- Team USA is a -600 favorite to beat the International Team at the Presidents Cup, shorter than the -400 posted Monday.
- Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns drew Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im in the first of Thursday’s five four-ball matches.
- Jackson Koivun, who tied for fifth at last week’s Biltmore Championship, is grouped with Justin Thomas in match three.
- Jacob Bridgeman, who won that Biltmore title, is one of two Americans sitting out Thursday’s four-ball session.
MEDINAH, Ill. – Team USA is a -600 favorite over the International Team as the Presidents Cup opens Thursday at Medinah Country Club, where Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns drew Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im in the first of five four-ball matches.
Five Matches To Open The Week
Brandt Snedeker sent out five four-ball pairs to open the American defense of the Cup, with each side counting its better ball on every hole. Snedeker kept Russell Henley and Bridgeman on the bench for the first session, per Thursday’s matchups.
| Match | Team USA | International Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns | Min Woo Lee, Sungjae Im |
| 2 | Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele | Hideki Matsuyama, Ryo Hisatsune |
| 3 | Justin Thomas, Jackson Koivun | Corey Conners, Nico Echavarria |
| 4 | Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa | Ryan Fox, Adam Scott |
| 5 | Chris Gotterup, Patrick Cantlay | Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim |
The Board Is Shorter Than Monday’s
Team USA’s price has moved from the -400 to win it carried Monday to -600 as the first session arrives, with the roster and pairings holding to form.
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| USA | -600 |
| International Team | +550 |
| Tie | +2000 |
A number that tight leaves almost no cushion for anyone still backing the outright winner to profit if the top matches split close, which is why the tie at +2000 and session-by-session results carry more of the value than the three-way board itself once play is actually on the course. Those session markets sit alongside the week’s PGA Tour betting odds.
Two Different Roads From Biltmore
Koivun arrived at Medinah off a tie for fifth at last week’s Biltmore Championship, where he opened as the betting favorite and closed 63-65 on the weekend but never caught the pair of Sunday 61s that decided the title, according to PGA Tour’s final-round recap. Snedeker still handed him a Thursday start, in the third match beside Justin Thomas, as marquee a pairing as the American side has.
Bridgeman, who won that Biltmore title for his second PGA Tour victory of the season, is sitting out Thursday’s four-ball session entirely, part of the rotation any 12-man captain manages across a week that ends Sunday. Both remain in the mix for Friday’s five foursomes and Saturday’s two sessions before all 12 Americans play Sunday singles, with the matchups tracked alongside legal sports betting markets throughout the week.
What’s Next
Foursomes take over Friday, a five-match session with a 2:05 p.m. ET start. Saturday splits into a four-ball morning and a foursomes afternoon, four matches each, and the Cup is settled in Sunday’s 12 singles. Winning outright takes 15.5 of the 30 points on offer; a 15-15 finish would see the two sides share the Cup, which Snedeker’s Americans have not lost since 1998.
