Ben Coley previews the first day of the Presidents Cup.
Golf betting tips: Presidents Cup day one
2pts Thomas/Koivun & Cantlay/Gotterup to win at 11/4 (General)
1pt Ryan Fox to be the top rookie points scorer at 15/2 (General)
The day one draw has been pretty kind to us on paper, in theory at least. Top overall scorer selections Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele plays together, which is ideal if they win but a disaster if they lose. Were they to win, that would help improve chances for our top Internationals scorers, who are in different matches. In turn, were one of them to down Scottie Scheffler then that helps the other way.
All in all though, there were no big surprises. Jacob Bridgeman and Russell Henley were always likely to be the two US players to miss this session. It wasn't quite so clear for the Internationals, with any one of three capable of filling the slot which in the end went to Nico Echavarria, meaning Nick Taylor and Christiaan Bezuidenhout have to wait until Friday.
There are a few reasons for adding RYAN FOX to be the TOP ROOKIE to the staking plan, though.
Firstly, I like the draw. He and Adam Scott could so easily have been asked to lead out against the strongest US pairing, but they're in match four, against a good but not unbeatable one. I like their chances and from there, were they to win, Fox would be incredibly difficult to bench.
By contrast, all three of the US rookies could find their involvement capped. Bridgeman is already benched for the opening fourballs, which could offer clear insight into Saturday's second fourballs session. Chris Gotterup seems ideally suited to fourballs, less so to foursomes, and therefore could be the one to step aside and make way for Bridgeman on Friday.
I'd be less sure about Jackson Koivun, but asking him to play four or five matches on debut for such a strong side is not something I imagine the US captaincy team will do lightly. For all his promise, he is one of the weakest players in the here and now. Fox, on the other hand, is part of the smaller Internationals core. He's a major champion. He surely has to play four or five times.
That alone won't win him this market but combined with a decent draw I think his chances have improved, yet he's been eased in the betting to 15/2, the same price as Ryo Hisatsune. Hisatsune isn't as good, he has a tougher draw today, and he's unlikely to play as many matches. I can't fathom why they'd both be 15/2 chances, which they are with Sky Bet, Paddy Power, and Betfair.
Scheffler/Burns vs Lee/Im (1735 BST)
Unsurprisingly, Scottie Scheffler is out first for the United States. His team record so far is poor but this is still the world number one we're talking about and, eventually, he'll enjoy a brilliant week in one of these, just as Tiger Woods did a couple of times, just as Rory McIlroy did in Rome. That week could well be now, though he has another question to answer alongside Sam Burns having gone 0-3-1 as a pair across two competitions.
Fourballs, however, makes sense in that regard. There's no ball synchronicity required, no real need to have games which complement each other's. Of course, there are still ways to optimise pairings statistically, but the potential advantage is negligible versus the foursomes which follow on Friday. If Brandt Snedeker was going to give Scheffler another go with his close friend, Burns, then it really had to be now.
They are arguably the two strongest US players on 2026 form and merit favouritism, but the Internationals have sent out a high-ceiling partnership first of all and that makes for a wide range of possibilities. Min Woo Lee has raw power and makes birdies for fun; Sungjae Im drives it straight and boasts a killer short-game. Much is going to depend on whether they can live with the Americans on the second shot.
On that it's hard to be anything more than hopeful, and most who are betting accumulators across the five matches will feel comfortable starting at the very top. Scheffler is unbeaten in fourballs in the Presidents Cup and if the International duo can change that, maybe we are in for something more competitive than it appears set to be. That comment may apply to this match but the USA ought to edge it.
Verdict: USA 1up
Young/Schauffele vs Matsuyama/Hisatsune (1753)
Perhaps the one surprise on the US side is pairing Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele – it certainly appeared to catch Geoff Ogilvy and his team off-guard. It makes a lot of sense, though. These have arguably been the two standout US golfers in recent team events, certainly among this dozen, and they're both similar in demeanour. They're two of the very best ball-strikers here and if the putts drop, watch out.
Hideki Matsuyama was always going to be pairing up with his first ever Japanese teammate as he seeks to end a losing streak of four fourballs matches in a row. Finding the right partner for Matsuyama has been a real challenge since his 2013 debut – it hasn't worked with Adam Scott, for example – but he did go 2-0-0 with a rookie partner in this format at Royal Melbourne.
