Steve Palmer's Presidents Cup day-one preview, best bets, free golf tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 5.30pm Thursday

Best bets

USA to win day one 4-1
3pts 4-1 Betfair, Power

Tony Finau & Max Homa to beat Taylor Pendrith & Mito Pereira
3pts 8-11 Betfair, BoyleSports

Jordan Spieth & Justin Thomas to beat Sungjae Im & Corey Conners
2pts 4-5 bet365, Betfair, BoyleSports, Hills

Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele to beat Adam Scott & Hideki Matsuyama
2pts 8-11 bet365, BoyleSports, Hills

Scottie Scheffler & Sam Burns to beat Si Woo Kim & Cam Davis
2pts 4-6 Betfair

Joohyung Kim & Kyoung-hoon Lee to beat Collin Morikawa & Cameron Young
1pt 21-10 Betfair, Power

Story so far

Internationals captain Trevor Immelman is clearly keen to get a point on the board as soon as possible - the South African has loaded the top of his order with experience for the opening day of the Presidents Cup.

The strong possibility of American dominance at Quail Hollow this week means Immelman will have obvious concern about the scoreboard becoming a sea of red early on. For the opening foursomes match, he has paired his two most experienced players, with Adam Scott joining forces with Hideki Matsuyama.

It is a surprising move - Immelman has eight rookies on his side - but desperation for an early point is probably the reason. The top match has taken on huge importance because if Immelman's star pairing lose, it will have a demoralising effect on the Internationals following behind.

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have been sent out first by Davis Love, so Scott and Matsuyama have fierce opposition to deal with.

Day-one foursomes matches
6.05pm Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele v Hideki Matsuyama & Adam Scott
6.17pm Jordan Spieth & Justin Thomas v Sungjae Im & Corey Conners
6.29pm Cameron Young & Collin Morikawa v Jooyoung Kim & Kyoung-hoon Lee
6.41pm Scottie Scheffler & Sam Burns v Si Woo Kim & Cam Davis
6.53pm Tony Finau & Max Homa v Taylor Pendrith & Mito Pereira

Bets outright prices
1-6 USA, 7 Internationals, 18 draw

Day-one preview

Trevor Immelman and the rest of the Internationals squad will be watching the opening foursomes match like hawks. How that contest goes will set the tone for the session.

Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama is a partnership capable of beating anyone, but Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele is arguably the best foursomes combination in the modern game.

The Scott-Matsuyama combination was first used in 2013 - they played four matches together and won one and a half points. Then in 2015, they played only one match together, losing to Bubba Watson and JB Holmes in the opening foursomes contest. Scott and Matsuyama have not teamed up since.

The size of the Internationals' task this week is summed up by the fact Immelman's star pairing will probably lose. Cantlay and Schauffele, who won the Zurich Classic together in April, won both their foursomes matches in the last Presidents Cup. They were rookies then and have become even more formidable in matchplay in the three years since Royal Melbourne.

The chemistry between Kyoung-hoon Lee and Jooyoung Kim gives the Internationals a chance in match three. Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young is a new pairing which could be vulnerable to the Koreans. Kim has been fearless in his short professional career to date and is probably relishing this grand stage.

Morikawa and Young have the potential to carry cold putters, so match three is nominated as the one where International success may come.

The top match will probably be tight, but the class and solidity of Cantlay and Schauffele should prove decisive in the end, while matches two, four and five could be more straightforward points for the States. A 4-1 day-one lead is predicted.

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