Race to tee off before work (6)
I believe the answer is:
gallop
'race' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'tee off before work' is the wordplay.
'tee off' becomes 'gall' (both can mean to annoy or irritate).
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
'gall'+'op'='GALLOP'
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for gallop that I've seen before include "Fastest pace of horse" , "Go at great speed" , "A fast canter" , "Hurry (on horseback?)" , "Log pal in at this pace" .)