Jason Dufner-Rickie Fowler, No. 1 tee at 3:35 p.m. ET Friday
Dufner is coming off a breakthrough season in which he won twice, missed only one cut and earned more than $4.8 million. Fowler also notched his first career PGA Tour title, at theWells Fargo Championship, but a lingering back injury derailed what had been a promising season. This pairing is particularly juicy, however, because of their good-natured (and monthslong) feud on Twitter. If we’re lucky, there will be some friendly fire before and after Friday’s opening round.
Matt Kuchar-Webb Simpson, No. 1 tee at 3:45 p.m. ET Friday
This group may lack pyrotechnics, but both players are near-locks to be toward the top of the leaderboard come Monday evening. Kuchar, a winner at the Players, has a strong record at Kapalua, finishing T-6 and solo third in 2011 and ’10, respectively. Last year, in his first start on the Plantation Course, Simpson shot all four rounds in the 60s and finished T-3.
Dustin Johnson-Bubba Watson, No. 1 tee at 5:45 p.m. ET Friday
Kapalua is a bomber’s paradise, so it was little surprise to see these two titanium-denting talents paired together. The par-5 finishing hole on the Plantation Course has yielded 92 drives of 400-plus yards since 2003. Perhaps it’s no coincidence, then, that this week Golf Channel will debut a new graphic, “Landing Zone,” which will measure the yardage of tee shots, similar to the yellow first-down lines on NFL telecasts. Prepare for an impromptu long-drive contest.
This article, written by Ryan Lavner on GolfChannel.com
Here's a full look at the first round pairings...
First-round pairings for the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the season-opening event on the PGA Tour (all times ET):
3:35 p.m.: Rickie Fowler, Jason Dufner
3:45 p.m.: Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson
3:55 p.m.: Keegan Bradley, John Huh
4:05 p.m.: Ian Poulter, Jonas Blixt
4:15 p.m.: Marc Leishman, Ted Potter Jr.
4:25 p.m.: Kyle Stanley, Scott Stallings
4:35 p.m.: George McNeill, Ryan Moore
4:45 p.m.: Ben Curtis, Mark Wilson
4:55 p.m.: Johnson Wagner, J.J. Henry
5:05 p.m.: Carl Pettersson, Scott Piercy
5:15 p.m.: Zach Johnson, Hunter Mahan
5:25 p.m.: Charlie Beljan, Tommy Gainey
5:35 p.m.: Bill Haas, Nick Watney
5:45 p.m.: Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson
5:55 p.m.: Brandt Snedeker, Steve Stricker
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