Presidents Cup Round 1: Preview Thursday's Four-ball matchups, odds, more

The captains have revealed their matchups for the first round of the 15th Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Thursday's opening session between the Internationals and the Americans will feature five matches of Four-ball (best ball), with each player playing their own ball and the lowest score between the pair counting as the team score on each hole. The International Team has a slight edge historically in the Four-ball format, holding an overall winning record of 65-63-14.

Here are the pairings for Thursday's opening session.

Round 1: Four-ball match pairings (all times ET)

(Tee times subject to change)

Match 1

11:35 a.m.: Xander Schauffele/Tony Finau (U.S.) vs. Jason Day/Byeong Hun An (International)

The Internationals followed their Tuesday practice-round pairings down the board. Day and An prepped for Four-ball, and they’ll get the nod as the first team out for the Internationals. Both appeared on the 2019 Presidents Cup, but they did not play together. The Americans opted to split the successful Schauffele-Cantlay pairing, at least for the opening session. Team Captain Jim Furyk said the U.S. wanted to spread their top-end talent across numerous pairings. Both Schauffele and Finau have struggled in Four-ball sessions, going a combined 1-5-1 in the format in Presidents Cup history.

Golfbet outlook: Schauffele and Finau are the biggest favorites of the Thursday matches and for good reason given Day’s previous Presidents Cup struggles. Day claims he has turned a motivational corner, but he’ll need to turn back the clock and bring his “A” game to best an American duo who are both inside the top five on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green. Lean to the visitors here.

Odds: Schauffele/Finau (-180) vs. Day/An (+150)

Match 2

11:53 a.m.: Collin Morikawa/Sahith Theegala (U.S.) vs. Adam Scott/Min Woo Lee (International)

Arguably each team’s most intriguing rookie is in this second match, Theegala for the Americans and Lee for the Internationals. Both rookies will have steady veterans at their side. It’s the California kids vs. the Aussie lads.

Golfbet outlook: Arguably the best match of the opening day. Both U.S. Team players are inside the top 10 of SG: Total this season making them formidable, but with a steady Scott putting the ball in play, Lee is set to be unleashed off the tee. Don’t be afraid of the plus money.

Odds: Morikawa/Theegala (-135) vs. Scott/Lee (+114)

Match 3

12:11 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler/Russell Henley (U.S.) vs. Sungjae Im/Tom Kim (International)

Henley couldn’t ask for a better partner for his first match in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. His partner, Scheffler, isn’t just the world No. 1. He also leads the PGA TOUR in birdies per round (4.88), which is especially important in Four-ball. While Im is coming off a seventh-place finish in this season’s FedExCup, Kim hasn’t competed since his FedExCup season ended in heartbreaking fashion at the FedEx St. Jude Championship that ended more than a month ago.

Golfbet outlook: Scheffler was going to be a significant betting favorite regardless of his partner or International opponents. This one could come down to the performance of Kim, who was an emotional spark two years ago at Quail Hollow. There's some value on the underdogs to keep it close and potentially score an early upset.

Odds: Scheffler/Henley (-155) vs. Im/T. Kim (+130)

Match 4

12:29 p.m.: Wyndham Clark/Keegan Bradley (U.S.) vs. Taylor Pendrith/Christiaan Bezuidenhout (International)

Pendrith has the honor of being the first Canadian on the course Thursday at Royal Montreal. He’ll play alongside another player who made his East Lake debut this year in Bezuidenhout. Both players are dramatically improved since they made their Presidents Cup debut two years ago. Pendrith, already a long hitter, has developed into an elite putter, while Bezuidenhout is a much better ball-striker than he was in 2022. They’ll face a fiery pair in Clark and Bradley that could make birdies in bunches. Clark has had an up-and-down second half of the season, though, including a missed cut at the Procore Championship two weeks ago.

Golfbet outlook: Toss the coin on this one. While the U.S. is sending out two major winners, they still don’t hold a fear factor for the Internationals, especially as this is the first Canadian to hit the tee for the home side. Betting on emotion isn’t a wise move, but it might be enough for Pendrith to prevail.

Odds: Clark/Bradley (-120) vs. Pendrith/Bezuidenhout (+100)

Match 5

12:47 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay/Sam Burns (U.S.) vs. Hideki Matsuyama/Corey Conners (International)

It’s a ball-striking bonanza in this final pairing as International Team Captain Mike Weir sent out two of his best iron players in Matsuyama and Conners, a first-time pairing for the Internationals. It’s a formidable duo with the Internationals' highest-ranked player and their most consistent Canadian, but the Internationals will have to fend off two of the Americans’ best putters in Cantlay and Burns. Cantlay said Tuesday that he likes playing in an away environment. He and Burns will certainly feel it as the final match on the course.

Golfbet outlook: This is the match that oddsmakers view as the closest contest of the opening session. It's hard to doubt Cantlay's match-play pedigree, even with a new partner in Burns. But the X factor could be Conners, who will anchor the opening session in front of the home crowd but needs some redemption after going 0-4 at Quail Hollow. In a match that could decide the overnight lead, the Americans have a slight edge.

Odds: Cantlay/Burns (-110) vs. Matsuyama/Conners (-110)

Odds sourced by DraftKings.