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MATCH 1: Cameron Young (U.S.) vs. Ryo Hisatsune (INT)
Captain Snedeker had no choice but to frontload, of course, and Young has been – by far – the best player on the course this week. His 2-2 record so far is less a byproduct of his individual play and more about unfavorable pairings. Hisatsune has a team win this week but needs to putt better than he has in two prior matches to have any chance.
MATCH 2: Wyndham Clark (U.S.) vs. Tom Kim (INT)
Kim shined earlier in the week but he appeared to run out of gas on Saturday, being carried along in a fourballs win before losing for the first time in the afternoon when he was one of the worst players on the course. Clark, meanwhile, continued to putt beautifully, even in a losing effort. He’s been one of the few bright spots for the Americans, locked in with his approach play while being eager to fire up the partisan crowd.
MATCH 3: Justin Thomas (U.S.) vs. Corey Conners (INT)
Thomas has been all over the map: the best player on the course Thursday and the worst the other two days. It’s anyone’s guess which player will turn up on Sunday, as he looks to improve on his 0-3 singles record in this cup (oddly, he’s 4-0 in Ryder Cup singles). Conners will play all five matches this week despite coming in with a 2-7 career mark and suffering through one of his most disappointing seasons in years.
MATCH 4: Scottie Scheffler (U.S.) vs. Nico Echavarria (INT)
It’s Echavarria – who hasn’t played since Thursday (when he was last in the field in strokes gained: total) – drawing the assignment against the world No. 1. If Scheffler doesn’t come out rested and fired up for Sunday singles after his two-birdie fourballs performance got him benched, then Snedeker’s plan massively backfired.
MATCH 5: Sam Burns (U.S.) vs. Sungjae Im (INT)
Burns has been a reliable ball-striker through three days but his putter – normally his greatest weapon – has let him down at times. No one putted worse than him on Saturday afternoon when they lost a critical full point while trying to stage a comeback. Im, meanwhile, has been typically excellent with his iron play despite a 1-2-1 mark.
MATCH 6: Chris Gotterup (U.S.) vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (INT)
The American rookie has been a revelation so far, and he teamed up with Young to post a dominant Saturday in which they led for the entirety of both matches. Gotterup should blast tee shots 50 yards past the short-hitting Bezuidenhout, but he’ll need to take advantage to put away the player who surprisingly has a 4-1-1 career record in the cup despite limited opportunities.
MATCH 7: Collin Morikawa (U.S.) vs. Hideki Matsuyama (INT)
This should be a ball-striking delight, with both players having sat out Saturday afternoon foursomes. Matsuyama has proven to be a tough out in this format, earning a 3-1-2 mark in singles. (Morikawa is 2-0 himself.)
MATCH 8: Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) vs. Adam Scott (INT)
Scott got walloped, 6 and 4, on Saturday afternoon, while Cantlay is coming off a tidier performance in the leadoff match. It might be the final opportunity for the 46-year-old Scott – who has played a record 57 cup matches – to finally notch a team victory.
MATCH 9: MATCH 9: Jackson Koivun (U.S.) vs. Si Woo Kim (INT)
This is a big spot for the 21-year-old American, who has fared reasonably well, going 1-0-1 so far in team play. Along with Im, Kim has been the Internationals’ breakout star, backing up what has been his best season to date with a 3-1 record so far.
MATCH 10: Jacob Bridgeman (U.S.) vs. Min Woo Lee (INT)
Despite leading the Tour in putting and ranking top 5 in birdie average, Bridgeman has only played sparingly in his cup debut, resigned to just foursomes play. He’ll square off against Lee, who has been driving it like a god into the wide-open fairways but wedging like a mid-handicapper, squandering countless opportunities to apply even more pressure.
MATCH 11: Russell Henley (U.S.) vs. Nick Taylor (INT)
It’s been an ugly week so far for Henley, whose short hitting and inability in clutch moments has led to a 0-2 record. Ironically, he’ll go up against Taylor, the 38-year-old rookie, who has shined on consecutive days on the 18th hole, getting up-and-down for pars to earn full points.
MATCH 12: Xander Schauffele (U.S.) vs. Ryan Fox (INT)
If the match extends this far, the Americans can feel good relying on Schauffele, who has a 3-0 career mark in singles. Fox has bounced back after a sloppy Day 1 performance, and his macho finish at The Open should serve him well in the nervy anchor spot.
