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Presidents Cup 2019 Schedule: Day 2 Tee Times, Pairings and Predictions
December 12, 2019
The Americans have some work to do.
While the United States typically dominates the Presidents Cup, the International Team had different ideas at the start of the 2019 edition from the course at Royal Melbourne in Australia. The International side is off to a commanding 4-1 lead after the first day of play, as the only American duo to earn a win was captain Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas.
The United States is an impressive 10-1-1 in Presidents Cup history, although its only loss came at Royal Melbourne in 1998.
Four-ball was the name of the game Thursday (Wednesday in the U.S.), as two-golfer teams squared off against each other. Every player played his own ball, and the best individual score from one of the two teammates counted as the score for that hole.
Competition shifts to Foursomes on the second day, which still calls for two-golfer teams but changes the format. The teammates switch off hitting the same ball, and match-play scoring is used.
With that in mind, here is a look at the Day 2 tee times, pairings and predicted winners.
2019 Presidents Cup Day 2
Friday, 11:02 a.m. local time/Thursday, 7:02 p.m. ET: Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar (United States) vs. Louis Oosthuizen/Adam Scott (International)
Friday, 11:15 a.m. local time/Thursday, 7:15 p.m. ET: Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (United States) vs. Adam Hadwin/Joaquin Niemann (International)
Friday, 11:28 a.m. local time/Thursday, 7:28 p.m. ET: Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed (United States) vs. Marc Leishman/Abraham Ancer (International)
Friday, 11:41 a.m. local time/Thursday, 7:41 p.m. ET: Justin Thomas/Tiger Woods (United States) vs. Byeong Hun An/Hideki Matsuyama (International)
Friday, 11:54 a.m. local time/Thursday, 7:54 p.m. ET: Gary Woodland/Rickie Fowler (United States) vs. Sungjae Im/Cameron Smith (International)
*Predicted winners in bold
Match to Watch: Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas vs. Byeong Hun An and Hideki Matsuyama
Simply put, Woods was the only one who showed up for the Americans during the first day.
The captain will be under the spotlight again in the second day of competition, both as a player and a leader who will look to find the right matchups and inspire his team to turn things around. There is no better place for him to do that than on the course, and his 4-and-3 win with Thomas over Joaquin Niemann and Marc Leishman hinted at what may be to come.
The 15-time major winner looked like prime Tiger for stretches with a number of beautiful approach shots right out of the gate. His approaches on Nos. 1 and 2 gave his side an early lead, and he chipped one in on No. 5 to create some significant separation.
He also mixed in a well-placed sand shot on No. 11 and fittingly drained the putt to win the matchup on No. 15.
"He played great today," Thomas said, per Bob Harig of ESPN. "It's no coincidence why we won. He really carried me out there, and it was a tough day, and to have as many birdie putts as he had on a couple of holes was the reason we won the match."
In theory, it should have set the tone for the Americans, but the International side made sure that didn't happen in front of the home crowd. Only two United States pairings even reached the final hole, as most of the matches were never truly in doubt down the stretch.
Woods may be 43 years old and a number of surgeries removed from his prime, but it appears he is the Americans' best hope to climb back into this Presidents Cup.
He is always appointment viewing but is even more so on the second day of competition given the precarious deficit his team is facing. If he doesn't replicate his performance and keep the United States within striking distance, the Red, White and Blue may be looking at just their second Presidents Cup loss in history.