The 2019 Presidents Cup begins in the late hours of Wednesday night in the UK and it does so with five points up for grabs in the fourball format, where teams of two pair up and play a ball each aiming to score lower than their opponents.
This is the format of the game which carries the most strategy to it, so it will be interesting to see just who blends the best on a golf course which is likely to demand plenty of all 20 players who are on show on the first day.
Match 1: Marc Leishman & Joaquin Niemann vs Justin Thomas & Tiger Woods
Match tees off at 22.32 GMT
The opening match of the tournament sees two of the biggest names in the competition pairing up when Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods lead of the USA side when they go up against the experienced Marc Leishman and the talented rookie Joaquin Niemann.
This should be a cracking contest because we know all about the quality of the American duo and they could blend very well. They have seen a lot of each other recently having partnered each other in the Hero World Challenge but this is a different thing entirely. All eyes will be on Leishman and Niemann to see how they blend. Niemann could be a star in this match but it looks too close to call. I’ll favour the Americans but not by enough to merit a bet on them.
Prediction: USA win
Match 2: Adam Hadwin & Sungjae Im vs Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay
Match tees off at 22.47 GMT
The second match of the Presidents Cup sees the Canadian-Korean combination of Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im going up against the rookie American pairing of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in potentially the most intriguing match of the five.
Ernie Els might just have pulled out a masterstroke with this pairing because Hadwin is solid from tee to green and should be a calming influence to allow Sungjae Im to go on the attack like he has been doing throughout 2019 on the PGA Tour. You have to admire the two Americans here. Schauffele is top notch but he might not be in the best touch coming in here while Cantlay’s putting will always be a big issue. It could be that which sees the Internationals home here.
Prediction: Internationals win
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Match 3: Adam Scott & Byeong-Hun An vs Bryson DeChambeau & Tony Finau
Match tees off at 23.02 GMT
The third match of the fourball series is the first one where the Internationals look to have a significant advantage experience wise with Adam Scott and Byeong-Hun An meeting Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau for what could be a valuable point.
Adam Scott is being used as the talisman for the Internationals side, so with that in mind it is interesting that he is out in the middle of the pack, but he has a partner with a point to prove and they go up against a strange combination, although a potentially dangerous one if DeChambeau strikes the ball well and lets the powerful Finau go flag hunting. This one could ebb and flow and I’m not sure which way it will go. This could be the first half of the event.
Prediction: Match halved
Hideki Matsuyama & C-T Pan vs Webb Simpson & Patrick Reed
Match tees off at 23.17 GMT
The penultimate match of the opening day sees the Asian pair of Hideki Matsuyama and C-T Pan teaming up to take on Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed, who could very well be the sleeper pairing of the opening day as far as the Internationals are concerned.
This one is the first one where I am fairly comfortable that the Americans will win. I say that mainly on short game potential. Matsuyama and Pan are good ball strikers but the difficulty of this track is such that the short game is going to come to the fore and I would wager the team who chips and putts the best this week will win, but that especially looks the case here with Matsuyama’s short game nothing like as good as many at the top level. Simpson has been one of the best scramblers for the last two seasons and Reed has always had that in his locker hence why his match play record is so good. I see this as an American win.
Prediction: USA win
Louis Oosthuizen & Abraham Ancer vs Dustin Johnson & Gary Woodland
Match tees off at 23.32 GMT
The final match of the opening day is the marquee one in my eyes even allowing for which two Americans are lining up in the first game. Three major champions and one of the brightest talents in the game take to the course here as Louis Oosthuizen and Abraham Ancer go up against Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland.
It will be interesting to see how the American pair go. They have both been pair of the Butch Harmon stable so they’ll know each other well but Woodland might end up playing these two on his own because DJ is likely to be rusty and he doesn’t have the best record in 2019 anyway in fairness. Oosthuizen is in excellent form at the minute and Ancer has a great record in Australia so they should be very comfortable playing their own ball. It is the Internationals to round off the day with a win for me.
Prediction: Internationals win
Tips
WON – Back A.Hadwin & S.Im to beat X.Schauffele & P.Cantlay for a 3/10 stake at 2.88 with Sky Bet
Back W.Simpson & P.Reed to beat H.Matsuyama & C-T.Pan for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with Sky Bet
WON – Back L.Oosthuizen & A.Ancer to beat D.Johnson & G.Woodland for a 3/10 stake at 2.60 with Betfred
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