The 16th Presidents Cup kicks off on Thursday with its first highlight: Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns lead the US selection in the Four-Ball matches against the International Team.
None other than four-time major winner Scottie Scheffler, fresh off his FedEx Cup Playoff victory on the PGA Tour, and US Open runner-up Sam Burns get things started. In the first match, they face South Korea's Im Sung-jae and Australia's Min Woo Lee. This tee-off is sure to ignite the atmosphere in Medinah!
US Captain Brandt Snedeker and Australian International Captain Geoff Ogilvy alternately made their picks in a chess-like manner to set the matches for the first day at the suburban Chicago course. Snedeker's comment? "We're fired up for all these matchups!", and we can only confirm that.
Historically, the Americans have held the upper hand in this rivalry: a 13-1-1 record speaks volumes, and since the 2003 tie, they have claimed victory ten consecutive times. Their only loss? In 1998, Down Under. Nevertheless, International Captain Ogilvy is anything but subdued: "Everyone goes into tournaments like this with optimism," he remarked. "We've thought about this for a long time, now we're burning to finally get started!"
The first tee time for the Four-Ball matches on Thursday is scheduled for 11:35 AM local time. In the second powerhouse match, Americans Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele will compete against Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and rookie Ryo Hisatsune.
Match number three sends Justin Thomas and 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun into action. Their opponents: Canada's Corey Conners and Colombia's Nico Echavarria.
Snedeker had praise for his young prodigy Koivun: "Jackson is a young guy, and I think he's settled into the team super quickly. He's handled the transition really well." And for his pairing with JT: "Justin is just a natural fit for him. He's someone he feels comfortable with. I think he's going to really take him under his wing and show him how American golf is played."
The penultimate match also promises excitement: US-boys Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa challenge New Zealander Ryan Fox and Aussie Adam Scott.
And the fifth and final Four-Ball match of the day brings South Koreans Tom Kim and Kim Si-woo to the course, where they will face the US duo Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay.
To claim the coveted trophy, teams must accumulate 15.5 of the total 30 points. In case of a 15-15 tie, the cup will be shared – pure excitement until the final putt!
As mentioned, Thursday features five Four-Ball (Best-Ball) matches. Friday will see five Foursomes (Alternate Shot). Saturday will be another long day with four Four-Ball and four Foursomes matches, before Sunday brings the twelve decisive Singles matches.
