Presidents Cup betting tips: Day four preview and best bets for Sunday singles matches at Medinah

Golf betting tips: Presidents Cup day four

3pts Young, Scheffler, Gotterup at 14/5 (Betfred - 5/2 general)

1pt Presidents Cup to end in a draw at 7/1 (General)

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Stage set for thrilling finish

Whisper it, but the Presidents Cup might be saved. A week which began with a collective conviction that the United States would win and win well is going to end in drama one way or another. The Internationals, the team that seemingly needed an overhaul of the competition to stand any chance of winning it, have shown class and heart in abundance and now lead 10.5-7.5 heading into the Sunday singles.

The story of Saturday, which saw their lead cut by a point, was that this outmatched team twice avoided succumbing to whitewash sessions that would've turned the tide. In the morning, they trailed in all four matches but only lost two; in the afternoon, the same. Corey Conners making a six-foot, pressure putt on 18 embodied their efforts: this was ultimate defiance to complete a turnaround from three down through 10.

Of course, the risk now is that it all amounts to nothing; that, free from each other, the United States start performing like the dominant team they ought to be. Remember, there are 30 points available in the Presidents Cup and the USA are the holders. This means that from 12 singles matches, five points are still required for the upset. There is a very long way to the finishing line and no wonder the USA are just 7/4.

But providing the Internationals continue to fight, continue to compete, they will at least be close to winning. That might sound like a low bar, but in a team event so one-sided that there's been persistent talk of bringing the dominant Asian players of the women's game in to help, the Internationals needed first to avoid a landslide defeat, then to at least run the USA close. They should do that, and they might just win.

My view on Brandt Snedeker's captaincy, which he criticised himself on Saturday night, was generous up until the point he made a terrible mistake in selecting his singles line-up. In the Presidents Cup, captains take turns so that they can respond to, rather than second-guess, each other. Geoff Ogilvy, as they say, nailed the assignment; Snedeker absolutely did not. By playing his Scottie Scheffler card, he allowed Ogilvy to send out his weakest player against a world number one who would likely beat his best player. It was a shocking error.

Now, Scheffler is almost certain to register a point and it can be argued that it's 10.5-8.5 with 11 matches on the table, but every single member of the United States side would've been favourite versus Echavarria, and you only get one point whichever hole the match ends on. Snedeker ought to have ensured his wounded but refreshed world number one was positioned to face one of the stars of the International side and it could cost him.

That said, there's some risk in Ogilvy generally stacking the bottom of his side. Looking at the singles draw, which is previewed in full below, it's easy to imagine a scenario where there's a lot of red on the board early. That would pile pressure onto those out late and could set things up for a brilliant climax. It will be unmissable one way or another.

Outright selections (current position)

• Ryan Fox top International (4th)
• Ryan Fox top rookie (T1)
• Min Woo Lee top International (3rd)
• Cameron Young top overall (T4)
• Xander Schauffele top overall (lost)
• Match to end in a draw (7/1)

Min Woo Lee is third, Ryan Fox fourth in the International scorer charts; Lee will top them if he wins and both Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim lose, or could land a dead-heat. Fox can also land a share if he wins and the Korean pair both lose providing Lee doesn't win. The best scenario for these selections alone is that Lee wins and overtakes both Kims.

However, Fox was also selected for top rookie honours and this was the bit I got right. Jackson Koivun has only played twice, as have Jacob Bridgeman and Ryo Hisatsune. In playing four times, Fox had twice as many opportunities to score points and he's currently tied with Chris Gotterup and Nick Taylor, but Gotterup seemingly has the best draw of the three. It will be a bit of a surprise if he doesn't win his point and therefore limit what Fox can achieve in this market.

Cameron Young meanwhile is the joint-top USA scorer, but was selected as top outright on the assumption that the USA would dominate, which proved wide of the mark. He can mathematically still share first place outright if he wins the top match, but it would require both Kims to lose and Lee not to win, and would result in a minimum three-way share, likely more than that given that Gotterup and Scheffler are among the others on two points.

Young is comfortably clear in total strokes-gained for the week and was let down badly in the first two sessions, so we can count ourselves a little unfortunate here. However, such is the nature of team golf. We've had winners before who rode on the shoulders of their partners, who were well drawn, and so on. Ultimately, he had very little chance after the first two days.

Finally, the draw was added at 9/1 yesterday and now trades at 7/1. This still feels like a definite runner and as you'll have seen at the top, I'm inclined to go in again to small stakes.

Sunday singles preview

Young vs Hisatsune

Young is one of three US players to have featured in every session and we finally saw the best of him during the fourth, as he blasted his foursomes partnership into an unassailable lead. The reason he's out first though may be that he was at Bethpage last year, where he beat Justin Rose with a clutch putt on the 18th hole to really come of age. In strokes-gained terms he's been the best among all 24 players and should sign off with a win. It's frustrating that he was let down by partners early on.

Verdict: USA 4&3

Clark vs Tom Kim

Clark has gone 1-3-0 but, like Young, has been better than his results. He was statistically the best player in his Saturday foursomes match but happened to pair with Sam Burns the day he couldn't make a putt. Clark, now out on his own, has earned the faith shown in him as Snedeker front-loads in search of scoreboard pressure. Tom Kim meanwhile has been paired with a standout US player for the third Presidents Cup in succession and still seeks his first win. What's left in the tank? Perhaps not a lot and he was poor on Saturday evening.

