FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker has been picked to take on Rory McIlroy, the man he overcame for the title, on the Ryder Cup&aposs opening day. Snedeker and Jim Furyk have been named as Team USA&aposs pair for Match 1 of the opening round of foursomes on Friday and they will take on Europe&aposs Northern Irish duo McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia will fly the flag for Europe in Match 2 as they continue their successful foursome partnership against Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley. Neither Donald nor Garcia have ever lost a foursomes match in their career, either together or in any other partnership. Match 3 at the Medinah Country Club will pit Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson of Team USA versus Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari, while Ian Poulter and Justin Rose will represent Europe against Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods in the final foursomes match on the opening day of the event. Woods has a strong record against Poulter having handed the Englishman two of his three defeats in Ryder Cup competition. Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal explained at the announcement of his selections that he considers foursomes, where players hit alternate shots, to be all about consistency. “When I look at foursomes, I want to have players who are consistent and are steady from tee to green,” Olazabal told the BBC. “There were no surprises from (Team USA captain) Davis Love, they are all strong pairings.”
Author: Omnisport