Presidents Cup: Day 3 match previews

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Eight points are at stake in Saturday’s Day 3 of the Presidents Cup. The Internationals, trailing 8-2 to the U.S., desperately need a performance like they produced 14 years ago in South Africa. In 2003, the Internationals swept all six matches played on that Saturday at Fancourt – the only time in their team history in the Presidents Cup that they’ve shut out the U.S. in a single session. The format was changed two years later to set up two Day 3 sessions. At Liberty National on Saturday, there will be four Foursomes matches in the morning, followed by four Four-ball afternoon matches. If the Internationals could win six of those matches, the score would be tied entering Sunday’s 12 Singles matches. It’s a tall order, especially given how well the Americans have played in the first two days. Nick Price is shaking up his Foursomes lineup, putting Adam Scott with Adam Hadwin, and Jhonattan Vegas with Emiliano Grillo. Not playing Saturday morning is Hideki Matsuyama, the world’s No. 3-ranked player who has struggled and showing signs of fatigue. Also sitting out the morning are Si Woo Kim, Charl Schwartzel and Anirban Lahiri for the Internationals. Sitting out for the U.S. will be Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell. Presidents Cup rules require that all players play at least two of the first four sessions, so Kim and Lahiri must play in Saturday afternoon Four-balls, as do Berger, Hoffman and Chappell. Expect to see Hoffman and Chappell as teammates, as the Presidents Cup rookies won their Friday Four-ball match 6 and 5. Koepka and Berger partnered for a loss in Thursday’s Foursomes. While the Saturday morning Foursomes pairings are set, the afternoon Four-ball pairings won’t be announced until a few hours before the start of the session. Here’s a look at each of the four morning matches at Liberty National. Fantasy expert Rob Bolton offers his analysis and provides his picks for PGA TOUR Captain’s Pick game.  MATCH 11 Jason Day/Marc Leishman (International) vs. Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed (U.S.) Foursomes records: Day 0-4-3; Leishman 1-2-1; Spieth 4-0-0; Reed 1-2-0 Why Internationals will win: Pure aggravation could see this duo take down the USA big guns. Having let go their opening two matches down the stretch, the Australian duo is fired up to make amends. Why U.S. will win: Not only has Spieth never lost a Foursomes match in the Presidents Cup, he and Reed have never lost as U.S. teammates, going 2-0-2 in Presidents Cup/Ryder Cups. That includes their 5 and 4 win on Thursday over Si Woo Kim and Emiliano Grillo. Rob Bolton’s analysis: Both duos are gunning to avenge disappointing results on Friday, but Reed and Spieth rolled in Foursomes on Thursday. Going out first Saturday with a six-point team lead, the Americans are in position to step on throats. Even though only one-third of the competition is complete, all of the pressure is on the visitors. My pick: U.S. Captain’s Pick suggestion: Reed, Spieth. MATCH 12 Adam Scott/Adam Hadwin (International) vs. Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar (U.S.) Foursomes records: Scott 4-9-2; Hadwin 0-0-0; Johnson 4-0-1; Kuchar 2-3-1 Why Internationals will win: Hadwin showed great fight in his debut appearance on Friday, let down by Matsuyama’s scratchy play. Now paired with Scott, his putting and Scott’s ball-striking could prove a lethal combination. Why U.S. will win: This team is a great combination of distance and accuracy. They were bogey-free in their first Foursomes match of the week, in Thursday’s windy conditions, beating Adam Scott and Jhonattan Vegas. Kuchar should be well-rested after sitting out Friday’s session. Rob Bolton’s analysis: The return of DJ and Kuchar in Foursomes is predictable. Thursday’s 1-up triumph validated last year’s easy win as a pairing at the Ryder Cup. Meanwhile, Scott lost his first two sessions this week to drop to 13-19-5 in his Presidents Cup career. Hadwin is illustrating the spirit that many expected, so perhaps that’s what Scott needs to reverse his course. It’s a connection that might have made more sense on Thursday. My pick: U.S. Captain’s Pick suggestion: Johnson, Kuchar. MATCH 13 Jhonattan Vegas/Emiliano Grillo (International) vs. Phil Mickelson/Kevin Kisner (U.S.) Foursomes records: Vegas 0-1-0; Grillo 0-1-0; Mickelson 11-6-4; Kisner 0-0-1 Why Internationals will win: The South American connection is being unleashed. The pair of Presidents Cup first-timers won’t lack in fire power and should they manage their way past Mickelson’s mind games and dance routines, they could surprise. Why U.S. will win: Mickelson has leaned on Kisner quite a bit in their first two matches, and the first-timer has delivered. Mickelson, of course, can still conjure up magic when needed, as he did with the winning putt in Friday’s Four-ball match. Having spent two days together, these two have now settled into a nice rhythm – as long as they’re not doing the Three Amigos dance. Rob Bolton’s analysis: Vegas didn’t get the job done with Scott on Thursday and Friday, but his new partner figures to lift his spirits. In fact, it’s surprising that it’s taken three days before the only two South Americans on the team were paired. It’s the kind of mid-competition injection that they’re going to need to hold off Kisner and Mickelson, who are 1-0-1 as a couple. Investors in the Internationals can hedge toward an American letdown here, but you shouldn’t expect it. My pick: Halve. Captain’s Pick suggestion: Grillo. MATCH 14 Louis Oosthuizen/Branden Grace (International) vs. Justin Thomas/Rickie Fowler Foursomes records: Oosthuizen 3-2-0; Grace 3-1-0; Thomas 1-0-0; Fowler 2-1-0 Why Internationals will win: Having lost their perfect record against Thomas and Fowler, the South African duo won’t have any trouble getting up for the rematch. Thomas made everything Friday … surely he can’t keep that up, can he? Why U.S. will win: Both players have been red-hot fire, particularly Thomas on the back nine in Friday’s win. They’ve won both their matches handily this week, needing just 30 holes. They’ve lost just three holes and have trailed on just one. But now that they’ve handed the South Africans their first loss, will the same motivation be there to do it again? Rob Bolton’s analysis: Gamers who have sat on Fowler and/or Thomas hope that they’ll go out again in afternoon Four-ball (to double up on the potential for fantasy points), but those matches won’t be announced until morning Foursomes are underway, which means that the daily deadline will have passed. However, given their value to the team, it would seem way outside Stricker’s conservative profile to sit them. Same goes for the powerhouse of Spieth and Reed. My pick: U.S. Captain’s Pick suggestion: Fowler, Thomas.

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