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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Five more matches await Friday from the Presidents Cup. The format switches to Four-balls, one where the International Team has fared better in the event’s history.
RELATED: Scoring | Presidents Cup: Thursday Foursomes match recaps | The five key clubs for the International Team at the Presidents Cup | The five key clubs for the U.S. Team at the Presidents Cup
Two-man teams from each side face each other in this format, with each player playing his own ball. The lowest score between the two players is the team’s lowest score for the hole.
To get you prepared for Day 2 at the Presidents Cup, here are our match previews for Friday’s Four-balls session.
Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas (U.S.) vs. Adam Scott/Cam Davis (Intl.), 11:35 a.m. Eastern
The U.S. Team will lead with one of their strongest duos in Spieth and Thomas, who won their first-round (Foursomes) match 2 & 1 over Sungjae Im and Corey Conners. The powerhouse U.S. duo even beat Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele earlier this week, so the decision to keep the Americans together would seem to have been a no-brainer for U.S. Captain Davis Love III. That was not the case for International Captain Trevor Immelman in his pairing of Australians Adam Scott and Cam Davis. It had to have been a tough decision to split up Davis and Si Woo Kim, who put the only point on the board for the underdog International Team in round one. (They birdied two of their last three holes to flip their match against Scott Scheffler and Sam Burns.) But instead of playing with Kim, Presidents Cup rookie Davis will instead partner the veteran Scott, who struggled as he and Hideki Matsuyama were trounced 6 and 5 in a first-round match against Cantlay and Schauffele. Four-ball or “best-ball” is different, though, and tomorrow is a new day.
Player records: Spieth (9-5-1 overall; 3-2-1 Four-ball); Thomas (7-2-2 overall; 4-0-0 Four-ball); Scott (16-23-6 overall; 4-9-4 Four-ball); Davis (1-0-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball).
Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (U.S.) vs. Sungjae Im/Sebastian Muñoz (International), 11:50 a.m. Eastern
Despite recording the U.S. Team’s only loss Thursday, falling to Cam Davis and Si Woo Kim in Foursomes, the longtime friends Scheffler and Burns will run it back in Friday’s Four-ball format and aim to make quick amends.
World No. 1 Scheffler and world No. 12 Burns combined for seven PGA TOUR titles last season en route to qualifying for their first Presidents Cup. The duo lost the final four holes in Thursday’s alternate shot format, including a bogey and a double bogey, but will look to channel their strength in making birdies in Friday’s format that promotes aggression – Scheffler ranked No. 2 on TOUR last season in birdie average (4.6), and Burns ranked No. 8 (4.33).
On the International side, Im carries a perfect 2-0-0 Four-ball record from the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, and he ranked a solid 35th last season on TOUR in birdie average. The South Korean paired with Corey Conners in Thursday’s Foursomes, falling to Spieth and Thomas, 2 and 1, and will look to bring a veteran presence for Muñoz in his maiden Presidents Cup match. The Colombian should bring plenty of energy in his first competitive action since the BMW Championship last month.
Player records: Scheffler (0-1-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Burns (0-1-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Im (3-2-1 overall; 2-0-0 Four-ball); Muñoz (0-0-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball)
Kevin Kisner/Cameron Young (U.S.) vs. Mito Pereira/Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Intl.), 12:05 p.m. Eastern
The United States pairing might be an example of the ultimate ham-and-egg. Kisner makes no secret that his modest power off the tee – 171st on TOUR last season in driving distance – could lead to a dink-and-dunk methodology at Quail Hollow. Young, on the other hand, is one of golf’s premier power players, which he showed on No. 1 tee Thursday with an aggressive line down the right side of the fairway into the dogleg, drawing gasps of appreciation from the fans. The Wake Forest alum ranked third on TOUR in driving distance as a rookie.
U.S. Captain Davis Love III made a point in his post-match press conference Thursday to note the unassuming Young’s raw enthusiasm for this week’s matches, and he delivered with a 2-and-1 victory in Thursday’s Foursomes alongside Collin Morikawa. The energy should continue alongside the budding American hero Kisner, who is fresh after sitting out Day 1.
Pereira will aim to quickly rebound from a bitter defeat alongside Taylor Pendrith in Thursday Foursomes; the match tied on No. 18 tee, Pereira hit a quick hook left en route to bogey, and Tony Finau/Max Homa made par for a 1-up win. The South African Bezuidenhout is set for his maiden Presidents Cup match, and the duo will aim to channel Captain Immelman’s resilient mindset and scratch out a pivotal point for the International side.
Player records: Kisner (2-0-2 overall; 1-0-0 Four-ball); Young (1-0-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Pereira (0-1-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Bezuidenhout (0-0-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball)
Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) vs. Hideki Matsuyama/Tom Kim (Intl.), 12:20 p.m. Eastern
While the key to Foursomes is to hit good shots while avoiding costly mistakes, Four-ball or best-ball play is just about making birdies. Rookie Tom Kim and eight-time PGA TOUR winner Hideki Matsuyama could be rock stars in this regard for the International Team. Kim, who at 20 is the youngest player on either side this week, shot a final-round 61 to win the Wyndham Championship last month. Matsuyama is similarly explosive, having gone 63-63 on the weekend to get into a playoff at the Sony Open in Hawaii, which he won with an eagle on the first playoff hole. They will have their work cut out for them against Cantlay and Schauffele, who won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans together earlier this year and have been a Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup super-duo. One caveat: Cantlay/Schauffele, who crushed Matsuyama and Adam Scott 6 and 5 in round one to run their Foursomes record to 3-0-0, are each winless in Presidents Cup Four-ball.
Player records: Cantlay (4-2-0 overall; 0-2-0 Four-ball); Schauffele (4-2-0 overall; 0-2-0 Four-ball); Kim (0-1-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Matsuyama (6-8-4 overall; 3-2-2 Four-ball).
Billy Horschel/Max Homa (U.S.) vs. Corey Conners/Taylor Pendrith (Intl.), 12:35 p.m. Eastern
Ever since Pendrith was announced as a captain’s pick for the International contingent, the eyes of Canada were itching for this pairing – and Captain Immelman delivered. Conners and Pendrith both hail from the province of Ontario and were college teammates at Kent State. Pendrith stayed with Conners in south Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic hiatus in spring 2020, and they were best man in each other’s weddings.
Pendrith’s game is predominantly known for power; Conners is defined by his precision. They’ll aim to find success with each style during Friday’s format that promotes aggression.
Despite sitting out Thursday, Horschel was a bundle of energy – Captain Love laughed while recalling Horschel buzzing around from match to match, with a variety of friends on his cart at various junctures. He’ll bring that vibe into his Presidents Cup debut match Friday alongside Homa, who secured a point for the U.S. Team in his debut Foursomes match Thursday, paired with Finau.
“Any time you have a partner, it changes the nerves a little bit,” Homa said. “My adrenaline’s way higher, so I have to manage that a bit better. But it was an awesome scene … You know, Tony told me on 16, it makes us feel alive.”
Player records: Horschel (0-0-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Homa (1-0-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Conners (0-1-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball); Pendrith (0-1-0 overall; 0-0-0 Four-ball)
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