Ryder Cup 2018: Predicting Scores and Standings for Friday's Top Pairings

The 2018 Ryder Cup kicked off on Friday at Le Golf National in Paris, with four fourball matches taking place in the morning.

The American team entered the morning as favourites, as the champions sent out four strong pairings to start proceedings.

Here's a look at Friday's pairings for the morning session, per GOLF.com:

The pairings for the afternoon session will be revealed later in the day.

The opening match may well be the most anticipated of the morning session, pitting Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau against Justin Rose and Jon Rahm. The latter may be a rookie in this tournament, but he has played well in 2018 and should be a strong partner for the consistent Rose.

Finau is also a debuting at the competition but should benefit from playing alongside the high-flying Koepka, who won three of his four matches two years ago and has won three majors since helping the U.S. to victory at Hazeltine National Golf Club

CBS' Kevin Turner gave the edge to the European pair:

It may well be the only matchup the Europeans take during the morning session, however. The three remaining American pairings all look far more daunting than their European counterparts, starting in the next match.

Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler have been standouts in the past few months and have dominant all-around games. On paper, Rory McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen should play well off each other. However, the former has struggled for consistency in 2018, and the latter hasn't done his best work on the biggest stage.

The duo of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth looks like another dream pairing on paper in the third match, taking on Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton. There were more than a few people surprised at the latter pairing:

The biggest questions for the Americans revolve around Spieth's form and Thomas' wrist injury, per GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard. If both play up to their standards, it's hard to see the European pair taking anything out of this matchup.

The last contest will pit the in-form Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed against Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. Woods' recent win at the Tour Championship was impressive, and he should strike a solid partnership with Masters champion Reed, who has been a force at the Ryder Cup in the past.

Don't sleep on the duo of Molinari and Fleetwood, however. The latter won the 2017 Open de France at this course, and the former is remarkably consistent at finding the greens―a huge quality to boast at Le Golf National. Don't be surprised if the pairing manages to grab a half or even better in this one.

Prediction: 2.5-1.5 to the U.S. after the morning session, with Rahm and Rose picking up the full point for Europe, and Molinari and Fleetwood battling to a half.