If you want more Action Network content, be sure to add us as a preferred source on Google.
The second round of the Presidents Cup gets underway on Friday at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, Illinois.
The United States holds a 3-2 lead over the International team after the opening round. With three days remaining, this tournament remains wide open.
Here are our picks and Presidents Cup Round 2 best bets and make sure to download the Action Network app for more picks and analysis!
Presidents Cup Round 2 Best Bets
USA Day 2 Winner (-165 at FanDuel)
By: Tony Sartori
The United States took a 3-2 lead after Day 1, and there is no reason to believe that the home team won't continue to win each day for the remainder of the tournament.
The U.S. Team is simply better. It's better both at the top and in terms of depth, with the undisputed best player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, followed by Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Russell Henley, Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele, and Collin Morikawa.
The international side doesn't include a single player ranked higher in the OWGR than any of those eight golfers. In fact, the International team only has two golfers inside the OWGR's top 25 — the Americans have 10.
The DataGolf rankings are even more lopsided. Entering this week, all 12 United States golfers rank inside the top 26. Only three international golfers fit that criterion.
In terms of Day 1 performance, the United States showed why they are the better side. They gained 7.5 strokes over the International team and increased their win probability on DataGolf from 78.5% to 81.7%.
Tom Kim carried the International team, but three of the top four performers still belonged to the United States. As mentioned, depth is the United States' biggest advantage in this tournament, which makes Round 2 an even more appealing option to back the favorites in.
With Friday switching to foursomes (alternate shot), pressure rises on each individual member and one guy can't carry his playing partner as he could on Thursday.
Wyndham Clark / Collin Morikawa Over Ryan Fox / Min Woo Lee (-112, FanDuel)
The three biggest values in my model all won on day one of four-ball, as Koivun/Thomas, Clark/Morikawa, and Matsuyama/Hisatsune had three of the easier victories on the entire slate.
For whatever it is worth, the two most notable edges would be Clark/Morikawa (-112) and Scott/Bezuidenhout (+162), but for the sake of this write-up, let's talk about the one that isn't a +105 proper option and is still projected to lose, and instead dive into the American squad my model has been pinpointing all week.
Fox and Lee, collectively in different pairings on Thursday, put together the 16th and 17th best rounds of the day out of 20 golfers. That came as a marginal surprise, given the two were among the highest climbers for me in best-ball expectation that the International side could roll out. Still, that narrative flips quickly in alternate shot because each brings equally troubling driving potential and iron play to the mix.
My model ranked both outside the top-20 for alternate shot out of 24 players in this contest, with the duo ranking 22nd and 23rd when adding ball-striking metrics individually.
I don't get the pairing from Geoff Ogilvy, and I don't get this price presented in the space by FanDuel. Sure, Clark and Morikawa land as better best-ball candidates themselves, but we are still talking about the second-best team in grade out of the 10 squads tomorrow.
Jake's Match Picks
By Jake Zach
Match 1 – Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns over Corey Conners and Nick Taylor
I don't know what it is, but Scottie Scheffler seems to struggle in match play. He and Burns were lucky to come away with a point after beating Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im on Thursday, though I thought Burns played solidly. I just have a hard time seeing Conners and Taylor earning a point in this one. Scheffler and Burns may carry some momentum after squeaking out that win.
Match 2 – Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im over Jacob Bridgeman and Russell Henley
Matsuyama played some unbelievable golf on Thursday, and so did Sungjae. I love this pairing. On the other side, you have a rookie in Bridgeman, and Russell Henley, who hasn't played in almost two months, since the Tour Championship (August 30). I'll ride the two in-form players all day long.
Match 3 – Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa over Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee
Wyndham Clark played exceptional golf in Thursday's four-ball. He's a stone-cold killer, and you can tell he cares more than anybody. He's been by far the best player on the team so far, and I don't see how Fox and Lee compete with him in this matchup. Morikawa got a ton of help from Clark on Thursday, so his job in foursomes will be simple: hit fairways and make the 3-to-5-footers for par.
Match 4 – Cameron Young and Justin Thomas over Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Adam Scott
Cameron Young played solidly on Thursday but was weighed down by Xander, who brought his D-minus game. Now he's paired with JT, who led the field in strokes gained: total. This pairing is going to roll.
Match 5 – Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele
There's something about these Kims, man. They just care so much more, and you can feel their chemistry. With Cantlay's continued putting woes and Xander's poor play, I'm confident the Kims will earn their second point in this year's Presidents Cup.
