Fast starts propel U.S. in Presidents Cup

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – With the U.S. listed as a prohibitive 1-4 favorite among Las Vegas oddsmakers to win the Presidents Cup matches that begin today, the Americans seem highly likely to tighten their grip on this one-sided biennial series against the Internationals.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – With the U.S. listed as a prohibitive 1-4 favorite among Las Vegas oddsmakers to win the Presidents Cup matches that begin today, the Americans seem highly likely to tighten their grip on this one-sided biennial series against the Internationals.

The U.S. has won the opening session eight of 11 times, compiling a 41-20 edge in points. That fast start has helped set the tone for the Americans, who lead the series, 9-1-1, and are looking for a seventh consecutive victory. If today’s foursomes matches at Liberty National Golf Club should follow that historical trend, fans might divert their attention even faster toward the weekend’s college and professional football games.

Of course, the 24 players this week will decide the outcome on the golf course. Here is a look at today’s opening session, in which the Americans were favored in the first four matches (all times Eastern; http://bit.ly/2fzga5l):

1:05 p.m.: Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas (U.S.) vs. Hideki Matsuyama and Charl Schwartzel
1:17 p.m.: Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar (U.S.) vs. Adam Scott and Jhonattan Vegas 
1:29 p.m.: Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed (U.S.) vs. Si Woo Kim and Emiliano Grillo 
1:41 p.m.: Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger (U.S.) vs. Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace 
1:53 p.m.: Kevin Kisner and Phil Mickelson (U.S.) vs. Jason Day and Marc Leishman

Alex Miceli is the founder and publisher of Morning Read. Email: alex@morningread.com; Twitter: @AlexMiceli