CHASKA, Minn. — Much has been said about the U.S. Ryder Cup "task force" and captain Davis Love III stating this was the "greatest team assembled" in recent weeks, but it's clear while watching the proposed pairings unfold during the practice rounds at Hazeltine National that this team has something special.
During both Tuesday's and Wednesday's practice rounds, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler were paired. Wednesday, they were helping each other read greens, decide what clubs they should use off tee boxes and chart yardages they would be comfortable hitting into greens.
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Those two, the old pro and the rising star, will see time together during the 2016 Ryder Cup, which begins competition on Friday. Three days of play on the course outside the Twin Cities will decide whether the U.S. regains the Ryder Cup or the European team retains it.
Mickelson and Fowler are friends off the course. Both were members of the American task force built after 2014's team failure. Though they are both a bit erratic, they are fiery competitors who will ignite a spark from gallery members.
Jimmy Walker also played with Mickelson and Fowler both days. Ryan Moore rounded out their group Tuesday, but Brooks Koepka was the fourth on Wednesday. Koepka and Walker shared numerous fist-bumps and conversations, similar to the other two in their group.
A Koepka-Walker pairing would be intriguing. They are both long hitters — they certainly proved that Wednesday, consistently out-driving their playing partners. Neither is known as a standout putter, but they have the ability to put themselves in great situations.
For instance, Koepka mashed a drive on the par-4 fifth hole to 20 yards in front of the green. He flipped a chip onto the putting surface and casually sunk his birdie putt. Both Koepka and Walker can shorten this monstrous course. That gives them an advantage over a number of pairings.
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On the other side of the course, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed again played with Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. Spieth and Reed went 2-0-1 together in 2014, and both mentioned how comfortable they are playing with one another.
The combination of Johnson and Kuchar seems a task-force pairing, or at least a strategic one. Johnson, who is arguably the game's best player right now, is also among its longest hitters. Kuchar, on the other hand, is a great iron player and clutch putter. They combine to create a near-perfect golfer.
Love understands the value of trust when playing with someone during the Ryder Cup, so it makes sense the practice rounds showcased familiar pairings.
"When you're hitting a tee shot for a guy, you'd better know what the golf ball's going to do," Love said Wednesday. "You'd better be comfortable with each other in any situation.
"I think that's why Fred Couples and I played so well together, because we ignored everything else that was going on and we trusted — I trusted Fred, he trusted me. I think if you get two guys like that, that get along, trust each other, and they are not worried if you hit it under a tree or if you miss a putt — there's no apologizing. I think if you get two guys that are in sync like that, that makes a good alternate-shot team."
The U.S. and European teams will make their pairings official on Thursday, setting the schedule for Friday's foursome and four-ball play.