Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns will take on Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im in the first match of Thursday’s fourballs at the Presidents Cup, as captains Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy revealed their pairings for the opening session.

Snedeker’s Team USA are looking to extend their winning streak to 11 consecutive victories over the International team at Medinah Country Club this week, with International Team skipper Ogilvy admitting he was “optimistic” of his team’s chances on Wednesday.

Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele were picked to go out in match two and will take on Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune.

Snedeker has chosen to pair experienced Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup player Justin Thomas alongside 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun for match three.

They’ll take on Canadian Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria of Colombia.

A blockbuster group will go out in the fourth match of the day, with two-time major champions Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa facing the reigning Open champion Ryan Fox and 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott.

Chris Gotterup will pair with Patrick Cantlay in the final game of the fourballs session against Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim.

Match one will get under way at 5.35pm (UK and Ireland time), live on Sky Sports Golf, with the International team set to take the honours off the tee.

Thursday fourballs and tee times (all UK and Ireland time)

Match 1 (1735): Scheffler/Burns vs Lee/Im

Match 2 (1753): Young/Schauffele vs Matsuyama/Hisatsune

Match 3 (1811): Thomas/Koivun vs Conners/Echavarria

Match 4 (1829): Clark/Morikawa vs Fox/Scott

Match 5 (1847): Gotterup/Cantlay vs T. Kim/S.W. Kim

Scheffler, Burns out to end unwanted record

Despite being good friends, Scheffler and Burns have struggled together in past team events, with the duo having fallen to an underwhelming record of 0-3-1 in four matches at the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.

“Do I think we have unfinished business? I don’t know if I would call it that,” Burns said.

“It’s been frustrating the times we have played together, and we feel like we’ve played really well and ultimately not won,” Burns said. “It’s been more frustrating than anything.

“Yeah, this week we’re going to go out and compete as hard as we can and try to get as many points for the US team as possible.”

Team USA captain Snedeker also surprised fans by choosing to separate friends Cantlay and Schauffele, who have regularly paired together in team events over the years. Jim Furyk similarly opted to part the duo for the opening fourballs of the 2024 Presidents Cup.

Thomas teams up with rookie Koivun

Snedeker delved into his decision to pair up Koivun and Thomas, explaining it was an easy pick given how well the two pair together.

“Jackson being a young kid, I feel like he’s really kind of found his way on our team really quickly,” Snedeker said on Wednesday. “I feel like he’s handled the adjustment really well. Justin is just a natural pairing for him.

“He’s somebody he’s comfortable with. He’ll do a great job putting his arm around him and show him how USA golf is meant to be played.”

Koivun explained earlier on Wednesday that Thomas had been a mentor for him over the past few years.

“He and Russell Henley have been really good to me over the past couple years,” Koivun said. “Just really being able to spend some time in a team environment with them has been awesome.

Fox taking inspiration from Europe’s Ryder Cup stars

Fox is hoping the International Team can channel the energy of Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup and are motivated to win for Scott, who is playing in his 12th Presidents Cup.

“For us, we’ve always been the underdogs in this,” Fox said.

“But I feel like on paper the European Ryder Cup team is always the underdogs a little bit, and that hasn’t seemed to affect their results at all over the last few years.

“We’re trying to channel a little bit of that and come together.

“We do have a chance to do something incredible when we’ve got a couple of guys on the team who have played a lot of these that we really want to get a win for. That’s our motivation. I mean, Adam [Scott] especially.

“We’re trying to flip the pressure on the US. I feel like they’re expected to win, and if we can get on top early and create some pressure, more pressure will come on them from other places, and hopefully we can take advantage of that.”

Who will win the Presidents Cup? Watch the United States take on the International Team exclusively live on Sky Sports, with all four days live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream golf and more with no contract.

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Michael Pirotton is ready to shock Johnny Fisher when they fight at London’s Copper Box Arena this Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

The “Romford Bull” is hugely popular with an impassioned fan base, while his Belgian opponent is comparatively unknown.

