Day One Ryder Cup matchups

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/day-1-fourballs-2014-ryder-cup/

The Friday morning "fourball" Ryder Cup matchups have been decided.  The afternoon "foursome" matchups will be picked after the morning wave has been completed.  (From now on "fourball" will be referred to as best score and "foursome" as alternate shot, as the latter terms are better descriptors).  With best score, each player plays his own ball.  Each team takes the best score it makes, with the lower score obviously winning the hole.  However there are intricacies and strategies unique to this format, one being the ability to play out-of-turn if your partner is away.

Anyway, here are the best score matchups:

2014 Ryder Cup
Friday Morning Best Score
USA vs. Europe

Match one:
Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson vs. Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson
Match two:
Rickie Fowler/Jimmy Walker vs. Thomas Bjorn/Martin Kaymer
Match three:
Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed vs. Stephen Gallacher/Ian Poulter
Match four:
Phil Mickelson/Keegan Bradley vs. Rory McIlroy/Sergio Garcia

The general consensus among golf punditry is that Europe is the favorite although with a pressure to win it hasn't felt before.  This seems mostly correct, however what is overlooked is how top-heavy Europe is.  The Americans sitting in the morning, which include Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar, and Zach Johnson; are just as skilled as the eight teeing it up.  Europe, which has Graeme McDowell, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, and Lee Westwood sitting; sees a larger drop off from its best players of McIlroy and Garcia.

Of course some of this is due to McIlroy's (and Garcia's) excellent play of late, but about any twosome American captain Tom Watson puts out would be favored against a Bjorn/(struggling)Kaymer or Donaldson/Dubuisson pairing.  Of course Europe could counter by having its stars--McIlroy, Garcia, Stenson, Rose, and Poulter (since this is a Ryder Cup)--play all four Friday/Saturday matchups in order to limit the matches played by its lower ranked players.  This isn't unprecedented, in 2012 low-ranked Peter Hansen played only one of the four Friday/Saturday matches and Rory played all four.

There is downside to this however.  One problem is rust as the weaker players do have to eventually play on Sunday.  A guy who hasn't played much the first two days isn't going to be much use for you in a singles match on Sunday.  Case in point: Peter Hansen who lost to Jason Dufner in 2012.  A second problem is fatigue for the guys who play a lot Friday/Saturday.  The guy who goes 72 holes in the span of about 36 hours is more physically and emotionally drained for the Sunday singles match than the guy who goes only 54 or 36; although the only Ryder Cupper who did this in 2012, Rory, won his singles matchup (he did almost missed his tee time).

Anyway, if the matchups play out as they should, Europe should do better in the team portion where it is traditionally stronger and can hide its lower-ranked and struggling players; and the US should be slight favorites in at least eight of the twelve Sunday singles matches depending on how they stack up. 

The Ryder Cup gets underway at 1:35 am Central Time, 7:35 am local time in Scotland.