Ryder Cup Foursomes Draw: Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington will be in the top match alongside Sweden's Robert Karlsson when the European team get their Ryder Cup campaign underway at Valhalla tomorrow morning.
Harrington and Karlsson will take on the American pairing of Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim in the first match of the weekend as the visitors start their bid for an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.
As to who hits the first shot, Harrington and his partner have yet to decide with the Dubliner commenting: "We have got to do a little bit of thinking on that. Think about it and see what we are comfortable with. The course seems to set up where it is not obvious to go one way or the other.
"Robert has been playing great all year and he is certainly somebody I looked to play with and he looked to play with me. While you can't make too much of a deal out of the first session, momentum is always nice to have on your side."
Next out will be Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey, who face Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahon, before the all-English pairing of Justin Rose and Ian Poulter tackle Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell.
The final match of the morning foursomes sees the vastly experienced team of Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood take on the veteran American Jim Furyk and his partner Kenny Perry.
The European pairings are exactly the same as those that team captain Nick Faldo had unwittingly allowed to be caught on camera yesterday.
Only the order of those involved was different, with Poulter and Rose elevated up the order while Graeme McDowell and Miguel Angel Jimenez will now not see any action until the afternoon fourballs at the earliest.
Faldo had tried to laugh off his slip-up yesterday, suggesting the sheet featuring the pairings was the players' "sandwich list" before having to confess that he had been caught out.
It gave opposite number Paul Azinger a heads-up on what Faldo's thinking was before the handing in of their line-ups at lunchtime in Louisville today.
Many thought Faldo would start with Garcia and Westwood, but he said: "It's pretty tough to push a three-time major champion out of his seat."
America have not won the opening session since Kiawah Island in 1991 and the last time they even shared it was 11 years ago at Valderrama. In the last three matches fourballs have come first. Azinger, as the home captain, has changed that in the hope of improving matters.
Garcia and Westwood, though, bring with them two formidable records — both together and separately. As a partnership in 2002 and 2004 they have played six, won four, halved one and have lost only to Woods and Davis Love in fourballs.
Garcia has a perfect eight victories from his eight foursomes, while, equally incredibly, Westwood has won his last 10 games — only two short of Arnold Palmer's record unbeaten run in the event.
Draw for the opening foursomes
(USA names first, all times Irish)
1.05pmPhil Mickelson & Anthony Kim v Padraig Harrington & Robert Karlsson
1.20pmJustin Leonard & Hunter Mahan v Henrik Stenson & Paul Casey
1.35pmStewart Cink & Chad Campbell v Justin Rose & Ian Poulter
1.50pmKenny Perry & Jim Furyk v Lee Westwood & Sergio Garcia
Match Previews
Mickelson & Kim v Harrington & Karlsson: Perhaps Mickelson can do better with the player touted as the next Tiger Woods than he did with the current one at Oakland Hills. The world number two won just half a point at the K Club in 2006 but Azinger is clearly hoping to bring out the best in the left-hander by pairing him with rising star Kim, twice a winner on the US Tour this season on courses Azinger believes were the two toughest.
Harrington has been much in demand within the European team since claiming back-to-back major titles this season, while Karlsson won in Germany just hours before boarding the plane for Valhalla. Harrington wanted to play with someone "erratic" in foursomes and could have got his wish.
Leonard & Mahan v Stenson & Casey: Leonard is back in the side for the first time since holing "that" putt on the 17th green at Brookline to spark wild and premature celebrations among the US team and supporters. Mahan was a wild card selection despite claiming a few weeks earlier that players were treated like "slaves" during Ryder Cup week — a strange claim given this is his debut.
Stenson and Casey are another untried European pairing although they have been practising together for much of the week. Casey's solid if unspectacular form earned him a wildcard pick from Faldo while Stenson qualified easily and won the 2007 Accenture Match Play title. The European pairs' length off the tee could be crucial.
Cink & Campbell v Rose & Poulter: After Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, Cink is the most experienced member of the US team having played three times, but the world number 11 has won just three of his 12 matches. That does include beating Sergio Garcia in the singles two years ago however, and Cink's steadying influence will be vital alongside Campbell, who has won just one of his six matches in the one-sided defeats in 2004 and 2006.
Rose and Poulter are close friends who have represented England in the World Cup and were an obvious pairing for Faldo despite their lack of experience. Poulter won one match and lost the other in 2004 while Rose is making his debut. Poulter has something to prove after his controversial wildcard selection but Rose will be happy to lend his support.
Perry & Furyk v Westwood & Garcia: Local favourite Perry was being touted as a partner for long-hitting fellow Kentucky native JB Holmes, but Furyk is far better suited to foursomes despite having his practice interrupted when his wife was taken to hospital with a neck problem.
Azinger will be hoping Perry can whip up the crowd but Westwood and Garcia are Europe's most experienced pairing and are unlikely to be ruffled. Between them they have won 30.5 points in the Ryder Cup, the entire American team have 27.5. The European pair have been joint top points scorers in the last two contests while Garcia has incredibly won all eight of his previous foursomes matches.
