News

Presidents Cup 2019 odds: Did Team USA do enough on Day 2 to set up a comeback?

2019 Presidents Cup - Day 2

Rob Carr

Some late Team USA celebrations Down Under will be the lasting images of Day 2 at the Presidents Cup (besides Patrick Reed's shoveling exhibition, perhaps), which prevented a disastrous start for the Americans and flipped the momentum to the red, white and blue side entering Day 3 (action starts at 3 p.m., eastern on Friday). The question is: Will that be enough? With eight matches on Saturday's double-session slate, we'll find out soon enough.

Currently, oddsmakers have marked the International Presidents Cup squad as the slight favorite to win the Cup. (According to MGM Sportsbook, the Internationals are -125 (bet $12.50 to win $10) to win it all, versus +125 ($10 to win $12.50) for the American squad. That's up from the odds being even before Day 2, so oddsmakers give the Internationals an edge to convert their three-stroke margin into a victory. Will that happen? Take a look at our expert analysis below and decide for yourself.

(We are now up 5.91 units over the past two days, as went 2-1 yesterday (+0.6 units) after gaining 5.31 units on Day 1.)

Presidents Cup 2019 odds:

Saturday Morning Four-ball:

Match 11: Marc Leishman/Haotong Li (INT) (+163) vs. Justin Thomas/Rickie Fowler (USA) (-125), 7:02 a.m. Australia/3:02 p.m. ET Friday

Match 12: Sungjae Im/Abraham Ancer (INT) (+140) vs. Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (USA) (-110), 7:16 a.m. Australia/3:16 p.m. ET Friday

Match 13: Hideki Matsuyama/C.T. Pan (INT) (+110) vs. Patrick Reed/Webb Simpson (USA) (+120), 7:30 a.m. Australia/3:30 p.m. ET Friday

Match 14: Adam Scott/Byeong Hun An (INT) (-110) vs. Matt Kuchar/Tony Finau (USA) (+140), 7:44 a.m. Australia/3:44 p.m. ET Friday

Our Day 3 Presidents Cup 2019 picks:

Day 3 matchup: Sungjae Im/Abraham Ancer (+140, MGM) over Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay: Sungjae and Ancer have not played like rookies thus far, earning three collective wins and one halve point for the Internationals. It really shouldn't be a surprise. Sungjae Im is one of the world's most consistent players, with 17 top-20 finishes to his name in 2019. And Ancer nearly won the Northern Trust in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Cantlay and Schauffele salvaged their foursomes match with a big-time win on the 18th hole, but before that, frankly, they haven't shown much energy. Sungjae and Ancer have provided a spark to the Internationals, and I think that'll be too much for the Americans to overcome here. Sungjae ranks first in this field in strokes gained/putting in the past 36 rounds, according to FantasyNational.com, and Ancer will keep making putts as he rides his partner's energy to add another point to their rookie debuts. --Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest associate editor

Day 3 matchup: Patrick Reed/Webb Simpson (+120, MGM) over Hideki Matsuyama/C.T. Pan — Not sure if this was the plan all along or if Reed went up to Tiger Woods and told him to keep him in akin to LeBron James telling Frank Vogel to not bench him with five fouls. No, I'm not comparing Reed to The King. But the point is, his back's against the wall, and the pressure will undoubtedly ramp up as we near the finish. Look for the major winners (Reed and Webb) to draw on some of their experience dealing with said pressure down the stretch. --Reid Fowler, DraftKings expert

Day 3 matchup: Reed/Simpson (+120, MGM) over Matsuyama/Pan — I'm with Reid Fowler here. I’ll probably get burned on this one, but if you believe in being “due,” Reed and Simpson are the play here. Reed has now gone 0-4 in his last four team matches, an embarrassing run for a guy nicknamed “Captain America.” If he doesn’t want Justin Thomas to steal that moniker from him, he better get a win in one of these matches soon. This could be his best chance of the week. --Christopher Powers, assistant editor

Day 3 (two-way) matchup (a tie is no bet): Rickie Fowler/Justin Thomas (-186, DraftKings) over Haotong Li/Marc Leishman — It's tough to argue with any decisions Ernie Els has made this week. But if there is one thing, it might be not getting Haotong Li in the mix earlier. The star from China has serious firepower, but he'll make his Presidents Cup debut on Saturday in the first match of the day. That'll be more pressure than he already would have. Leishman will no doubt be a calming influence, but the firepower of Fowler and JT, plus the first-match pressure of Haotong, is enough to make this a strong, three-unit play. --SH

Day 3 Fourballs correct score, USA 2.5-1.5 (+500, DraftKings) — The correct score bet is one you bet small on just for the fun of it, which is exactly what I’m doing here. Too much needs to happen to ever feel good about this. That said, with four matches instead of five, I do like my chances a little better. The U.S. team has to win a session before singles and chip away at that lead, so I’m taking them in four balls. The best play is probably U.S. 3-1 at +333, but I’d rather not get daggered by a halve. The Ancer/Im pairing is good for at least a halve, and I don’t see the rest of the International pairings getting swept with the way they’re playing. A point and a halve from this session would be a win for them, as they’d still have a two-point edge heading into the afternoon. --CP