SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Featured pairings don’t always work out, but this one was a no-brainer.

Rory McIlroy, the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, played the first two rounds of the 97th PGA Championship with Jordan Spieth, ranked No. 2 after winning the Masters and U.S. Open this year. The third member was Zach Johnson, the British Open winner.

So, the PGA’s pairing at Whistling Straits had the champions of the last four majors, plus the intrigue of defending champion McIlroy returning to tournament golf after suffered ligament damage in his left ankle while playing soccer on July 4.

The matchup was so enticing that even Aaron Rogers, the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback, was among the fans hiking around the hilly course to watch on the morning after his team played its first preseason game.

Obviously to everyone, the coveted No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings is on the line heading into the two weekend rounds and – based on the first 36 holes – Spieth is poised to supplant McIlroy. Spieth carded a 67 on Friday while McIlroy had 71. Spieth, at 6-under-par 138 for two rounds, is four strokes ahead of McIlroy.

Spieth isn’t leading – that honor goes to Sweden’s David Lingmerth who was one shot better among the finishers – but the possibility of Spieth taking his third major title in a year is hardly a remote one. Only Ben Hogan in 1953 and Tiger Woods in 2000 have won three majors in the same year.

The Spieth-McIlroy pairing was over before a vicious storm hit the tournament, resulting in play ending at 5:30 p.m. with 57 players still on the course. They’ll complete the second round on Saturday before the third round begins.

The first two rounds here proved two things in the budding rivalry. Spieth hasn’t backed off competitively since his narrow loss in the British Open last month and McIlroy hasn’t lost his competitive edge after the injury-forced layoff.

“I’ve been friends with Rory since maybe the middle to end of the first year that I was out here,’’ said Spieth. “His game is extremely exciting. Watching drive the golf ball is just inspirational. It was really a good pairing for us.’’

Not for Johnson, though. He opened with a 75 on Thursday, got back to even par with three straight birdies to begin Friday’s round and then backed off again. At 3-over 147 he missed the 36-hole cut and won’t play on the weekend.

Spieth and McIlroy will have different partners on Saturday. McIlroy has more work to do if he’s to defend the PGA title he won last year at Valhalla, in Louisville. Putting was the problem on Friday.

“I don’t know if it’s rust or I just didn’t putt well,’’ he said. “I don’t want to blame it on rust.’’

The good news is, there appears no lingering effects from the ankle injury.

“It could have been much worse,’’ he said. “It could have required surgery. I’ve done a lot of rehab and a lot of hard work to get back as quickly as possible.’’

Though his trainer talked him out of competing last week in the Bridgestone Invitational, McIlroy proved to himself that he was fit to compete by playing 72 holes walking – 18 in four straight days – in Portugal. There was no pain and no swelling and he went for a 20-minute run here on Tuesday.

Spieth isn’t happy with his driving but his short game has kept him in contention. The highlight on Friday came at No. 18 – Whistling Straits’ toughest hole. Spieth holed a 50-foot bunker shot for birdie there. Despite his success elsewhere, this was the first time Spieth made the cut in the PGA. He missed in both 2013 and 2014.

Low scores weren’t out of the question on Saturday. Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata joined a long list of players posting the low round in a major championship. He posted a 9-under-par 63 after opening with a 77.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – American golfers could complete a sweep of the four major championships on Sunday. That hasn’t happened since 1982 – but don’t count on it happening this time.

Yes, Jordan Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open and Zach Johnson took the British Open. Though Spieth is in contention again, any thought that an American win in the 99th PGA Championship at Whistling Straits would be premature. It’s at least likely, though, that he will supplant Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland at the top of the Official World Golf Rankings.

The 21-year old Spieth, who missed the cut in his first two PGA appearances in 2013 and 2014, is two strokes behind leader Jason Day, an Australian, and foreigners dominate the leaderboard after that. McIlroy isn’t among the challengers, though, so the change in the rankings seems inevitable.

Day, who played in the last group in the third round after completing the rain-delayed second, stands at 15-under par 201 after shooting 66. Then comes Spieth.

