We now have the pairings for the opening session of the 2014 Ryder Cup. The format will be four ball, where each player plays his own ball into then hole and the best of the two smashes against the best of your opponent’s.
Ryder Cup 2014: Schedule, pairings announced for Friday’s four ball matches
The pairings and order for Friday’s opening session of four ball will feature an enormous clash in the anchor match.
Harry How
Captains Tom Watson and Paul McGinley announced the pairings at Wednesday afternoon’s Opening Ceremonies. Each captain must set the lineup in advance and has no idea who his opponent is sending out together and in what order. The highlight here is the anchor match, featuring the heavyweights from both sides.
Match 1 -- 2:35 a.m. ET
Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson vs. Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson
Tom Watson will send out the “Christian Connection” against two superstar Euros ranked in the top six in the world. Rose and Stenson will be the favorites, but Bubba and Webb have established some chemistry over the past four years. Bubba’s long-hitting combined with Webb’s work into the green are a good match, and Simpson also does his best to get along with Bubba and keep him under control.
Match 2 -- 2:50 a.m. ET
Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker vs. Thomas Bjorn and Martin Kaymer
This should be the one match where the USA is favored. Rickie Fowler is probably the best overall player on the USA side right now, and Jimmy Walker probably hadthe most consistent season of anyone on the PGA Tour. This is a point the USA needs to pick off from Bjorn, a Euro veteran, and Kaymer, who hasn’t been hobbled and not the dominant player he was early in the summer.
Match 3 -- 3:05 a.m. ET
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed vs. Stephen Gallacher and Ian Poulter
This was a surprising pairing for Watson, putting the two rookies together. We thought Spieth was headed for a Matt Kuchar pairing and Reed was going be out with Jim Furyk. This is the biggest risk Watson is taking in the opening session, and they’ll face Europe’s Ryder Cup hero in Ian Poulter. The Englishman will guide the home favorite, Scotsman Stephen Gallacher, out for his first ever Ryder Cup match. They’re probably the two crowd favorites and will draw the loudest galleries -- an imposing task for the two American rookies.
Match 4 -- 3:20 a.m. ET
Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson vs. Sergio Garcia and Rory Mcilroy
Boom! This is obviously the match of the session, featuring the top guns of the Euro side and the heart and soul of the American side. The final point of a session is always critical, but this is as high-powered a matchup we could get in the entire Ryder Cup. There will be much celebration with every single hole won.
The players left on the bench for the USA are: Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, and Hunter Mahan.
The Euros are leaving Jamie Donaldson, Lee Westwood, Victor Dubuisson, and Graeme McDowell on the bench.
