First Round of Golf's Final Major Begins Thursday

One hundred and fifty-six of the world's best professional golfers played their last practice rounds on Wednesday at the Atlanta Athletic Club's Highlands Course.

Play begins in earnest on Thursday when the first round of the 93rd PGA Championship gets under way.

The first pairings tee off on #1 at 7:30 a.m. and on #10 at 7:35 a.m. 

A few interesting facts provided by the PGA Championship.

Should the 2010 PGA Champion, Martin Kaymer, win the PGA championship for a second time, he would become the first player from continental Europe to successfully defend a major championship.

Should a European Tour Member win at Atlanta Athletic Club, it would be the first time European Tour Members have won all four major championships in a single season.

When David Toms won the 2001 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athleticl Club, he created major championship history for the lowest winning 72-hole total of 265.

David Toms in 2001 became the last player to win a major championship and record a hole-in-one during the tournament. He aced the par 3, 15th in round three.

Mark O'Mera shot a course record of 63 (-7) in round two of the 2001 Championship. At that time he became the eighth player to shoot 63 in the history of the PGA Championship.

Related Topics: Final day, Practice rounds, and atlanta athletic club