Presidents Cup 2015: Predicting Scores and Standings for Saturday's Pairings

After looking like the United States would cruise to a victory at the 2015 Presidents Cup on Thursday, things are interesting heading into Day 3 with the International team trailing by a single point when players tee off. 

Looking ahead to the Day 3 pairings, the Internationals have to take advantage of the opportunity they have put themselves in. 

Session 3 - Foursome Matches Start Time (ET)	U.S. Team	International Team	Predicted Winners	Score
Session 4 - Four-Ball Matches Start Time (ET)	U.S. Team	International Team	Predicted Winners	Score
6:05 p.m.	Rickie Fowler & Patrick Reed	Louis Oosthuizen & Branden Grace	Oosthuizen & Grace	3 & 2
6:16 p.m.	Bubba Watson & J.B. Holmes	Adam Scott & Marc Leishman	Watson & Holmes	2 & 1
6:27 p.m.	Bill Haas & Matt Kuchar	Sangmoon Bae & Hideki Matsuyama	Bae & Matsuyama	1 Up
6:38 p.m.	Jordan Spieth & Dustin Johnson	Jason Day & Charl Schwartzel	Spieth & Johnson	2 Up
10:35 p.m.	TBA	TBA	N/A	N/A
10:49 p.m.	TBA	TBA	N/A	N/A
11:03 p.m.	TBA	TBA	N/A	N/A
11:17 p.m.	TBA	TBA	N/A	N/A

The U.S. held a 4-1 lead after the first day, but the Internationals won three points and halved another to trail 5.5-4.5. The American power team of Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson lost 4 and 3 to Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace on Friday. 

Spieth, in particular, was not happy with how he performed, offering a blunt assessment to Mike McAllister of PGATour.com:

If the U.S. doesn't come out on top, the big story will be the two gaffes involving Phil Mickelson. He and Zach Johnson were all square with Jason Day and Adam Scott on the seventh hole when Lefty was penalized for switching his ball mid-hole.

Officials also incorrectly told Mickelson he was disqualified from the hole for the mistake, which caused him to pick up the ball and leave Johnson to play the rest of the hole on his own. Day won the hole with a birdie, and combined with the original penalty, Day and Scott finished 2 up. 

America's only bright spot on Day 2 was the tandem of Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes, who knocked off Marc Leishman and Steven Bowditch, which kept the day from being a complete disaster.

Based on the predictions for Day 3, at least through the foursome matches, the U.S. and International teams will enter the four-ball matches in the same position they are right now with America holding a one-point edge. 

The marquee match is Spieth and Johnson against Day and Charl Schwartzel. Even though Spieth and Johnson aren't entering the foursome match on a high note, they did fare well on Thursday with a 4-and-3 win over Danny Lee and Marc Leishman. 

If things play out on Day 3 as they did the previous day, pressure will be on Spieth and Johnson to carry the Americans. That's not a bad thing because of their stellar individual track records, as well as Spieth and Johnson's combined 4-1-2 career record in foursome matches. 

Day is the best player in the world right now, but he's winless in five career foursome matches (0-3-2). Some golfers just fare better on their own. Tiger Woods at his peak had his struggles in these types of events. 

Day's teams have not fared well thus far, getting help from rule confusion on Friday and losing on Thursday when he was paired with Bowditch. 

The U.S. team isn't lacking confidence right now, as Mickelson emphasized even after his seventh-hole blunder, via the Associated Press (h/t Dallas Morning News).

"I feel like we spotted the International's best team two holes, and they still couldn't beat us," Mickelson said. "Just saying."

It is interesting that Mickelson isn't part of the foursome matches early in the day, because he does seem to be playing well in this format, via PGA Tour:

It all makes for a drama-filled Presidents Cup, which is exactly what the event needed when it seemed like the U.S. had things in hand and could have cruised to victory with one arm tied behind its back. 

United States captain Jay Haas knows his team better than anyone and is trying to bring momentum back to his side. International team captain Nick Price found the right mix on Day 2, making slight changes heading into Day 3 to keep the pressure on the U.S.