Ryder Cup match previews: Breaking down pairings, matchups for Saturday morning Foursomes

Friday was a historic day at the Ryder Cup. Saturday will determine if it is a rout.

Europe led 6.5-1.5 after Day 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome, Italy, matching the largest lead at this point in the proceedings in Ryder Cup history. With their points coming from three halved matches, it was the first time the U.S. went without winning a match in a day at the Ryder Cup.

Two more sessions will be played on Saturday, with four Foursomes matches in the morning and four Four-ball games in the afternoon. The Ryder Cup will conclude with 12 Singles matches on Sunday.

Read below for the pairings for Saturday’s morning session and previews of the matches.

SATURDAY FOURSOMES (all times ET)

Match 1, 1:35 a.m.: Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth (U.S.) vs. Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood (Europe)

After taking down one of the United States’ top tandems in Saturday’s opening session, McIlroy and Fleetwood get a crack at another one. Schauffele and Cantlay had been 5-0-0 before running into the European Team now affectionately known as “Fleetwood Mac.”

Now Spieth and Thomas will look to avoid a similar fate. This is their first Foursomes match of the week after they sat Friday morning. They tied a Four-ball match in the afternoon after Viktor Hovland (playng alonside Tyrell Hatton) holed a long birdie putt on the 18th hole. Thomas and Spieth are 4-2 together in Foursomes between the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.

Player records: Thomas (6-2-2 overall; 2-2-0 Foursomes); Spieth (8-7-4 overall; 3-2-2 Foursomes); McIlroy (14-12-4 overall; 6-5-1 Foursomes); Fleetwood (5-2-2 overall; 3-0-0 Foursomes)

Match 2, 1:50 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler/Brooks Koepka (U.S.) vs. Viktor Hovland/Ludvig Åberg (Europe)

If it ain’t broke … Hovland and Åberg made for a stout pairing during Friday’s Foursomes session, taking down Homa and Harman 4 and 3. The duo entered the week as two of the hottest golfers in the field – Hovland fresh off his TOUR Championship (and FedExCup) victory while Åberg won the Omega European Masters in just his ninth start as a pro. Now they will try their luck against two of the most decorated Americans in Scheffler and Koepka.

It’s a familiar pairing for the U.S. Team, but one new to Foursomes. Scheffler played Foursomes with Sam Burns on Friday morning and lost 4 and 3 to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. Koepka sat out the session before being paired with Scheffler in the afternoon Four-ball. If not for Rahm’s two eagles over the final three holes, Scheffler and Koepka likely emerge with a win in Four-ball over Rahm and Nicolai Højgaard, not a tie. They made birdies on each of their final five holes.

Player records: Scheffler (2-1-1 overall, 0-1-0 Foursomes); Koepka (6-5-2 overall, 2-2-0 Foursomes); Hovland (1-3-3 overall, 1-2-0 Foursomes); Aberg (1-0-0 overall, 1-0-0 Foursomes)

Match 3, 2:05 a.m.: Max Homa/Brian Harman (U.S.) vs. Shane Lowry/Sepp Straka (Europe)

Lowry and Straka defeated one pair of Californians in Friday morning’s Foursomes session. They face a pair of rookies on Saturday after sitting out Friday’s second session. Lowry and Straka beat Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa, 2 and 1, in the opening session. The Europeans both were in the top 25 on the PGA TOUR in Driving Accuracy this season, and it proved to form a good tandem at Marco Simone.

Homa and Harman get a chance to atone for their 4-and-3 loss to the Scandinavian superteam of Hovland and Ludvig Åberg.

Player records: Homa (0-1-1 overall; 0-1-0 Foursomes); Harman (0-1-0 overall; 0-1-0 Foursomes); Lowry (2-2-0 overall; 1-0-0 Foursomes); Straka (1-0-0 overall; 1-0-0 Foursomes)

Match 4, 2:20 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (U.S.) vs. Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton (Europe)

It’s a bounce-back opportunity for Cantlay and Schauffle, who were widely believed to be the strongest American team entering the week. They lost their Friday Foursomes match to Fleetwood and McIlroy 2 and 1. It was the duo’s first loss in six Foursomes matches combined in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup play.

They have their hands full with Rahm and Hatton, who were arguably Europe’s best pairing on Day 1. Rahm and Hatton dispatched Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns with relative ease, winning 4 and 3. They both won a half-point in the afternoon Four-ball session with different partners.

It will be an interesting contrast of styles. Rahm and Hatton are known for their fiery, emotional demeanors and played off the home crowd well. Cantlay and Schauffele, meanwhile, are nothing if not stoic and enjoy finding motivation from the hostile environment. Cantlay should have fresh legs. He is the only one in this match who sat out Friday’s Four-ball session.

Player records: Cantlay (3-1-1 overall, 2-1-0 Foursomes); Schauffele (3-3-0 overall, 2-1-0 Foursomes); Rahm (5-3-2 overall, 3-0-0 Foursomes); Hatton (3-4-2 overall; 1-1-0 Foursomes)