England’s Justin Rose, who won last year’s U.S. Open is one stroke behind Spieth and in a tie with South African Branden Grace who made his own big move by shooting a 64. Germany’s Martin Kaymer, who won the last PGA Championship played at Whistling Straits in 2010, is four back at 205.

As for Spieth, it’s possible he could become the third player to win three of the current majors in the same year, behind Ben Hogan (1953) and Tiger Woods (2000), but he’ll need more of the spectacular golf he played on the back nine on Saturday to do it. He charged up the leaderboard with six birdies to shoot 30 for the nine and 65 for the round.

Spieth has gone 33 holes without a bogey, but he wasn’t much of a factor over the first 45 holes.

“Michael (Greller, his caddie) did a great job keeping me in it,’’ said Spieth. “I was impatient on the front nine. I felt like I was playing some solid golf and was 1-under through 10. I just wasn’t scoring. My score did not reflect the way that I was playing.’’

A birdie putt at No. 11 changed his attitude and another followed at No. 12.

“And we’re off to the races,’’ said Spieth. “The holes started to look bigger. A lot of times it just takes one to go for me to really find that extra confidence, that extra little pop in my stroke. It was nice to get in the zone, and I’m very, very pleased to have a chance to win another major.’’

Not so fast.

The hot nine enabled Spieth to climb the leaderboard quickly, but Day is no slouch. He made the Canadian Open his second win of this season two weeks ago after top-10 finishes in both the U.S. Open and British Open. And, during that hot streak, he endured a bout with vertigo that caused him to pass out during the second round of the U.S. Open.

Day hasn’t won a major championship yet, but he’s due. Spieth, on the other hand, knows what it takes to win the big ones.

“Michael and I both learned from past major championship weekends,’’ said Spieth. “In the majors that we’ve won the putts have fallen on the weekend strictly by just letting it happen. Giving yourself opportunities, believing that it will fall, being stubborn on the greens – that’s what Michael likes to say. So I would draw back on past major weekends as a different type of experience than any other experience you can have.’’

Day wanted more practice time immediately after finishing his round. He discounted the lack of a major title on his resume.

“I’ve been here before, so I kind of know what to expect,’’ he said. “I haven’t won before, so that’s something that is possibly a new experience for me tomorrow. But overall, I’ve just got to rest up as best I can. Rest is important, recovery is very, very important for me and just enjoying tomorrow is my main key.’’

The more seasoned Rose anticipated a change in the weather for the final round.

“I heard it’s going to be windier,’’ he said. “That’s going to allow the chasing pack to maybe have a better chance of making inroads into the lead. It’s always a bit harder playing in the lead when you’ve got heavy winds to contend with as well. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.’’

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Dustin Johnson knew the questions would be coming. After all, he blew a chance to win the last PGA Championship staged at Whistling Straits and – though that was five years ago – people into golf don’t forget.

Johnson grounded his club in a bunker on the last hole of regulation play in 2010, incurring a two-stroke penalty after charging into contention with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. Instead of going into a playoff with eventual winner Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson to decide the title, Johnson was being asked how he didn’t know that the tromped down sand he had been standing in was a bunker.

Whistling Straits has about 1,000 bunkers, and spectators can stand in many of them. Johnson hit into one of those but still should have known he couldn’t ground his club.

“I don’t really think about it unless someone asks me the question,’’ said Johnson. “This year I don’t have to worry about it because there’s a grandstand there. Thanks you, PGA. I appreciate that.’’

Johnson was the last player to undergo a formal pre-tournament interview on Wednesday for the 92nd playing of the PGA Championship, and he was among the first to tee off in Thursday’s first round. There was no need to dwell on his bad mistakes afterwards. Johnson shot a 6-under-par 66 to claim the first-round lead by one stroke over Sweden’s David Lingmerth.

The early start benefitted Johnson. Winds kicked up later, making it more difficult for the afternoon players with the exception of Lingmerth. Among the other afternoon starters was the featured pairing of winners in the last four major championships – world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, current No. 2 Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson.

None could get anything going, Spieth and McIlroy shooting 71s and Johnson 75. Neither could Phil Mickelson (72) or Tiger Woods (75). McIlroy, the defending champion, was playing his first tournament round since tearing a ligament in his left ankle playing soccer on July 4.

