“Rickie Fowler-Brooks Koepka” – PGA Tour pro Michael Kim predicts Europe and USA team pairings for Ryder Cup
With both teams announced for the 44th Ryder Cup, everyone now awaits the pairing announcements for the foursomes and fourballs. American professional Michael Kim has predicted his pairing for the upcoming Ryder Cup.
Europe's Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, announced his picks on Monday, September 4, which means both teams are now set for the biennial event.
While everyone is excited about the possible pairings, Kim has picked the duos he would like to see. He wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter):
"I assume the USA pods and pairings go something like this? (Max-Collin Cantlay-Xander) (JT-Spieth Rickie-Brooks) (Scottie-Sam Harman-Wyndham)"
"What do you think Europe pairings are? Main ones are prob: Mcilroy-Ludvig Fleetwood-Hovland Rahm-Hatton Rose-Fitzpatrick Who else?"
For Team USA, the first pair he chose were the good friends Max Homa and Collin Morikawa, who were also paired together during the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. The second duo on the list was Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who won the 2022 Zurich Classic together.
The third pairing on the list was of great friends Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. Although both have recently struggled on the PGA Tour, their proven record as a pair or as individuals at team events can't be debated. They played together in Match VII last December and beat Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods to win the Capital One's exhibition.
The next pairing that Kim suggested was Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka. While Fowler had a great comeback season, winning his first title in six years, Koepka also won his third PGA Championship and finished as the runner-up at the Masters.
The 30-year-old American starred with Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. The World No. 1 golfer is playing in his second straight Ryder Cup, while Burns will make his tournament debut this year.
The last pairing on the list were the newest major champions, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark. Both Harman and Clark stunned many stalwarts this year by winning the Open Championship and the US Open, respectively.
The former John Deere Classic champion also suggested pairings for the European Team. He paired Rory McIlroy with the rookie Ludvig Aberg. While McIlroy claimed two professional wins this season, Aberg also won his first title on the European Tour last Sunday at the Omega European Masters.
Kim paired Tommy Fleetwood with Viktor Hovland. Fleetwood won one title on the DP World Tour this season and achieved nine top-10 finishes, including a runner-up on the PGA Tour. Hovland ended the season with a FedEx Cup title.
Kim feels that Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will be the probable pairing for the biennial event. Although the Spaniard struggled at the FedEx Cup Playoffs, he claimed four PGA Tour titles this season. Hatton made seven top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up finish at the Players Championship.
Kim's final pairing suggestion is Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick. Rose has earned 14 points over his five appearances at the Ryder Cup, and has been part of the winning contingent in 2012, 2014, and 2018. Fitzpatrick has been part of two Ryder Cups but has yet to taste victory.
Has Michael Kim ever been part of the Ryder Cup?
The 30-year-old American has never been part of the Ryder Cup, but he played in the Palmer Cup and Walker Cup as an amateur and was part of the winning USA team in both events in 2013.