01금요일 포섬 경기 전망: 인터내셔널 팀의 반등을 이끌 이민우와 라이언 폭스
이번 프레지던츠컵 금요일 포섬(Foursomes) 경기에서 인터내셔널 팀의 이민우(Min Woo Lee)와 라이언 폭스(Ryan Fox) 조가 주목해야 할 핵심 조합으로 떠오르고 있다. 'Draws and Fades' 분석에 따르면, 두 선수는 서로의 장점을 극대화할 수 있는 플레이 스타일을 보유하고 있어 이번 매치에서 상당한 상승 기류를 탈 것으로 예상된다.
호주의 신성 이민우는 폭발적인 장타와 화려한 숏게임을 앞세워 팀에 활력을 불어넣고 있으며, 뉴질랜드의 베테랑 라이언 폭스는 풍부한 경험과 안정적인 경기 운영 능력을 갖추고 있다. 한 개의 공을 번갈아 치는 포섬 방식의 특성상, 이들의 조화는 미국 팀의 강력한 공세에 맞서 인터내셔널 팀이 승기를 잡는 데 중요한 역할을 할 것이다.
전문가들은 이민우와 라이언 폭스가 가진 공격적인 성향이 금요일 경기에서 시너지를 낼 경우, 인터내셔널 팀의 전체적인 분위기 반전을 이끌어낼 수 있다고 분석한다. 특히 이들이 보여줄 잠재적인 업사이드(Upside)는 이번 대회 전체 판도에 영향을 미칠 수 있는 변수로 지목되며 많은 골프 팬들의 기대를 모으고 있다.
02Original (English) — PGA TOUR
MEDINAH, Ill. – As U.S. Captain Brandt Snedeker noted in his press conference Thursday at Medinah Country Club, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
It’s a call back to a famous Mike Tyson phrase, one that Snedeker has offered up a couple of times already this week. The U.S. Team received a light jab, if not a haymaker, in the opening session of the Presidents Cup, where they bounced back from an early deficit to grab a slim 3-2 lead. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns scratched out a nervy win, while Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas largely carried their playing partners (Collin Morikawa and Jackson Koivun, respectively) in the other two American victories.
Now the focus shifts to Foursomes, with five more matches on Friday. Let’s take a look at the second session, with the U.S. favored according to oddsmakers in every match (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook):
Snedeker didn’t hesitate to put this pairing back out in the leadoff spot, with Scheffler and Burns having finally put a full point on the board for the first time together. Geoff Ogilvy was left to counter, and he opted for a risky choice, putting the Canadians together in Nick Taylor's first-ever Presidents Cup match and after Corey Conners struggled on and around the greens on Thursday.
Much was made of Taylor’s omission from the 2024 matches in Montreal, and it’s hard to think of a bigger spot to prove he belongs in this environment than the opportunity to take down the world’s top-ranked player. The two have clashed before, notably at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, but team match play is a different environment. Ultimately, I think the Canadian pairing offers more questions than answers, and the Americans score another early point.
Pick: Scheffler/Burns (-230)
Henley and Bridgeman were the two Americans who didn’t play on Thursday, and they could prove a formidable combination in Foursomes. Bridgeman is coming off a victory at the Biltmore Championship Asheville and will look to continue his hot putting, while the decision to sit Henley in the opening session proves Snedeker’s embarrassment of riches. Im will have a shot at redemption after a balky putter let a point slip away against Scheffler and Burns, while Matsuyama has a chance to put a second point on the board.
This is the match that is the closest all week in the eyes of the oddsmakers, and it certainly feels like it could go either way. But I’ll side with the Americans as I expect Henley in particular to shine brightly in this spot.
Pick: Henley/Bridgeman (-118)
Clark was one of the American standouts in the opening matches, while Morikawa didn’t do much to help his partner. But Snedeker is sticking with his guns, rolling the pairing back out against the pairing of Fox and Lee, who both seemed out of sorts on Thursday.
This decision caused the most deliberation for Ogilvy and his assistant captains, as they nearly used the full allotment of two minutes to make their choice on who would face Clark and Morikawa. It’s an unconventional decision, and certainly a risky one given the slim margin for error in Foursomes. But I think Morikawa’s struggles could present an opening for the Internationals to spring an unexpected upset, especially if Fox is able to flash some of the form that netted him the claret jug this summer.
Pick: Fox/Lee (+114)
Thomas did the heavy lifting on Thursday alongside Koivun, and now he’ll join with Cameron Young in a pairing that packs plenty of firepower. Having played together in the Ryder Cup in Four-ball, they’ll now test their compatibility in alternate shot.
Scott will look to lead with strength for the Internationals, as Ogilvy hopes his ball-striking will complement Bezuidenhout’s steady play on the greens. But how many birdie opportunities can they create together? Scott didn’t exactly get it going with the long putter on Thursday, and this could be a match where the Internationals feel some heat on the back nine if the scoreboard starts turning red ahead of them.
Pick: Thomas/Young (-148)
This match should be appointment viewing, as both teams trot out one of their strongest pairings to try to take the final point of the session. Si Woo Kim memorably pulled the early celebration on Schauffele and Cantlay in Montreal, as the Americans rallied to score a point, but Ogilvy’s decisions this week make it clear that any chance for an International victory runs through the Kims and their ability to put critical points on the board. Si Woo Kim spoke of the comfort factor with this duo, and they’ll need to be as comfortable as possible to topple Schauffele and Cantlay who are 4-1-0 together in Presidents Cup Foursomes play.
Ogilvy told reporters that his decision to put the Kims in the anchor match of each of the first two sessions was largely a byproduct of how the other matchups played out, but it feels like a somewhat intentional nod and placement of trust in what is quickly becoming the go-to pairing for the International Team. It’ll be a hard-fought match, but I expect that the Americans find a way to pull it out – and increase their lead in the process.
Pick: Schauffele/Cantlay (-135)