Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka will start 2023 US Open in same group

Whatever issues that are still remaining between PGA Tour golfers and those who left to join the lucrative Saudi-funded LIV Golf, will certainly be one of the main storylines when the 123rd U.S. Open starts Thursday at the Los Angeles Country Club.

PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy are set to tee off together at 4:54 p.m. ET with 2021 Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama also in the group. All three golfers are among the betting favorites to win the U.S. Open, according to DraftKings.

Koepka was one of the biggest names to make the leap to LIV shortly after it debuted last June. McIlroy was one of LIV's biggest critics, but when the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf announced an unprecedented partnership last week it shook up the golf world.

McIlroy, who has not won a major title since the 2014 PGA Championship, had plenty to say on the issue, expressing surprise and mixed emotions over the venture, adding he didn't think the golfers who left for LIV Golf should be welcomed back.

"I think ultimately when I look at the bigger picture, 10 years down the line, this is going to be good for the game of professional golf," he said. "I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away."