Ryo Hisatsune looks the sort of character who might revel in this environment and the awe factor alongside a Japanese golfing legend is mitigated by the number of practice rounds they've shared. If he can hold his nerve then as with the top pairing, this is a high-upside partnership in some ways. Hisatsune, though, hasn't been at his best since the spring and does look the weak link on paper.
Matsuyama's best golf is so good that he's arguably the one Internationals player who could win a point on his own in this format, but for my money this is the worst draw imaginable. I've a vested interested in the Americans, my two top scorer selections, and expect them to end the day with a point on their respective records. Hopefully they play so well that they're both out again in Friday's foursomes.
Verdict: USA 3&2
Thomas/Koivun vs Conners/Echavarria (1811)
It was clear throughout the week that Snedeker would send Justin Thomas out alongside Jackson Koivun in an exciting pairing of brilliant iron players. Koivun couldn't have asked for a better partner, in my view. Scheffler of course would've been on a pure performance level, but that would've been daunting in some ways. Thomas will make him comfortable and the fact that he's 6-0-0 in this format in the Presidents Cup is significant.
Thomas partnered rookie Daniel Berger to a convincing fourballs win in 2017 and while his own form lately hasn't quite been as good as he'd have liked, this has been a solid season given that it began with a comeback from surgery. It would be foolish to underestimate him, particularly playing team golf on home soil.
Corey Conners won't do that as he's twice faced Thomas in pairs golf and twice lost. He's paired with the player who has the lowest floor of all 24 in the competition and whose warm-up in Asheville last week could hardly have gone worse. Nico Echavarria signed off the Playoffs with a hopeless display of ball-striking, returned to action with another, and may be harshly exposed in against such a fearsome pairing.
At the prices, the USA to win match three looks the best bet of the day.
Verdict: USA 4&2
Clark/Morikawa vs Fox/Scott (1829)
As we move down the board we get into the ever-so-slightly weaker US pairings. In fact, I'd probably rank them in the order they're sent out. That this one is a pair of two-time major champions says so much about the strength at Snedeker's disposal and while I'd have my concerns over them in foursomes, in this format Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa will have no excuses.
To me, that makes this the key match of the session. Ryan Fox and Adam Scott, fresh from good performances at Wentworth last week, simply have to deliver. Fox is a debutant but also a major champion, which is exactly what Clark was in the 2023 Ryder Cup. Scott has barely missed a session since his debut and has played more matches than the entire US team combined. Both are in good form, too.
Ogilvy has to my eye gone for a different approach to Snedeker in that he's back-loaded his order with his two best pairings. This makes sense in some respects but there's some risk that red colours the leaderboard early on, which would only place more pressure upon matches four and five. How these experienced players handle it and the result they're able to get may define day one.
I think Fox and Scott are up to the challenge, though. This golf course should appeal to both of them, they might be a bit sharper than their opponents, and they can ensure that the Internationals get on the board if they've not yet managed to.
Verdict: Internationals 2&1
Gotterup/Cantlay vs Kim/Kim (1847)
At first glance this appeared the closest to a 50-50 match and much may depend on two things: whether Chris Gotterup handles the occasion (I think he will), and whether his power is a big advantage against two short, straight drivers in Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim (I think it might be).
The Koreans make for a nice pairing and are 2-1-0 together, one of those a fourball victory which involved Patrick Cantlay. They've both enjoyed fantastic years, Si Woo contending any number of times including in the Open, Tom winning the Scottish Open and returning to something like his best. I'm just a bit worried they've landed a bad draw at the wrong golf course.
On that we'll see, but just as Koivun has been well-paired on debut, so has Gotterup. Cantlay has his critics, but he more than merited selection for this based on a string of good performances for the USA and a season that could've delivered so much more had his putter behaved. Perhaps that's a weakness here, but the same goes for Si Woo.
Returning to the opening line, my view is that the US duo can answer the key questions and will land a big blow by beating the pair Ogilvy will hope can go to the well in every session and deliver points. I'd have given them a better chance were this foursomes.
Verdict: USA 3&2
Posted at 10:50 BST on 24/09/26
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling.
Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