Johnson, though, was another story. Starting his round at No. 10, Johnson opened birdie-birdie, a 357-yard drive at No. 11 setting up the second one. Then he made eagle at the 569-yard 16th, hitting a 4-iron second shot from 240 yards to 25 feet on the par-5.

That blazing start assured that Johnson would be contending for the third major in a row. He had a putt on the last hole to win the U.S. Open in June at Chambers Bay, in Washington, and ended up taking three putts to hand the title to Spieth. Johnson also led the British Open after two rounds but finished 75-75.

This season, though, has been largely encouraging for Johnson after he took a sixth-month break from golf to tend to personal issues. He seems to have his off-course life in order after becoming a father through his relationship with Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.

“The biggest transformation would be the birth of mine and Paulina’s son,’’ said Johnson. “That was probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Having a son makes everything so much easier. You don’t have to worry about golf as much.’’

Johnson was worried when he arrived here. He remembered the nightmare of five years ago in the waste bunker, but he also wasn’t pleased with his play in the Bridgestone tournament at Firestone, in Ohio, last week. It wasn’t a good tuneup for the season’s fourth and final major.

“I was more worried about getting on the range and figuring out what was going wrong,’’ he said. “I didn’t play well at all at Firestone.’’

Johnson apparently straightened out his game in time for the PGA, which represents another chance for him to win that elusive first major title. Why hasn’t he had a breakthrough in the majors? That’s another question that’s been dogging him for years but he’s not tired of hearing it — yet.

“If you’re asking me the question, it means I’m close and I’m playing well,’’ he said. “It’s hard to win majors. It really is. Even guys who have won will tell you how tough it is. Ask me in five or 10 years, maybe I’ll be tired of it then. But as of right now, I’m not.’’

Now 31, Johnson is playing in his 27th major championship and he’s finished 13th or better in seven of the last 13. Clearly his game is close. David Duval was in his 27th major when he won his first one. Mickeson didn’t win his first major until his 47th start at age 33. Nick Price was 35 and in his 36th start when he won his first major.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Usually the PGA of America, PGA Tour, U.S. Golf Assn. and Ladies PGA announce their tournament sites at least five years in advance and, until Wednesday, Chicago seemed largely out of the mix.

The USGA has no Chicago tournament scheduled after next week’s U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields and the LPGA had only next year’s International Crown team event at Rich Harvest on its schedule. The PGA Tour comes on an every-other-year basis for the BMW Championship.

All that changed with some strange scheduling announced by the PGA of America. Its newest event, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, will be held at Olympia Fields in 2017 and Kemper Lakes, in Hawthorn Woods, in 2018. The clubs are roughly 60 miles apart.

That tournament is part of a new partnership between the PGA of America and LPGA. It was held for the first time this year at Westchester Country Club in New York and it’ll be played at Sahalee, in Washington, in 2016. Inbee Park has won the event the last three years.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – long known as the LPGA Championship since its first staging in 1955 — is considered one of the major events for LPGA players. Usually events of such prominence are either held annually at the same site or are moved around the country. Playing back-to-back in the same area is highly unusual.

“I know that those two clubs will do an incredible job hosting the major championship for the women,’’ said Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer for the PGA of America. “This will be a special moment in time for the LPGA and women’s golf in the Chicago area.’’

“There could be some great efficiencies in going to Chicago in back to back years,’’ offered Pete Bevacqua, chief executive officer of the PGA of America. “The clubs obviously have a great relationship working together to make sure that we deliver a wonderful experience in 2017, and that same group of people, plus more, can come out and experience it again in 2018. We can use that really to the advantage of the championship.’’

Suddenly Chicago has become a hotspot for women’s golf, with the International Crown bringing the world’s top players a year ahead of the two individual majors.

The women will also be playing on courses that have already hosted men’s majors. Olympia Fields most recently hosted the men’s U.S. Open in 2003 and Kemper Lakes hosted the PGA Championship in 1989. Both are private clubs, but Kemper was a public venue when the late Payne Stewart won the PGA there.

