Curtis's Open win clouded his wedding plans

Curtis is due to marry his fianc�e Candace on Saturday but will only know what time the service can take place when the tee-off times are announced on Friday night.

The 26-year-old American organised his wedding before his surprise victory in the Open at Sandwich propelled him up the world rankings - and secured him a place in the $6m event.

"It's going to be nerve-wracking, but hopefully I'll make both on time and have a great day," said Curtis, who lives 30 minutes' drive from the Firestone course in Akron.

"As far as I know it's the only wedding of the day, so hopefully we won't be holding anybody else up.

"Everybody has been very supportive and Candace said: 'Just go out there and play good and not worry about the wedding until it's over'.

"I'm just going to try to calm myself down and be patient and not worry about it, but I know in the back of my mind I'll be looking at my watch the whole day and thinking 'let's get out of here'."

I'm excited to be back on a course where I've had some success Tiger Woods

Curtis, who was ranked 396th in the world before he won the Open, will be up against 85 rivals in an event which has no cut and carries a first prize in excess of $1m.

World number one Tiger Woods will be favourite to make amends for his disappointment at the USPGA Championship last week as he has won on his last three trips to Firestone.

"I'm just excited to be back on a course where I've had some success," said Woods.

England's Ian Poulter has been taking advice from Nick Faldo as he attempts to spearhead the European challenge.

Faldo, who returns to action after missing the USPGA to spend time with his new baby daughter, played a practice round with Poulter at Firestone.

"Mentally I'm more consistent and my golf over the last 12 weeks has shown that," said Poulter, who has won twice on the European Tour this year.

"There's a bit more consistency there with the work I've been doing on my swing and the hard work I'm putting in has started to pay off in the middle to the end of this season."

England's Phil Golding will be the lowest-ranked player taking part, with Lee Westwood the only other golfer from outside the world's top 200 in the line-up.

Hertfordshire-based Golding has been rewarded for winning the French Open in June, while 219th-ranked Westwood is in as all members of the last Ryder Cup side are guaranteed places.

The event is the second of four tournaments that make up the World Golf Championship.

Thursday's tee-off times
(USA unless stated, all times BST)

1320 Charles Howell, Ignacio Garrido (Spa)
1330 Ian Poulter (Eng), David Toms
1340 Dan Forsman, Michael Campbell (NZ)
1350 Mark Calcavecchia, Craig Parry (Aus)
1400 Bob Estes, Trevor Immelman (SA)
1410 Lee Westwood (Eng), Steve Flesch
1420 Thomas Bjorn (Den), Chris Riley
1430 Fred Couples, Eduardo Romero (Arg)
1440 Hal Sutton, Ernie Els (SA)
1450 Kaname Yokoo (Jpn), Chris DiMarco
1500 Paul McGinley (Ire), Stewart Cink
1510 Paul Azinger, Phil Golding (Eng)
1520 Rich Beem, Colin Montgomerie (Sco)
1530 Justin Leonard, Padraig Harrington (Ire)
1550 Kennt Perry, Pierre Fulke (Swe)
1600 Ben Curtis, Tim Clark (SA)
1610 Scott Verplank, Mike Weir (Can)
1620 Bob Burns, Toshimitsu Izawa (Jpn)
1630 Jeff Sluman, Darren Clarke (NI)
1640 Tiger Woods, Angel Cabrera (Arg)
1650 Steve Allan (Aus), Scott Hoch
1700 Stuart Appleby (Aus), Jay Haas
1710 Gene Sauers, Peter Lonard (Aus)
1720 Shaun Micheel, Robert Karlsson (Swe)
1730 Davis Love, Bernhard Langer (Ger)
1740 Ben Crane, Robert Allenby (Aus)
1750 Sergio Garcia (Spa), Kevin Na (S Kor)
1800 Niclas Fasth (Swe), Rocco Mediate
1820 Fredrik Jacobson (Swe), Brad Faxon
1830 Robert-Jan Derksen (Ned), Rory Sabbatini (SA)
1840 Justin Rose (Eng), Jim Furyk
1850 John Rollins, Retief Goosen (SA)
1900 Nick Price (Zim), Steen Tinning (Den)
1910 Chad Campbell, KJ Choi (S Kor)
1920 Alex Cejka (Ger), Hennie Otto (SA)
1930 Phil Mickelson, Jesper Parnevik (Swe)
1940 Jarrod Moseley (Aus), Paul Casey (Eng)
1950 Stephen Leaney (Aus), Jerry Kelly
2000 Jonathan Kaye, Vijay Singh (Fij)
2010 Phillip Price (Wal), Fred Funk
2020 Jonathan Byrd, Adam Scott (Aus)
2030 Peter Jacobsen, Nick Faldo (Eng)
2040 Phil Tataurangi (NZ), Len Mattiace