GLENEAGLES, Scotland – While U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson remained reluctant to show his hand regarding possible pairings for this week’s matches, there were hints to be gleaned from Tuesday’s practice rounds.
Matt Kuchar played with Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson. Watson and Simpson seem likely to play with each other and Kuchar would be a calming force for Spieth, who is a Ryder Cup rookie.
The other practice foursomes included Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Patrick Reed and Hunter Mahan; Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley.
In fact, the practice round groupings resembled a version of 2008 Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger’s pods system, with a rookie in each group and similar personalities.
“It’s not rocket science,” Watson said. “There are certain players who I think meld very well with each other and those are the pairings we’ll probably start with.”