Verdict: USA 2&1

Thomas vs Conners

We've seen all sides of Thomas so far this week but it's been downhill since a blistering start. His approach play was the worst among all 16 players involved in Saturday's fourballs and that area of his game is the big difference between this version and the one which was once the US talisman. He's lost all three singles matches in this, too, but against Matsuyama, Smith and Si Woo Kim. Conners is a potentially easier proposition but he'll be in the fairway a lot and must be buoyed by the way he stepped up to win a point on Saturday. He's 1-1-0 in this format. Pushed, I'd side with Thomas to step up, but I couldn't be confident.

Verdict: USA 1up

Scheffler vs Echavarria

The best player in the world versus the worst player in the competition is a complete mismatch on paper. This is 18-hole match play and he's been beaten in both Presidents Cup singles matches, first by Sebastian Munoz then by Matsuyama, but this is no time to try to be smart. Echavarria has been driving the ball all over the golf course, he's not played since Thursday's abysmal debut, and he's in here as a sacrificial lamb. Good luck trying to prove people wrong.

Verdict: USA 7&6

Burns vs Im

Burns remains a curious one. There are ways to consider him one of the very best players in the world and he could've won two majors this year. There are ways to challenge that: he's not won anything in three years and why is it that one of the world's best putters can look hopeless with that club in times of need? That putter has been a problem all week and again this can lead you in either direction, because there's no doubt he's hitting the ball very well. Im is an interesting opponent who is 2-1-0 in singles and has been excellent. I doubt he'll be rolled over.

Verdict: Match halved

Gotterup vs Bezuidenhout

Bezuidenhout is a rare thing in team golf: a player who won his first match then didn't play again until the singles. That reflects some iffy ball-striking numbers on Friday and it's hard to escape the conclusion that for all his record in this is extremely good (4-1-1), he's going to be found out by a powerhouse opponent who caught fire to win both his matches on Saturday. Gotterup looks made for this and is a very different proposition to the two US players Bezuidenhout has beaten in singles, Brian Harman and Kevin Kisner.

Verdict: USA 4&2

Morikawa vs Matsuyama

Two of the sport's premiere iron players go head-to-head and I narrowly favour Matsuyama. He's only lost one of six singles matches in the Presidents Cup (2013 debut) and beat Scheffler in Montreal, and while Morikawa is 2-0-0 so far, he's been down the order and well-drawn, particularly when facing Mito Pereira on debut. He has hit the ball well this week, particularly his approaches, but has been poor off the tee and we saw on Friday that his putter went missing under pressure. Matsuyama has his problems with that club but I trust more him to step up in this scenario.

Verdict: Internationals 2&1

Cantlay vs Scott

There are strong parallels between these two on paper. Both are 1-2-0 for the week, both are usually best from tee-to-green, both have this time relied on their putters having been a little ragged with their long-games. Cantlay at least brings momentum, for whatever that's worth, having got off the mark on Saturday evening. Still, his iron play wasn't sharp and that offers hope for Scott, who would dearly love to play a key role in finally winning this thing and is positioned to do so at eighth in the order. Cantlay can ruin the party though and go 4-0-0 in the format.

Verdict: USA 2&1

Koivun vs Si Woo Kim

Arguably the match of the day on paper and one that could be pivotal. By this time it seems likely the Internationals have come under pressure and perhaps need Kim to complete a big week with a point to haul them close to 15.5 points. He's beaten Justin Thomas in singles before when sent out in the top match and does deserve favouritism having been much better than Koivun, particularly from tee-to-green. But then this is the new star of US golf and it's not hard to envisage a scenario where he's the one capturing a vital point. The prices, which give Kim a narrow edge, feel about right.

Verdict: Internationals 1up

Bridgeman vs Lee

Ogilvy has gone with six of his core players for the bottom six matches and Lee is one of them, having played four matches so far and lost just once. He's been hit-and-miss, as you might've expected, particularly with the putter. Indeed his weaknesses are Bridgeman's strengths and vice versa which makes this a fascinating match. The American will be desperate to contribute having gone 0-2-0 in foursomes so far but I'm hopeful this is the day we see something of the star quality Min Woo has always had. It's time to deliver under the gun.

Verdict: Internationals 3&2

Henley vs Taylor

Henley is a very strong favourite and he is strictly speaking unbeaten in two team singles matches for the USA, but I can't forget that timid putt he produced in the pivotal Ryder Cup match last year. Given that he's been a bit below his best since and has gone 0-2-0 this week, short prices make no appeal. Yes, there are some worries about Taylor's driving, but he's a gritty competitor who has gone 2-1-0 so far, who helped turn around a match last night, and could sign off his overdue debut with another point.

Verdict: Internationals 2&1

Schauffele vs Fox

At times watching Schauffele this week it's felt like he may never hole another putt, but that changed when he and his old pal Cantlay downed the number one Internationals duo on Saturday night and I'm not surprised the two-time major champion has been handed the anchor match. It usually goes to one of the weaker players, but this is serious now and the USA may need him. Fox of course became a major champion in July and has taken to this on debut, looking especially good on the greens. Both sides have the right man for the job.

Verdict: Match halved

Posted at 07:30 BST on 27/09/26

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