Presidents Cup match previews: Captains announce pairings for Saturday Four-ball

MEDINAH, Ill. – After completing a 5-0 sweep on Friday at Medinah Country Club, the International Team has taken an unlikely upper hand at the Presidents Cup.

While the U.S. Team built an early 3-2 lead after the opening session, it was nothing but yellow Friday on the leaderboards outside Chicago. Looking to win the biennial matches for the first time since 1998, the Internationals won all five Foursomes matches and now lead 7-3 heading into a pivotal doubleheader on Saturday. The matches will return to Four-ball format in the morning, with a quartet of Foursomes matches in the afternoon before Singles play on Sunday.

Here's a look at how the morning Four-ball matches will line up, with U.S. Captain Brandt Snedeker looking to turn the tide while his counterpart, Geoff Ogilvy, hopes to steer the International Team to just their second lead heading into Sunday since 2003.

Match 11 (8:02 a.m. ET): Justin Thomas/Jackson Koivun (U.S.) vs. Min Woo Lee/Sungjae Im (International)

This is a reprisal of two pairings from Thursday's Four-ball session, where Thomas and Koivun put a point on the board while Lee and Im couldn't close out the duo of Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. Thomas will look to bounce back from a poor showing in Foursomes, once again enlisted by Snedeker to serve as a veteran presence alongside Koivun. They'll have an increased spotlight in the first match of the morning, with Lee and Im having each teamed with other partners en route to Foursomes success on Friday. They'll have a bit of a score to settle after letting a point get away in the opening session, as the emotional Lee matches with the more stoic Im in an attempt to put a sixth straight point on the board for the International Team.

Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook): Thomas/Koivun -138, Lee/Im +106

Match 12 (8:20 a.m. ET): Collin Morikawa/Wyndham Clark (U.S.) vs. Si Woo Kim/Tom Kim (International)

The Kim duo has anchored play each of the first two days for Ogilvy, but now they'll head out in the middle of the pack against the duo of Morikawa and Clark, who will play together for the third straight session. The Americans were successful on Thursday, thanks in large part to Clark's Four-ball play, while their match flipped against them late on Friday after Morikawa missed a trio of critical putts. The Korean pair has become a bit of a firewall for the International Team, having won each of their first two matches together, and putting another point on the board as slight underdogs will go a long way toward the road team's hopes of winning the Cup for just the second time in tournament history. Likewise, an American point will likely give the Chicago crowds something to cheer about - particularly from the fiery Clark who has been one of the strongest U.S. players through two days.

Odds: Morikawa/Clark -138, Kim/Kim +105

Match 13 (8:38 a.m. ET): Chris Gotterup/Cameron Young (U.S.) vs. Nick Taylor/Corey Conners (International)

Gotterup sat out Friday's matches, while Young paired unsuccessfully with Thomas in Foursomes play. They'll take on the all-Canadian duo of Taylor and Conners, who are likely on cloud nine after toppling Scheffler and Burns in a tightly-contested Foursomes match. Taylor's gutsy approach on No. 18 helped seal a full point for the Internationals, and they'll now try their hand in Four-ball play after Conners struggled Thursday in the format alongside Nico Echavarria. The American duo will be hitting second in a lot of fairways, given the prodigious length of both Gotterup and Young, but they'll need to hole some putts as well to avoid a second straight unexpected American loss at the hands of the Canadians.

Odds: Gotterup/Young -235, Taylor/Conners +178

Match 14 (8:56 a.m. ET): Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns (U.S.) vs. Hideki Matsuyama/Ryo Hisatsune (International)

Slated in the opening match for each of the first two sessions, Scheffler and Burns will pair for the third straight day but this time in the anchor match. While they rallied to scrap out a point in Four-ball play on Thursday and Scheffler in particular stood out with his play in Foursomes, they have gone 1-1 together. They'll face the all-Japanese pairing of Matsuyama and Hisatsune, who were victorious in Four-ball play on Thursday while Matsuyama added another point on Friday. Scheffler and Burns have seen each of their first two matches go the distance; should this one reach the 18th hole as well, it'll likely do so with a critical point in the balance. If the Internationals beat Scheffler and Burns for the second straight day, it could spell real trouble for the home team heading into an afternoon Foursomes session.

Odds: Scheffler/Burns -250, Matsuyama/Hisatsune +192

Not playing: Patrick Cantlay (U.S.), Xander Schauffele (U.S.), Russell Henley (U.S.), Jacob Bridgeman (U.S.), Nico Echavarria (International), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (International), Adam Scott (International), Ryan Fox (International)