Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington announced their lineups for Friday’s morning session of foursomes (alternate shot) at the 43rd Ryder Cup. And both captains are leaning on their stallions to draw first blood.
Leading the charge for the United States will be Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Boasting a combined four Major victories, Spieth and Thomas were the rare duo to find success at the 2018 Ryder Cup, racking up a 3-1 record in Pairs. They will be the first group Friday morning, facing the Spanish pair of Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia.
Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa will be the second group out for the Americans, where they will battle Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland. Match No.3 will see former Florida State teammates Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger take on the English couple of Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Rounding out the morning session will be Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele and PGA Tour Player of the Year Patrick Cantlay against Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter. Schauffele and Cantlay played together in all four team sessions at the 2019 Presidents Cup.
The first match begins at 7:05am (10:05pm AEST), with the matches following in 16-minute intervals. The afternoon session of four-ball (best-ball) will begin at 12:10pm (3:10am AEST). Pairings for the afternoon will be announced during the foursomes matches.
The Americans are looking to win for the third time in their past four home starts, while the Europeans hope to continue their overall dominance in the event with victories in seven of the past nine showdowns.
Match 1: Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia vs Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth
Match 2: Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland vs Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa
Match 3: Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick vs Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger
Match 4: Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter vs Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele
