Presidents Cup 2024: Preview every four-ball match on day one at Royal Montreal | Golf news and tour information

It says something that international captain Mike Weir is fielding his three Australians in the first two matches – these guys, especially Scott, are the heart and soul of the team. Scott, competing in his 11th Presidents Cup, has played more matches than any other international player and he will be tasked with leading one of the team’s two newcomers, Lee. Morikawa, who has slightly less experience but a winning record, will take on a similar task as he guides newcomer Theegala through his first team match. While the memory of Morikawa’s 3-0-1 performance in the Whistling Straits Ryder Cup is easily remembered, so is his dismal 1-3 record in Rome. The scary thing for the international players is that Morikawa seems to have rediscovered his form of late, to the point of a first-place finish (with a 72-hole score) at the Tour Championship.

The Internationals have perhaps their best chance of the session here, thanks to a combination of Scott’s lead and Lee’s reportedly strong play in this week’s practice matches. Much will depend on the reaction of the newcomers, but Team Aussie has a small advantage here.

It’s a big conundrum what to do with the world No. 1, who has an 0-4-2 pairs record when you add Rome and Charlotte together. Scheffler’s friend Sam Burns hasn’t worked out, and Brooks Koepka hasn’t worked out either, leading the Americans to conclude that Henley, a newcomer, could be the solution. “I don’t know if you can really go back and analyze the recent past team events where he’s been paired with somebody or played singles or whatever and learn anything from that,” USA alternate captain Stewart Cink said earlier in the day, but obviously a lot of thought has gone into this pairing. Opposing them is a Korean pair, Im and Kim, the latter of whom has been the spiritual leader in Charlotte with two wins. Just like in the Tiger years, a point against Scheffler will be seen as a major coup, and this should be one of the most entertaining matches of the session.

Scheffler has looked lost in his pairs training sessions over the past two years, and until the Americans can prove they have found a good solution, it is wise to remain skeptical. I want the passionate Kim to take the lead.

Finally, we see our first Canadian. Weir was probably trying to ease the pressure on the local players by not putting them in the early groups, and maybe that was smart – in Charlotte, Pendrith lost 0-4, as did Corey Conners. The crowd will be looking to get energy from their local sons, so it’s absolutely (and obviously) crucial that they do better than last time. Watching the Canadians stumble again, it’s hard to imagine the international team finding a way to win. Pendrith’s partner Bezuidenhout only played twice in Charlotte, but picked up 1.5 points from his matches, so he’ll be ready to battle against the American duo of Clark and Bradley. This will be Bradley’s first international team event since 2014, a full decade away from the format he loves so much, and the only question is whether his eagerness and excitement will get the better of him in the beginning. Clark may be a newcomer to the Presidents Cup, but after posting a 1-1-1 record at the otherwise disastrous Ryder Cup in Rome, he won’t be shocked by the crowds in Montreal.

Before missing the cut at the Procore Championship, Clark had started to find some form again and it will be a pleasure to watch Bradley’s energy, giving them a small edge over an international duo that hasn’t exactly made waves in team events.

If Trevor Immelman is having nightmares about the 2022 Presidents Cup, they’re probably dark visions of Conners missing one short putt after another. The Canadian’s 0-4 record there has turned him from a potential team leader to someone viewed with some trepidation, but there’s no better place to turn that reputation around than his home country. What kind of chemistry he can build with Matsuyama, who like many long-time international players has a negative record (7-10-5), remains to be seen, but what is certain is that Weir needs those two to find something, and the stats consultants obviously like how their skills match up. They look to be taking on a dynamic duo, although it’s interesting to note that Burns has gone 1-5-2 overall in his two Team Match Play events. He still has a lot to prove, but we know from his win at the WGC Match Play that he’s certainly capable of shining in this format. It’s tempting to say that if you can’t win with Scheffler as your partner, you probably can’t win at all, but Cantlay could be just the breath of fresh air he needs.