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 3, where the U.S. Team will anchor the session with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele against the European combo of Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
How the U.S. will win: After splitting up (somewhat successfully) in the afternoon Four-Ball session, the dynamic duo is reunited once again for a Foursomes match. Cantlay and Schauffele were nearly unstoppable in the opening match, winning each of the first five holes to leave Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter in their wake. Schauffele in particular was making putts from all directions, and they might not even need to play that well to take care of business in this one. Like Dustin Johnson in Match 2, Schauffele will be looking to make it three points out of three in what would be an ideal start to his Ryder Cup debut.
How Europe will win: This is one of two Foursomes pairings that Padraig Harrington left intact, despite the fact that Westwood and Fitzpatrick couldn’t keep pace with Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger in their opening match. The Englishmen will need to make far more putts if they’re going to have a fighting chance in this one, particularly Westwood who let a few slide off his putter blade Friday morning. Fitzpatrick is still in search of his first Ryder Cup point after losing each of his first three dating back to 2016.
Key to the match: The Americans are playing like world-beaters right now, and perhaps none are flying higher than Cantlay and Schauffele. This really feels like a changing of the guard among the U.S. Team, with these two poised to take on a leadership role for years to come. Another point could cement them as a go-to pairing in the same breath as Spieth and Thomas, and they’ll prove to be a formidable opponent for a pair of Europeans who struggled to get their footing in the opening session.
