The second day of the Ryder Cup takes place at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin on Saturday on another double session day of action in which Europe simply have to win matches as they go into it trailing 6-2.
The format for Saturday is the same as it was on Friday which means we have four foursome matches in the first session followed by four fourball matches in the second session. Once again we won’t have the time between the sessions to preview the second one but we’ll go through the four early games here.
Daniel Berger & Brooks Koepka vs Jon Rahm & Sergio Garcia
Match tees off at 13.05 BST
The opening match of Saturday sees two pairings who were out in this format on Friday battling it out when Team USA send out the duo of Daniel Berger and Brooks Koepka to take on the Spanish pair of the world number one Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia.
Rahm has looked every bit the world number one this week and I expect he and Garcia, the only pairing to win a match for Europe on the opening day, to come good again and win here. I’m a little surprised Steve Stricker has sent this pairing out first. It isn’t that they aren’t very good, although I don’t think they are as good together as is made out, but first thing in the morning the cold air is going to negate the length of Koepka which is a serious part of his game. It might not help the joints of a man who suffers pretty regularly with injury either so the American pair might take a few holes to get going by which time Rahm and Garcia could be away and gone. Both these teams won their match on Friday morning but in contrasting ways. The European pair made six birdies in a five under par 17 holes while the Americans were only two under. Rahm has been one of the best players on show so far and Garcia rested enough to bring Europe this point.
Dustin Johnson & Collin Morikawa vs Paul Casey & Tyrrell Hatton
Match tees off at 13.21 BST
The second match out onto the golf course on Saturday sees the most impressive pair of all in the Friday foursomes, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa, taking on a pair who went 1-1 in Paris three years ago in Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton.
Hatton was one of few European heroes on Friday when he rescued a half point with a brilliant birdie on 18 in the afternoon fourballs but Casey was one of the disappointments and will really need to raise his game against a Johnson and Morikawa who blend so well in this format and for whom the holes of this course matchup very well to their individual strengths. Casey had Viktor Kovland alongside him on Friday morning and got taken to the cleaners by the American pair. I fancy this will be closer but I still expect an American win, although Hatton showed enough on Friday to enable me to swerve a bet.
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Justin Thomas & Jordan Spieth vs Viktor Hovland & Bernd Wiesberger
Match tees off at 13.37 BST
The third match of the morning session sees the team who led out Team USA on Friday taking to the golf course when Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are put back together to take on Viktor Hovland and Bernd Wiesberger.
The US pair might have something of a point to prove in this match because they are the only pairing to have lost a match for America in this Ryder Cup so far. Hovland and Wiesberger have so far gone unrewarded for their efforts in the tournament but both men have shown flashes of what they can produce at different times. Europe will need to be at their best to come out on top here but if Thomas’ putter remains hit and miss they might have a chance. It isn’t a strong enough one for me to get involved from a betting point of view though.
Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele vs Lee Westwood & Matthew Fitzpatrick
Match tees off at 13.53 BST
The final match of the morning session sees the strong American pairing of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele going up against a European pair of Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick who were put out on Friday and are surprisingly being seen together again here.
Westwood and Fitzpatrick made just one birdie in a level par 17 holes on Friday and it goes without saying that they’ll need a dramatic improvement on that if they are going to knock off this American pair. Cantlay and Schauffele are unbeaten in three matches in this foursomes format both here and in the Presidents Cup of a couple of years ago and are clearly very comfortable together. They were five under for the 15 holes they played on Friday and you sense they’ll score well again here. The only thing putting me off backing them is the very short price in what is a quirky format. I’m on Cantlay on plenty of bets anyway so I have enough natural interest in this one.
Tips
Back J.Rahm & S.Garcia to beat D.Berger & B.Koepka for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Coral
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