groupings, Vijay Singh, European number one David Howell and American Zach Johnson will begin at 8.20am on Thursday while Scot Colin Montgomerie, runner-up behind Woods at last year's championship, will tee off at 8.58am in the company of big-hitting John Daly and Australia's Stuart Appleby.
Sweden's Peter Hedblom is scheduled to hit the first shot of the 135th Open championship at 6.30am on Thursday.
Hoylake's Royal Liverpool Golf Club, hosting the British Open for the 11th time, has not held the tournament since 1967 when Argentina's Roberto de Vicenzo clinched his only major title.