But Pirotton is convinced he can use that element of surprise.

“I’m nobody in boxing,” the Belgian told Sky Sports. “Nobody knows about me.

“That’s my only advantage,” he continued. “I know I’m supposed to lose.

“In the scenario I’m supposed to lose that fight. He’s going to come full of confidence with his people and I know he’s training hard. I have to be ready for whatever he brings. I’m going to be ready. I’m ready.”

Fisher is a strong, come-forward fighter. “He’s really aggressive and I can move. It’s a classic heavyweight match-up. A bull against a matador. Let’s see who wins,” Pirotton said. “The horns in my belly, or if he ends up on the barbecue.

“The pressure is on his shoulders,” the Belgian added. “He’s just the money cow. He didn’t grab anything he had. I know whatever happens I’ve grabbed everything I have.”

He maintains the struggles he’s faced in his career will help him outlast Fisher.

“They will find out. I don’t brag before,” Pirotton said. “But I’m confident. I don’t brag before, I dance after, that’s what I do.

“I’m glad for everything, that tough journey with some bad stuff happening to me. Because it enfused a deep sense of stoicism in me. What happens is going to happen and I’m still going to be Mike and I’m still going to be proud of what I do.

“I don’t have a destination. I just have a path and I’m walking. I’m bleeding now but I keep walking and you’re going to see.”

Pirotton, who’s never been dropped or stopped in his career, does have a warning for Fisher.

“I’m not over and it’s not over until I say it’s over and Johnny … he’s a tough guy, he’s strong guy, he’s a decent guy, but he can’t knock me out,” he said.

“I’m able to punch. But I’ve never been able to punch like I’m really able to punch. And now I feel free to unleash my power.”

Watch Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton this Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

Karel Sedlacek secured his first PDC Pro Tour title at Players Championship 30, beating Scott Williams 8-7 despite a late scare as he closed in on victory.

It was a thrilling encounter, with Sedlacek outlasting Williams’ barrage of high scores, which included nine maximums, but both players struggled to close out the victory, with the Czech missing five match darts.

Sedlacek would ultimately claim victory, becoming the first Czech player to win a PDC tour title. But after mounting an epic comeback, winning two of the final three legs, Williams cut a furious figure after the match, shaking hands with his opponent and the officials before throwing his darts onto the ground.

Sedlacek would go 7-5 up before nerves set in, with the 47-year-old needing to check out on 24 to win, before missing a trio of match darts, allowing Williams to pull back a leg.

The momentum turned to Williams, who hit two 140s in the resulting leg, before he pulled the contest back to 7-7.

In the deciding leg, it looked as though the Englishman was set to produce a remarkable comeback victory, hitting a maximum to leave himself 112 to win the match, but he too stumbled, hitting five on his second dart when a single 20 would have double 16.

Williams shook his head and exclaimed, ‘you’re kidding me’, before hitting 15 with his final dart.

It left Sedlacek the chance to check out from 32, first missing double 16 inside, subsequently missing double eight, before he finally sealed the match.

Sedlacek, who hit a match-high checkout of 164 in the ninth leg, finished the final with a checkout success of 34.8 per cent, while Williams ended with 36.8 per cent.

“It’s a really special achievement,” Sedlacek told PDC TV. “I’ve been waiting for this for nearly 10 years, and now it is a reality.

Sedlacek, who lauded his opponent Williams as a “good player” after the match, booked his spot in the final by beating some top opponents, including Damon Heta in the round of 32, Nathan Aspinall in the last 16 and Chris Dobey in the quarter-final, before besting Niels Zonneveld 7-2 in the semi-finals.

“It means everything,” he said. “I’ve played for more than 30 years and now I’ve done it. I’m at the top of my career now and I’m really happy.

“I’m feeling stronger and I know I can play darts but I need more matches. But this is perfect.

“Darts is growing day by day in Czech Republic. More players and good players are coming through, this is one of the best points of my career and every player in Czech Republic will hopefully say, ‘Karel has done it, we can do it too!'”

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