– Luke Donald makes no changes to Saturday’s foursomes. It makes sense after Friday’s 3 to 1. Identical pairs. The only thing that has changed is the playing order. Keegan Bradley has only changed one player. It makes much less sense after Friday’s 3 to 1 against. Is it perhaps that there is no plan B in the USA? That’s what it seems.
The pairings are as follows:
13:10 Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young Vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg
13:26 Harris English and Collin Morikawa Vs. Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood
13:42 Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele Vs. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton
13:58 Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler Vs. Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland
– The only change by Bradley is the well-deserved inclusion of Cameron Young instead of Justin Thomas. Young has earned it with a splendid performance in the afternoon fourballs. Perhaps, it would have been more logical to repeat with Thomas and sit DeChambeau, whose performance has been quite disappointing in the first two sessions, but it seems the Californian hitter is untouchable. At least, for now.
– Donald has decided to change the order of his pairs. It may be surprising. It seemed logical to see Jon Rahm and Hatton leading the first match again. It’s likely that the European captain has played with the order to avoid repeated pairings. Just looking for an explanation.
– Rahm and Hatton will test their undefeated status against the most reliable pair from the United States, their stronghold in recent years. It’s Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. It’s not that they are unbeatable, but they have good numbers playing together. Hatton and Rahm are aiming for six out of six, and they will do so against the toughest challenge yet. It will be Jon’s fifteenth point in the Ryder.
– Donald’s insistence on Hovland in the foursomes is surprising. The Norwegian is a fantastic player, but it’s clear he’s not in good form. He’s particularly inconsistent, which is quite incompatible with foursomes. Perhaps, it would have been more logical to play him in the fourball and leave the foursome to another player like Justin Rose, whose chemistry with MacIntyre is well-proven.
– Even more surprising is Bradley’s decision to keep the Scheffler and Henley pair. It’s about giving Henley an extra vote of confidence, but his performance in the first foursome session was well below expectations. Again, perhaps the most logical thing would have been to play him in the fourball, where there is more freedom. Certainly, Spaun has deserved much more continuity in the foursome than he has.
– The insistence on the Morikawa and Harris English pair also draws a lot of attention. They practically didn’t stand up to McIlroy and Fleetwood on Friday and are unlucky to face them again. Rory and Tommy will need to be very alert and focused because they will come out with a vengeance, but it doesn’t seem the most logical decision for a captain.
– With these pairs, the first three points will have been played: Rahm, McIlroy, Fleetwood, DeChambeau, Cantlay, and Scheffler. Three for each team. The feeling left by Saturday’s foursomes is that both captains are following the plan they had before the Ryder started, the problem is that perhaps Keegan Bradley, with his team three down, could have looked for other solutions. You never know, and it shouldn’t be ruled out that it works out well for him, but at first glance, it doesn’t make much sense.
