SHEBOYGAN (Wis.) -- The Ryder Cup will be started Friday morning by the United States team of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. They will take on the European team of Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm, both from Spain.
Foursomes are also known as alternate shot.
Thomas and Spieth team up to win 3-1 at 2018 Ryder Cup in France. Rahm is No. 1 in the Ryder Cup points standings, while Garcia is the all-time Ryder Cup leader. The world's No. 1 player. They start at 8:05 a.m. ET.
Friday Morning Foursomes Team USA against. Team Europe Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth 8:05a Jon Rahm/Sergio Garcia Dustin Johnson/Collin Morikawa 8:21a Paul Casey/Viktor Hovland Brooks Koepka/Daniel Berger 8:37a Lee Westwood/Matt Fitzpatrick Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele 8:53a Rory McIlroy/Ian Poulter -- All times ET
U.S. captain Steve Stricker stated that everyone is ready to finally get started. It's been three years since you came in on Sunday night. The practice rounds are great, but you still have Friday in your head and you just want to get out there and do it.
"I love our pairings. There are some teams that have been together for years in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups. We wouldn't put them out there without feeling good about them. We are very excited about the way these guys are playing and the order in which they will be going out.
At 8:21 AM, the next match will pit Americans Dustin Johnson & Collin Morikawa against Paul Casey from England and Viktor Hovland in Norway. ET. Johnson is participating in his fifth Ryder Cup. This is the most American players on the team. He is currently ranked 7-9 overall. Morikawa, a Ryder Cup rookie, has won two major championships. Casey is competing in his fifth Ryder Cup, while Hovland will be making his debut.
Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger and Lee Westwood will face off against Matt Fitzpatrick and Matt Fitzpatrick from England. The match starts at 8:53 AM. ET. Koepka is currently recovering from a left wrist injury and will be playing in his third Ryder Cup. Berger will make his debut. Both were at Florida State. Westwood will be competing in the Ryder Cup to break the European record of 11 consecutive appearances. Fitzpatrick is making his second appearance in this tournament.
American Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay will face Rory McIlroy (and Ian Poulter) The match starts at 8:53 AM. ET. Schauffele, Cantlay make their Ryder Cup debuts. However, they finished 2-2 as a team at Melbourne's 2019 Presidents Cup. They were 2-0 in foursomes. McIlroy will be making his sixth appearance, and Poulter his seventh.
European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington was a veteran and brought a lot of experience to the opening session. It was no surprise that Rahm was in the first group and McIlroy the last. Both captains stated that they had a plan for the afternoon four ball matches and would not change it. Although neither captain would commit fully, it is expected that all the players who sat out the morning will play in the afternoon.
Foursomes consist of four players who alternate hitting the tee shots, and then alternate hitting the shots until the hole is complete. Only two balls are in play; one for each team. The hole is won by the player with the lowest score.
Bryson de Chambeau, Harris English and Scottie Scheffler will sit out the American session. Tony Finau will also be there. Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton will be representing Europe. Shane Lowry, Bernd Wiesberger, and Shane Lowry will also be there.
The afternoon will see four four-ball matches, using the same format as Saturday. For a total 28 points, there will be 12 singles matches Sunday.
Europe has won four out of the last five Ryder Cups and five of the seven previous ones. The Cup is relegated to Europe if it has not received 14 points, while the Americans have to receive 14.
