Mcilroy gunning for hat-trick

Top-ranked Rory McIlroy took his first look at the Valhalla layout on Monday ahead of the 96th PGA Championship while Tiger Woods was in Florida having treatment on his aching back.

Golf's current and former superstars are on vastly different trajectories for the year's final major tournament with McIlroy going for a hat-trick of triumphs and Woods' status in doubt a day after a painful exit at the World Golf Championships event in Akron, Ohio.

McIlroy won his third major title last month at the British Open and took his first WGC crown on Sunday in Akron, arriving at Valhalla as a clear favorite and the first player since Woods in 2009 to enter a major after back-to-back wins.