KOHLER, Wis. – With the U.S. out to a commanding 6-2 lead, we now know who will be teeing it up in Saturday’s Foursome matches as the Americans look to build on their momentum while the Europeans hope to cut into the deficit. Here’s a look at how the pairings stack up in Match 1, where the U.S. Team will open the session with Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger while the Europeans will counter with Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia.
How the U.S. will win: Just roll back the tape from Friday morning, when Koepka and Berger combined for a rather stress-free victory over Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick. The former Florida State teammates never trailed in that one, combining for five birdies over the first 11 holes. A similar start could be enough to topple the formidable Spanish duo, a result that would send shockwaves around Whistling Straits and signal that a U.S. rout might be in the works.
How Europe will win: Rahm and Garcia were the only two that put up a full point for Europe Friday, edging Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in a well-fought Foursomes match. This one feels critical to any hopes of a European comeback, as once again Captain Padraig Harrington is leading with one of his strongest options. Rahm continues to play like the world No. 1, and he’ll need Garcia to back up his opening-match effort if they want a shot at another full point.
Key to the match: Just like on Friday, this one will hinge on Garcia. The 41-year-old played like the all-time leader in Ryder Cup points in his opening match, coolly putting Rahm in position time and again. Foursomes is a fickle format but one for which Garcia seems to have a special knack: the continent will need that trend to continue Saturday if they hope to begin what would be an impressive comeback.
