Tiger Woods will go head-to-head with Open champion Ernie Els over the first two rounds of the USPGA Championship at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minnesota later this week.

The world number one was grouped with the South African and defending champion David Toms to tee off from the 10th hole at just after half-past-eight local time as he bids for victory in the fourth and final major of the year.

The chance of completing the grand slam may now have gone following his 28th-place tie at Muirfield last month, but Woods still has the opportunity to rewrite the record books once again.

Victory at Hazeltine for the 2002 Masters and US Open winner will see Woods become the first golfer to twice win three majors in a year.

The late great American Ben Hogan managed the feat back in 1953 when he won the US Open, Masters and the Open.

Woods - who has won seven of the last 12 majors - did it two years ago when only a fifth place at the Masters denied him a clean sweep.

"It would rank right up there," said Woods.

"Myself and Mr Hogan have done it and hopefully I can do it again.

"It's already been a successful year and I would just like to make it more successful.

"You want to feel like you're playing well going into a championship and any time you win, you feel good."

Woods also has the chance to complete the first 'American Slam' if he wins the USPGA this weekend, something Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer came close to but missed out on in the 1975 US Open and 1960 USPGA respectively.

"You always want to win the big ones. That's what it is all about," said Woods.

"That's why we practice, that's why we play, that's what we dreamt about as kids, to win those big events and there's only four a year."

The 26-year-old showed he intends there to be no repeat of his Muirfield disappointment in Minnesota with a four-stroke victory in the Buick Open at Warwick Hills Country Club yesterday.

If bookmakers' favourite Woods is top of the leaderboard again this weekend, he would be the first player to secure a major victory after winning a tournament the previous week since Sandy Lyle's triumph in the Greater Greensboro Open and then the Masters in 1988.

"I won the Buick Open two ways. The first two days, I hit the ball great, and in the last two rounds, I made every putt I looked at," claimed Woods, who picked up a tad under £400,000 for his victory.

"If I can combine those two things, I'll be in great shape for next week."

World number two Phil Mickelson has yet to win a major and will be hoping to have a reverse of fortunes at Hazeltine when he bids to go one better than his agonising one-stroke defeat by Toms last year.

He finished eight under par in the Buick yesterday, during which he fired in 24 birdies but also 10 bogeys and three-double bogeys to finish in a tie for 29th place.

Mickelson will be in illustrious company over his first two rounds, having been grouped with twice British Open champion Greg Norman and eight-times major winner Tom Watson.

There is an early start for leading European hope Sergio Garcia, the world number five is in the 7:55am group along with Tom Lehman and Welsh Open winner Paul Lawrie.

"I will now go to the US PGA and try my best," said 1999 Open champion Lawrie.

"I'm looking forward to going there with my game in good shape."

England's Justin Rose also tees off from the first at 8:45am with Brad Faxon and Stuart Appleby, while Colin Montgomerie goes in search of his illusive first major from the 10th at 7:45am with Mark O'Meara and Lee Janzen also in his group.