Golfer Lahiri looks to impress at PGA Championship (Preview)

Leading Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri will look to impress at the $10,000,000 97th Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championship when the fourth and final Major of the year starts at the par-72 Whistling Straits course here on Thursday.

Lahiri, currently placed 53rd in world rankings, has had some below-par performances at the first three Majors of the year. At the Augusta Masters, the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader finished tied 49th, while at the US Open, the 28-year-old missed the halfway cut. He was joint 30th at the British Open.

Later, Lahiri, who won the Malaysian Open and the Indian Open in February to jump into the top 50 of the world rankings, made an impressive fifth place finish at the European Masters in Switzerland.

The Bengaluru-based golfer, who missed the cut in the 2014 edition of the PGA Championship, will tee off alongside young Americans Morgan Hoffman and Steven Young.

"The game is feeling good. I'll be looking for a good start at Whistling Straits. Building momentum will be a key for me," Lahiri said on Tuesday.

"I feel like a good week is around the corner. Mentally I really feel good, so I'm hoping for a strong week."

A strong show at the Whistling Straits course will reinforce his current ninth position on the International Team rankings for the Presidents Cup to face the US in South Korea this October.

With the top-10 players as of September 8 qualifying automatically, Lahiri will hope to become the first Indian golfer to feature in the biennial team competition.

However, World No.1 Rory McIlroy, who missed the British Open due to left ankle injury, will return to defend his title. The 26-year-old Northern Irishman will start right away alongside the golfer who has a shot to take his spot atop the rankings -- American Jordan Spieth.

The 22-year-old sensation has this year's Masters and US Open titles in his pocket and will look to become only the third golfer after Ben Hogan (1953) and Tiger Woods (2000) to win three Majors in a year. He finished tied four -- one shot behind of a playoff won by Zach Johnson, who also will be a strong favourite.

American Johnson with McIlroy and Spieth will tee off alongside each other. The focus will also be on 14-time Major champion and three-time PGA Championship winner Tiger Woods.

The full group of golfers includes 156 players, the same size as the United States and British Opens.