Steve Palmer's Ryder Cup Saturday foursomes preview and free golf betting tips

Where to watch the Ryder Cup

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 6am on Saturday

Best bets

Rory McIlroy & Tommy Fleetwood to win 6.35am match
3pts 4-5 Hills

Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton to win 7.20am match
2pts 11-10 Betfair, Power

Europe to win day-two foursomes 3-1
1pt 7-2 Betfair, BoyleSports, Power

Ryder Cup Saturday foursomes preview

The United States failed to win any matches on the opening day of the Ryder Cup – the first time in the competition's history that has happened – as Europe dominated at Marco Simone Golf Club in Italy.

Europe, available at 6-5 to win the Ryder Cup on Tuesday, are as short as 1-10 in places after the first day. Luke Donald's charges lead the match 6.5-1.5, leaving the bewildered Americans with a mountain to climb.

The Friday morning foursomes saw a whitewash, then Team USA appeared to be rallying in the afternoon fourballs. Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland produced some last-gasp fireworks, though, to salvage halves from matches one and two, then Justin Rose secured another half-point with a final-hole birdie against Max Homa and Wyndham Clark.

Europe won the fourballs session 2.5-1.5. The States can be backed at 6-1 to mount a fightback and reach the magical 14.5 points victory mark on Sunday, while the 14-14 draw is a 14-1 chance. Europe are a general 1-6.

Rory McIlroy won two points on Friday, while Rahm, Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton have each got one and a half points to their name. The leading Americans are Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Wyndham Clark and Max Homa, who all won half a point.

Saturday replicates Friday in the Ryder Cup – a session of foursomes followed by a session of fourballs – and Europe will be hoping for exactly the same result. Another 6.5-1.5 scoreline would put the home side within 1.5 points of victory.

Remarkably, it is mathematically possible for Europe to win the Cup on Saturday – by winning both sessions 4-0 – but European captain Luke Donald will not be allowing any complacency to set in among his team.

The Saturday-morning foursomes line-up sees Donald field exactly the same eight players who romped to a 4-0 Friday-morning success. American skipper Zach Johnson has changed things up a little, with Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa feeling the foursomes axe.

Match one sees Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood tee up for Europe. They defeated Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in the Friday foursomes and will face Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on day two.

Thomas was generally excellent in the Friday fourballs, but Spieth was ragged, so the Texan will need to up his game in the foursomes if the Americans are going to be competitive in the top match. Johnson is clearly hoping the half-point that Thomas and Spieth gained in the Friday fourballs will be the catalyst for the old dream team to run riot from here, but it seems an optimistic assessment.

McIlroy was below his best in the foursomes, but found a groove in the fourballs and there is every reason to believe Europe will take charge of the top match. Thomas has an enormous amount of respect for McIlroy and lost to the Northern Irishman in the 2018 Ryder Cup singles. If Spieth is wild from tee to green, this could be a humbling morning for the States.

Matches two and three should be tight. Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg crushed Max Homa and Brian Harman in the Friday foursomes, but the Norwegian and the Swede have been handed a tough Saturday gig with Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler.

Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka, who appear to have formed an instant bond and defeated Fowler and Morikawa on Friday morning, have got Homa and Harman on Saturday morning. Homa has been one of the brighter Americans this week and this match is tough to call.

Perhaps matches two and three will be tied, but more blue can be put on the board in the final contest. Jon Rahm must feel like Superman after his late heroics salvaged a half for him and Nicolai Hojgaard against Koepka and Scheffler in the Friday fourballs. On Saturday, Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will resume the partnership which was successful against Scheffler and Sam Burns on Friday morning.

Rahm and Hatton is a beastly foursomes unit and they can take down Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in the bottom match. Cantlay hit some horrific shots on Friday morning, looking full of rust after a month on the sidelines, while Schauffele was suspect over important putts. This much respected alliance has looked vulnerable this week and Cantlay was dropped for the Friday fourballs.

Europe may win the session 3-1. Betfair, BoyleSports and Power make that scoreline a 7-2 chance, which seems more than fair.

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