The biggest women’s event played at Kemper Lakes also came in its public phase. The 92nd U.S. Women’s Amateur was played there in 1992 and future Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam was the runner-up to Vicki Goetze in that one.

Dawson Armstrong and Aaron Wise were unlikely finalists – maybe even Sweet 16 qualifiers – when the Western Amateur teed off at Rich Harvest Farms last week. Then again, nothing much was usual in the 113th playing of the championship put on by the Western Golf Assn.

Armstrong earned the title with a miracle bunker shot on Saturday after eliminating two of the pre-tourney favorites – 2013 champion Jordan Niebrugge and this year’s medalist, Robby Shelton – in match play.

Wise, barely past his freshman year at the University of Oregon, set the course record with a 64 in the stroke play portion of the five-day tournament and had to finish the event carrying his own bag the last six holes. His caddie, 2013 Western Junior champion Colin Morikawa, had to leave after 14 holes of the title match to catch a flight home to California.

“That didn’t make a difference,’’ said Wise, who endured 72 holes of stroke play plus three matches and most of the fourth with Morikawa on his bag.

What did make a difference – and a huge one – was Armstrong’s play in the clutch. A student at little Lipscomb College in Nashville, Tenn., Armstrong was one-down going to the 18th hole of the championship match. He stayed alive when Wise three-putted to lose the hole.

That sent the match to sudden death, and it ended dramatically at the par-5 second hole. Wise was safely on the green in two shots and facing a 25-footer for eagle. Armstrong, for the second time in the match, put his second shot into a greenside bunker. His caddie – for the first time in about five years — was his father Dale, a veteran of golf’s mini-tours who played nine times in the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School.

“When we got to the ball my Dad said that I’d hit a lot of great shots, but none had gone in,’’ said Armstrong. His next one did, the ball diving into the cup after one bounce.

“I knew Aaron would make birdie. I knew it would have to be a lucky shot – and it was,’’ said Armstrong. “As soon as it went in the pain in my stomach went away. My stomach started cramping up on me as soon as we finished the first (playoff) hole.’’

“An incredible shot,’’ admitted Wise. “There wasn’t much I could do about that one. I had a putt for eagle to focus on.’’

He couldn’t connect, however, and that brought an end to the tournament in which neither Niebrugge, the low amateur in this year’s British Open, nor defending champion Beau Hossler were around at the finish. They, along with Wise and Shelton, will be back for the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields in two weeks.

Armstrong wasn’t among the qualifiers for that one, but he was a giant-killer at Rich Harvest. His 2 and 1 win over Shelton in Saturday morning’s semifinals was as big as his upset of Niebrugge in Friday’s quarterfinals. Armstrong also had a big shot against Shelton, a chip-in for birdie at No. 13.

Wise had an easier time in the morning. He was 4-up on a fellow California resident Jake Knapp at the turn before putting him away 4 and 2.

There won’t be any player with local ties in Saturday’s conclusion to the Western Amateur. Charlie Danielson, the University of Illinois stalwart, was eliminated in Friday’s Round of 16 matches at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

With Danielson out, the coveted title in the 113th playing of the championship will go to one of four college stars – Alabama’s Robbie Shelton, Lipscomb’s Dawson Armstrong, Oregon’s Aaron Wise or UCLA’s Jake Knapp.

Shelton, medalist in the 72-hole stroke play portion of the competition, meets Dawson and Wise meets Knapp in semifinals matches, which begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday. The winners meet for the title in the afternoon.

Wise set the course record with an 8-under-par 64 on Wednesday in the second round of stroke play. If Shelton wins the title he’d be the first medalist to also rule in match play since Chris Williams in 2012. Knapp could come in tired. He needed 24 holes to survive his quarterfinal match with Texas’ Gavin Hall and eliminated Danielson in the morning.

Danielson’s ouster ended another Illini bid for the Western crown. Last year the Illini had three players reach the Round of 16 – Danielson, Brian Campbell and Nick Hardy. Both Campbell, who has since turned professional, and Hardy, a soon-to-be sophomore from Northbrook, both made the cut at the U.S. Open in June. Hardy didn’t survive this year’s first cut in the stroke play portion of the Western Am.

