Presidents Cup match previews: Friday's four-balls

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MELBOURNE, Australia -- The second day of the 2011 Presidents Cup consists of six four-ball matches. The U.S. will take a 4-2 lead into the session after Thursday's foursomes, with the International team needing to bounce back from a disappointing day in front of their fans.

Here's a preview of each of the six matches on Friday, with predictions from PGATOUR.COM staffers Mike McAllister and Helen Ross, who are on-site at Royal Melbourne.

MAKE YOUR PREDICTIONS: Who will win Friday's Four-Balls?

Match 7

Bubba Watson Webb Simpson VS. 9:35 a.m. (local) 5:35 p.m. ET (Thur.) Ernie Els Ryo Ishikawa

QUICK LOOK
The Americans certainly set the right tone on Thursday, winning six of their final 12 holes to rally from 2 down to take the 4-and-2 win. Watson and Simpson are good friends who wanted to play together, and the early tee time suits Watson, who doesn't need the extra time to ponder the implications of the match. Simpson admitted he was nervous but the jovial Watson settled him down. International Captain Greg Norman is counting on Els' experience at Royal Melbourne -- he holds the composite course record of 60 -- to settle Ishikawa down. The 20-year-old from Japan was a late arrival this week and the Alister MacKenzie course can be a conundrum. The two International players headed directly for the range after their opening loss.
PREDICTION
Helen Ross - USA. "Els and Ishikawa should be out for revenge but Watson and Simpson are too potent a combination.."
Mike McAllister - USA. "If chemistry counts for anything this week, Watson-Simpson will continue to roll."

Match 8

Dustin Johnson Tiger Woods VS. 9:49 a.m. (local) 5:49 p.m. ET (Thur.) Aaron Baddeley Jason Day

QUICK LOOK
Day and Baddeley know they let a point slip away on Thursday. The Presidents Cup rookies from Australia held a 3-up advantage through 11 holes but made three bogeys coming home, including on the last two holes. At least the match was a halve and not an even more demoralizing loss, though, Day appeared determined after the match. "We are going to go out tomorrow," he said, "and pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and get out there and play." Johnson and his partner, Matt Kuchar, never quite found their rhythm although they hung tough in foursomes. Johnson said the halve felt like a win, and he's excited to partner with Woods for the first time. "I played with Tiger on Tuesday and Wednesday, and he's hitting the ball great," the big-hitting Johnson said. "So I feel great about our pairing."
PREDICTIONS
Helen Ross - International. "All eyes Down Under will be on this match -- and don't look for Day and Baddeley to collapse again.."
Mike McAllister - International. "Badds and Day learned a harsh lesson on Thursday. They won't make the same mistake."

Match 9

Phil Mickelson Jim Furyk VS. 10:03 a.m. (local) 6:03 p.m. ET (Thur.) Adam Scott Kyung-tae Kim

QUICK LOOK
Mickelson should thrive in this format, particularly now that his putter seems to be cooperating. Both he and Furyk have struggled with the flatstick this season but their aim was dead-on in Thursday's 4-and-3 win over Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby. Scott got the inevitable over with when he and K.J. Choi -- and the Aussie's caddy Steve Williams -- played his looper's former employer Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in foursomes on Thursday and won convincingly. Kim is a Presidents Cup rookie with limited experience at Royal Melbourne but Scott should be a steadying influence -- and playing their own balls could make this partnership more comfortable.
PREDICTIONS
Helen Ross - USA. "If Mickelson and Furyk continue to putt as well as they did in foursomes, they should make enough birdies to prevail."
Mike McAllister - USA. "Opposite styles worked for U.S. pair in foursomes, but they'll have a tougher match in four-ball."

Match 10

Bill Haas Nick Watney VS. 10:17 a.m. (local) 6:17 p.m. ET (Thur.) Geoff Ogilvy K.J. Choi

QUICK LOOK
Ogilvy and Charl Schwartzel halved their foursomes match against Haas-Watney on Thursday, but it felt like a loss after the International pair were 2 up with four holes to play. Ogilvy gets a new partner for Friday with Choi, fresh off the 7 and 6 trouncing (with Adam Scott) over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker. Like Greg Norman's other pairings, Ogilvy should provided much-needed local knowledge for Choi in navigating the stiff winds expected on Friday. Haas played well and made some clutch shots down the stretch; he and Watney will be feeling the adrenaline from the half-point.
PREDICTIONS
Helen Ross - USA. "Ogilvy will have something to prove but I like the way the Americans fought back to get the halve in foursomes."
Mike McAllister - International.. "Look for Ogilvy to bounce back from the disappointing opening result."

Match 11

Steve Stricker Matt Kuchar VS. 10:31 a.m. (local) 6:31 p.m. ET (Thur.) Y.E. Yang Robert Allenby

QUICK LOOK
Stricker struggled on Thursday; you have to wonder whether he was rusty from lack of competition the last few weeks, or whether his neck was still bothering him. Kuchar and Dustin Johnson rallied to halve their match, with Johnson making some clutch putts down the stretch. If Stricker can't get back on track, Kuchar will have to shoulder the load. Much like in Match 10, Allenby will be there to provide help for Yang, who struggled to find the proper sight lines with K.T. Kim on Thursday.
PREDICTIONS
Helen Ross - International "Allenby should have the home crowd behind him and can steady his partner."
Mike McAllister - USA. "Tough one to pick, but Kuchar's probably in the best form of any of the four."

Match 12

Hunter Mahan David Toms Vs. 10:45 a.m. (local) 6:45 p.m. ET (Thur.) Charl Schwartzel Retief Goosen

QUICK LOOK
Mahan and Toms throttled Kim and Yang 6 and 5 on Thursday, getting off to a fast start and then avoiding trouble that would have given the International team a chance to get back in the match. Schwartzel and Goosen, two South Africans, should work well together. Goosen is much more effective in four-ball sessions; he has a 6-2-1 record in his previous four Presidents Cup appearances. Surprisingly, this will be the first time he has ever played with one of his countrymen in this event. You've got to think that will fire him up.
PREDICTION
Helen Ross - USA. "Mahan and Toms have a similar temperament and should be confident after Thursday's lopsided win."
Mike McAllister - International. "Tough to ignore Goosen's record in four-balls."