Dustin Johnson to partner Gary Woodland; live coverage begins on Wednesday from 9.30pm on Sky Sports Golf
Wednesday 11 December 2019 22:34, UK
Captain Tiger Woods will kick off the United States' bid for an eighth successive win in the Presidents Cup when he teams up with Justin Thomas at Royal Melbourne on Thursday.
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Woods and his fellow former world No 1 Thomas meet Australian Marc Leishman and tournament debutant Joaquin Niemann in the opening fourballs match, as the Americans take on an International team - which represents the rest of the world, minus Europe.
Woods, who is only the second playing captain in the 25-year history of the tournament, said: "I think from our side, we had a game plan [with] who we wanted to start out, and we were committed to putting Justin and myself out there, and that's who we're rolling with.
"Having my responsibility as a player, I want to get out there and play with Justin, but also as a captain, I want to see my guys play."
Woods said his assistant Steve Stricker would take over his captaincy duties while he was on the course.
The 43-year-old gave Dustin Johnson, who is on the comeback from a knee injury, a vote of confidence by naming the long hitter in a pair with Gary Woodland in the last of Thursday's five fourball matches.
They will meet Mexican rookie Abraham Ancer and former Champion Golfer Louis Oosthuizen.
American debutants Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay will meet Canada's Adam Hadwin and South Korean Sungjae Im in the second match.
Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau face Presidents Cup veteran Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An in the third match, with Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed teaming up against Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Taiwan's CT Pan in the fourth.
Woods arrived at Royal Melbourne on Tuesday, a day later than the Internationals, after a delay in their long-haul travel from the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
"We wish we could have gotten here on Monday, but we were a little bit delayed," said Woods.
"I got a chance to play all of yesterday, played a little bit today. The preparation is very simple."
Fourballs matches (all times GMT):
2232 Leishman/Niemann v Thomas/Woods
2247 Hadwin/Im v Schauffele/Cantlay
2302 Scott/An v DeChambeau/Finau
2317 Pan/Matsuyama v Simpson/Reed
2332 Ancer/Oosthuizen v Johnson/Woodland
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