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2015 Presidents Cup Day 1 Matchups Preview

By Danny Norris

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The 2015 Presidents Cup is just hours away from kicking off at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in South Korea.

The United States will be looking to win for the 6th straight time, where as the International team will be looking to win for the 2nd time in their history and for the first time since 1998.

In this piece we will go over the Presidents Cup day 1 matchups and preview which golfers are going to be teaming up and which teams are going to be facing off.

Match 1:

10:05 PM ET: Bubba Watson/J.B. Holmes vs. Adam Scott/Hideki Matsuyama

Interesting matchup right off the bat as this is a real power squad. We know that Bubba and Holmes are two of the biggest bombers on Tour, but Matsuyama and Scott are no slouches either.

They can get it out there a long ways and not only do they bomb it,  but they hit the fairway too. The thing to watch for Scott and Matsuyama is whether or not they can make a putt. Scott was pretty much the worst putter on Tour this season and Matsuyama wasn’t any better.

If Scott and Matsuyama can make some putts thay can earn a point in this matchup. If they don’t, Bubba and Holmes can steal a point from the International team and give them a gut punch right off the bat by beating their best team on paper.

Match 2:

10:18 PM ET: Matt Kuchar/Patrick Reed vs. Louis Oosthuizen Branden Grace

On paper, this is the toughest matchup on paper. This match may be hugely critical in terms of who earns the point. If the Americans win it will set the tone that they may just run away with the Presidents Cup again; especially if they win the first match, as well.

However, if the International team can win this match, and possibly that first match, as well, that gives them a lot of momentum moving forward.

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Both of these tandems are kind of powerhouse sleeper tandems. Matt Kuchar was on fire at the Presidents Cup when teamed up with Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed was on fire at the Ryder Cup. This could be a really strong team.

Same could be said for Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen who are friends and have played together for a long time. Grace really broke onto the scene international scene this year with how he played at the majors, in particular the U.S. Open, and Oosthuizen is one of the most talented golfers in the world.

If you could only watch one matchup, I would say watch this one. A highly intriguing match that should go back and forth and may end up being decided on the 18th green.

Match 3:

10:31 PM ET: Rickie Fowler/Jimmy Walker vs. Lahiri Anirban/Thongchai Jaidee

This looks like a point the Americans should win pretty handily. Both Anirban and Jaidee are making their Presidents Cup debut versus a tandem that has a lot of chemistry. Fowler and Walker didn’t have the best Ryder Cup statistically, but they played well enough.

Anirban and Jaidee really haven’t been on a stage like this and when they have they haven’t performed all that well. In particular, Anirban who struggled when he made the trek on over to the PGA Tour this season.

All in all, Walker and Fowler are just better players and that should be enough to propel them to victory.

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    • Match 4:

    10:44 PM ET: Phil Mickelson/Zach Johnson vs. Jason Day/Steven Bowditch

    This is another swing matchup that doesn’t strongly favor either side. Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson have plenty of experience in these sort of events. Jason Day was the best golfer down the stretch of the season and Steven Bowditch had a pretty hot summer, as well.

    A very interesting match, we’ll see how this one plays out. Again, this could be a match that sets the tone for the rest of the week.

    Match 5:

    10:57 PM ET: Dustin Johnson/Jordan Spieth vs. Danny Lee/Marc Leishman

    Stylistically, I like the way the Americans set up here. Dustin Johnson can bomb it out there and Jordan Spieth can scramble out of any mess. There is a nice yin and yang in this tandem.

    Danny Lee played extremely well down the stretch, he was one of the hottest golfers in the world. That scorching hot play will have to carry over in this matchup in order for the Internationals to have a chance here.

    This looks like a sure slam dunk point for the Americans and it would be a huge boost if the International team can just halve a point or even steal a point.

    Next: What If Anthony Kim Was Still a Thing

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