Presidents Cup: Day two preview and best bets for the Friday foursomes
The Presidents Cup might be over as a contest by the end of the day, but where is the value in the foursomes matches? Ben Coley takes a look.
Golf betting tips: Presidents Cup day two
2pts Cantlay/Schauffele and Conners/Hughes at 3/1 (General)
Cantlay/Schauffele vs Matsuyama/Im
Any hopes of a fightback for the Internationals require them to win this session, and it's no surprise that USA captain Jim Furyk is therefore intent on a strong start by unleashing his strongest pairing. These two close friends have been excellent in this format, going 3-0-0 in the Presidents Cup, and their defeat at the Ryder Cup last year was a narrow one to Europe's strongest pairing.
Im can count himself fortunate to be given the nod after a shocking performance on day one saw him fail to register a single birdie. Partner Tom Kim managed four and should the Internationals lose this match, Mike Weir will face difficult questions around his decision to drop Kim altogether. After not selecting Cam Davis, and leaving Si Woo Kim out of the fourballs, alarm bells ring loudly.
As for the outcome of this match, there's clear value in 8/11 for the US pairing. They ought to be closer to 1/2.
Theegala/Morikawa vs Scott/Pendrith
Theegala and Morikawa were taken the distance on day one and after failing to contribute a single birdie prior to the 18th hole, it was impressive to see the former stick one close to wrap up the match. Judging by his reaction, that meant a lot to him and we could see Theegala grow into this now he's got his first point on the board.
Playing alongside Morikawa, he'll be hitting plenty of approach shots from the fairway and can be a deadly iron player on his day, but this International pairing does have scope to cause an upset. Pendrith played well before an awful shot to the 17th and Scott, who also birdied 18, was a little hamstrung by Min Woo Lee at times during the first session.
The trouble is, both Pendrith and Scott are statistically good putters who look more and more like bad putters when matches get tight. That's perhaps harsh on Scott, who holed a nice putt on the last, but the game was up by then. He'll need his Canadian partner to step up and make something having gone 0-5 in this competition so far.
Homa/Harman vs Bezuidenhout/Day
Winning captains get away with their mistakes and that's what will likely happen with Jim Furyk. Still, selecting Max Homa was a questionable decision at the time, and it became bizarre when we learned Homa had ditched his longtime coach prior to that announcement being made. Then, on Wednesday night, Homa was left out of the easiest format, kept back for this most unforgiving one.
We'll see how he gets on and it helps to have the arrow-straight Harman as a foil, but I'd have been taking them on against virtually any other International pairing, including the two who sit out the session. But instead, Weir has given Bezuidenhout another go after he meekly missed a host of short putts late on Thursday, while Day's waywardness off the tee would have to be a massive worry.
This could be ugly.
Clark/Finau vs Conners/Hughes
Finau was one of the weaker US players on day one, predictably struggling on the greens. Clark, though, was superb, second only to Cantlay, and these two big-hitters should work well together on a course which is pillow-soft. Much may depend on whether Finau can make anything.
Whereas they're similar, the two Canadians could scarcely be more different: Conners is an old-school, fairways-and-greens ball-striker who struggles with the putter, although it should be noted he did OK in that department on Thursday. Hughes is a lights-out putter whose ball-striking is a worry, although similarly, it was very good when we last saw him in action.
Hughes' sole contribution so far as a surprise pick has been to chug a can of beer on the first tee, and he'll be itching to get going. I do like his fight and consider him the sort of golfer who could rise to the occasion in a way his fellow Canadians haven't yet. If he can keep it in play off the tee then these quiet crowds might be forced out of their shell.
Scheffler/Henley vs Kim/An
Scheffler and Henley are two of the most accurate drivers on the US side and formed a formidable partnership on day one, to the extent that they stay together when many would've assumed Scheffler would reunite with Sam Burns.
Worryingly for the opposition, both men putted well and as two supreme iron players, they look like being hard to beat. Scheffler had gone through a miserable run since the 2021 Ryder Cup, but with a full point won on day one, he seems likely to end the week with four or five to his name.
Had these two Koreans played Homa and Harman, I'd have made them the best bet, because I love how Si Woo Kim went about things at Quail Hollow and was quite impressed by Ben An at Royal Melbourne. They're two absolute flushers who can compete with their opponents from tee-to-green. I give them a fighting chance regardless but am not inclined to oppose the best golfer in the world, playing with an ideal partner.
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Posted at 1035 BST on 27/09/24
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