The five four-ball matches for the first day of the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal have been announced by Internationals captain Mike Weir and US counterpart Jim Furyk, with the action getting underway at 11.35 ET (4.35pm BST) on Thursday.
Getting the 2024 edition of the match started is Australian Jason Day and South Korean Byeong Hun An vs Americans Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau.
The all-South Korean pairing of Sungjae Im and Tom Kim then takes on World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and Presidents Cup rookie Russell Henley, before Australians Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee face Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.
The home crowd will then see the first of three Canadians in the International Team when Taylor Pendrith and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout do battle with Wyndham Clark and 2025 US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, before Japanese player Hideki Matsuyama and another Canadian, Corey Conners, take on Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
One of the biggest surprises from the pairings is that the familiar partnership of Schauffele and Cantlay has been broken up, at least for the first session.
Afterwards, Furyk explained that decision, joking: "What went into the decision to split them? I mean, it's little known, they just don't really like each other anymore. They don't get along very well."
He added: "No. We're trying to maximize our - if you've got eight guys or ten guys on the course, we're trying to maximize your potential, get the best five groups you can get out there on the golf course."
Another, arguably smaller, surprise came with the omission of Max Homa from the opening day of action for Team USA. He won all three of his pairs sessions in 2022, while he also impressed at last year's Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, with 2.5 points from his four rounds of four-ball and foursomes.
He'll have to wait for his chance in Montreal this week, but Furyk offered reassurance he'd get plenty of opportunities as the match goes on.
He explained: "Putting him on the bench is an extremely harsh word. You've got to have two folks that don't play tomorrow. Max, I have a lot of confidence in his game. I have a lot of confidence in what he brings to our team, not only from a playing standpoint, but in the team room as well. You're going to see him play a lot of golf this week."
As for the Internationals, who are looking for only their second win at the match since it began in 1994, captain Weir took over half of his allotted two minutes before opting for Lee and Scott to take on Morikawa and Sahith Theegala, but he admitted he thinks it's a partnership that has plenty of promise.
He said: "Min's obviously a powerful player, and so is Adam. The guys just get along really well. They've known each other, Adam's mentored him a little bit as well, and they're just a great fit. They just really like each other as well."
Meanwhile, there will be plenty of attention on another Australian, Jason Day, when play gets underway. He is making his fifth Presidents Cup appearance but the first since 2017 at Liberty National.
Following the Thursday four-ball session, there are five matches of foursomes on Friday. On Saturday, there is a morning session of four-ball followed by an afternoon session of foursomes, with 12 singles matches to conclude the action on Sunday.
Presidents Cup day 1 pairings, matches and tee times:
Match 1: Jason Day vs Byeong Hun An vs Xander Schauffele/Tony Finau: 11.35am ET (4.45pm BST)
Match 2: Sungjae Im/Tom Kim vs Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley: 11.53am ET (4.53pm BST)
Match 3: Adam Scott/Min Woo Lee vs Collin Morikawa/Sahith Theegala: 12.11pm ET (5.11pm BST)
Match 4: Taylor Pendrith/Christiaan Bezuidenhout vs Wyndham Clark/Keegan Bradley: 12.29pm ET (5.29pm BST)
Match 5: Hideki Matsuyama/Corey Conners vs Patrick Cantlay/Sam Burns: 12.47pm ET (5.47pm BST)
Presidents Cup quick links
- Presidents Cup Format
- Presidents Cup Schedule and Tee Times
- Presidents Cup Team USA
- Presidents Cup International Team
- Presidents Cup Future Venues
- Who Has Won The Most Presidents Cup Points?
We're set to find out who will be playing each other in the five four ball matches on Thursday, with captains Jim Furyk and Mike Weir set to unveil their line-ups shortly.
Four Ball To Get Things Started
The 2022 match began with a round of foursomes, but this time round, four ball gets us started, with play scheduled to begin at approximately 11.35am ET (4.45pm BST).
What Happened In 2022?
We're moments away for the pairings for the opening round of four ball, but what happened two years ago?
Back then, the US was quick out of the traps at Quail Hollow two years ago, with the five matches of opening foursomes yielding four points to the hosts and just one for the Internationals thanks to Si Woo Kim and Cam Davis, who beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. Of those, only Davis is absent this time.
Here Come The Pairings...
There are five matches in the Thursday four ball sessions. Here come the pairings...
As the host captain, Mike Weir has selected four ball to get things started. First up, it's: Jason Day vs Byeong Hun An vs Xander Schauffele/Tony Finau
Match 2
Collin Morikawa/Sahith Theegala vs Adam Scott/Min Woo Lee
Match 3
Sungjae Im/Tom Kim vs Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley
Match 4
Wyndham Clark/Keegan Bradley s Taylor Pendrith/Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Match 5
Patrick Cantlay/Sam Burns vs Hideki Matsuyama/Corey Conners
No Xander/Cantlay Partnership To Start
The big surprise that immediately stands out is the fact that the formidable partnership of US stars Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele isn't being reunited to get things started.
Day With An Early Point To Prove
There had been some suggestion that Mike Weir would send one of his three Canadians out to begin with to get the home crowd going. In the end, he resisted temptation, with Jason Day partnered with Byeong Hun An. They'll face a tough start against Xander Schauffele/Tony Finau. Day will feel he has a point to prove having not played in the match since 2017.
All Eyes On Scheffler
It’ll be interesting to see how the World No.1 gets on in the pairs sessions. He struggled big time in them at both the 2022 Presidents Cup and last year’s Ryder Cup.
He gained just half a point across the six sessions of the two matches including a 9&7 drubbing playing alongside Brooks Koepka vs Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg at Marco Simone. Have we finally found his Achilles heel? We’ll know more tomorrow when he tees it up in match 3 alongside Presidents Cup rookie Russell Henley against Sungjae Im and Tom Kim
Furyk Explains Cantlay/Schauffele Decision
US captain Jim Furyk was asked what led to the decision to split up the formidable partnership of Patrick Cantlaya and Xander Schauffele for the opening day of four ball.
He started by joking they'd fallen out! "What went into the decision to split them?," he said. "I mean, it's little known, they just don't really like each other anymore. They don't get along very well.
"No. We're trying to maximize our - if you've got eight guys or ten guys on the course, we're trying to maximize your potential, get the best five groups you can get out there on the golf course."
Max Pain?
Max Homa was nothing short of excellent both in the 2022 Presidents Cup and 2023 Ryder Cup, but he's not getting his chance tomorrow.
He finished with three out of the three in the pairs sessions at Quail Hollow, and backed that up with 2.5 points from his four pairs sessions at the Ryder Cup.
No doubt he'll be ready to continue where he left off when he is finally let off the leash.
Furyk On Homa Decision...
"Putting him on the bench is an extremely harsh word. You've got to have two folks that don't play tomorrow. Max, I have a lot of confidence in his game. I have a lot of confidence in what he brings to our team, not only from a playing standpoint, but in the team room as well. You're going to see him play a lot of golf this week."
Weir Keeps Us Waiting On Lee/Scott Pairing
The all-Australian pairing of Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee was confirmed for match 2 by Mike Weir, but only after more than a minute of deliberation, suggesting he might have been slightly thrown by Furyk's initial choice of Collin Morikawa/Sahith Theegala. Will that extra time weighing up his options prove worthwhile?
What's The Presidents Cup Schedule?
After the five matches of four ball on Thursday, Friday sees another five matches, this time of foursomes. Saturday has a morning session of four ball followed by an afternoon session of foursomes, with 12 singles matches to conclude the action on Sunday.