That left Danielson, who is about to enter his senior season for coach Mike Small’s Illini powerhouse. He contended for medalist honors in the 72-hole stroke play competition held Tuesday through Thursday until he was thwarted by a bogey on his last hole.

His loss in match play, however, had little to do with his own performance. Knapp was just too good. Danielson didn’t make a bogey, but still lost 3 and 2. Knapp put Danielson behind for good when he made a hole-in-one at the third hole.

“Hats off to Jake Knapp. He played unbelievable,’’ said Danielson. “There wasn’t much I could do. He makes a hole-in-one and then reels off four birdies after that. He kept sticking it and making his putts.’’

Danielson, who is from Osceola, Wis., won’t hurry off, however. He’s also a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur, which begins on Aug.17 at Olympia Fields.

“I might try to get to Whistling Straits (the Wisconsin course that hosts the PGA Championship next week), but mainly I’ll hang out in this area,’’ said Danielson. “The U.S. Amateur is a great chance to play against the best players, just like here.’’

Danielson was hoping for two high finishes in the big Chicago area events to convince U.S. coach Spider Miller that he belongs on the Walker Cup team for upcoming matches against Europe. Miller scouted prospective candidates for his team this week in a visit to Rich Harvest.

“I know I’ve got to play better, but I’ve got one more week,’’ said Danielson. “I’ll just practice and prepare.’’

Danielson, though, has probably played the Western Amateur for the last time. With no Walker Cup in 2016 to use as an incentive to remain an amateur, Danielson plans to turn pro after his senior year at Illinois.

The sense of urgency arrived for the first time at the 113th playing of the Western Amateur on Wednesday, and that was evident with some of the scores posted at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

Most of the 156 starters were eliminated after Wednesday’s second round, as only the low 44 and ties advanced to Thursday’s 36-conclusion of the stroke play portion of the championship. Four rounds of match play follow before the champion is crowned on Saturday.

Wednesday’s play was highlighted by a course record 64 by 19-year old Aaron Wise, a sophomore to be at the University of Oregon from Lake Elsinore, Calif. Wise had to go low after shooting 76 in Tuesday’s opening round. He started the second round in a tie for 96th place and ended it in a tie for ninth.

“When you drive in the fairway you can attack these pins,’’ said Wise. “(On Tuesday) I was hacking it out of the trees and pushes. I had a lot of 60- to 100-yard shots where I needed to get up and down for par. That was the difference.’’

Wise, who was hitting the fairways with his tee shots on Wednesday, won the Pacific Coast Amateur on his school’s home course at Eugene Country Club last week. He got off to a fast start Wednesday (four-under-par after five holes) and continued his charge from there, though he did make one bogey along the way.

His 8-under-par effort was three better than the course record at the start of the day. Five players had posted that score since 2007, with Dawson Armstrong of Nashville, Tenn., and Jose Mendez of Costa Rica shooting their 67s on Tuesday.

Before Wise posted his score the course record was lowered to 66 by recently-crowned Illinois Open champion David Cooke of Lisle and Australian Harrison Endycott. Armstrong, though, also shot 66 later in the day and ended as the 36-hole leader at 11-under 133.

Taylor Funk, son of PGA and Champions Tour veteran Fred Funk, and University of Illinois golfer Charlie Danielson hit the halfway point of stroke play two shots behind Armstrong. Funk, who captured the Southern Amateur this summer, was one of five University of Texas players in the starting field at Rich Harvest.

Among the others were defending champion Beau Hossler and Doug Ghim, last year’s stroke play medalist from Arlington Heights. Neither survived the 36-hole cut. The only Chicago area survivor was Roselle’s Dan Stringfellow, a Medinah member who plays collegiately at Auburn.

“It was one of those weeks where I needed to make putts, and they wouldn’t go in,’’ said Ghim. “Now I’ve got a lot of extra time to work on my putting for my next big tournament in two weeks.’’

That would be the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields. Wise is among the many competing at Rich Harvest who have also qualified to play at Olympia Fields.