Ryder Cup: Butch Harmon reflects on USA's Friday fourball pairings

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Butch Harmon

Golf Columnist

Friday 28 September 2018 08:38, UK

Butch Harmon reflects on the American pairings for the Friday fourballs and looks ahead to the opening day of the Ryder Cup.

There are no surprises at all when you look at those American names. You could say maybe it's a little bit of a surprise they have been put out in the order they have, but all I see are strong pairings.

That's a very strong team to go out on Friday morning. When you look at that American team, to me, it's a birdie-fest. Every one of those eight guys that go out early are birdie machines.

Putting Tiger Woods in that position with Patrick Reed is brilliant. I always thought he was going to either go out first or last, and that's exactly what Jim Furyk has done. Putting those two out last gives us a little bit more pizzazz and by then, who knows, the Americans might need Woods.

I see some of those pairings also playing in the afternoon, so it's going to be interesting to see how Jim Furyk gets the other four players in who aren't there in the morning.

Lefty left out

I think you want to get all 12 players out there at once on the first day. It just gives them the feeling of being part of the team and gets them part of the thing.

If you sit someone out and they don't play until the second day, they're going to be nervous on Saturday morning if that's when they're going to throw them in there.

Everyone thinks that because Phil Mickelson is a little bit of a wild driver that you wouldn't get him out in the foursomes, but his record in that is actually better than in the fourballs. I noticed he played with Bryson DeChambeau for a couple of days, so that may be part of Furyk's thinking.

For me, the pairing that I didn't see coming for Europe was Rory McIlroy going out with Thorbjorn Olesen. I think it's a good one, but it surprised me. Thorbjorn can really play and the guy is the real deal, so with Rory alongside him as his wheel-man then I think he's going to do well.

Ending the hurt

I'm sure you don't need to motivate this American team, but they have talked about the 25-year wait for an away win. It's a frustrating thing when you look at the strength of the teams we've sent over here who haven't brought it home.

People say to me 'how can that record be when the American teams always seem better' and it's down to the other team playing better and that's the bottom line. Sometimes in match play it comes down to a putting contest, especially in the Ryder Cup, and for years we have just been out-putted.

We're definitely united and this is the loosest American team I've seen in a long time. The Ryder Cup team and golf in general is different with these younger players, who energise both teams.

I'm not going to say we win the opening session 4-0 again, that's for sure! I think 2-2 would actually be a good result and both teams would be happy with that.