Focus on the 42nd Ryder Cup between Europe and the United States

8.25am (7.25am BST): Rory McIlroy, in his fifth Ryder Cup, and rookie Thorbjorn Olesen are up against world number one Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler.

8.40 (7.40am BST): Paul Casey, playing in his first Ryder Cup for 10 years, and Tyrrell Hatton – playing in his first – take on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

8.55pm (7.55am BST): Open champion Francesco Molinari and rookie Tommy Fleetwood are up against Patrick Reed, self-styled ‘Captain America’, and a revitalised 14-time major winner Tiger Woods.

Course form

Match 1

Justin Rose: Played the French Open five times in his career and not since 2012, but was ninth then and also third in 2003 after a final round of 65.

Jon Rahm: Only played Le Golf National twice but finished in the top 10 both times, contending for victory in June before a triple-bogey seven on the 12th dropped him to seventh.

Brooks Koepka: Made his only appearance in France in 2014, carding two rounds of 73 to miss the cut by a single shot.

Tony Finau: No competitive rounds at Le Golf National.

Match 2

Rory McIlroy: After missing the cut in 2008 in first his full season as a professional, he finished fourth in 2010 and third in 2016 after a frustrating final round containing one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars.

Thorbjorn Olesen: Finished runner-up on his debut in 2011 and third in 2017, but failed to make the cut in his five other starts with scores including an 80, 78 and two 77s.

Dustin Johnson: No competitive rounds at Le Golf National.

Rickie Fowler: No competitive rounds at Le Golf National.

Match 3

Paul Casey: Played in the French Open just twice and missed the cut in 2012 after back-to-back rounds of 80. Finished in a tie for 10th on his other start in 2004.

Tyrrell Hatton: The only member of Europe’s team without a top-10 finish at Le Golf National. Finished 12th in 2015 and 16th this year.

Jordan Spieth: No competitive rounds at Le Golf National.

Justin Thomas: The only USA team member to compete in June’s French Open, carding rounds of 70, 70, 69 and 71 to tie for eighth.

Match 4

Francesco Molinari: Finished second in 2016 after a closing 66. Also a runner-up in 2010 and 2012 and missed just two cuts in 13 starts.

Tommy Fleetwood: Won the French Open in 2017, the only time he has actually made the cut in six attempts.

Patrick Reed: No competitive rounds at Le Golf National.

Tiger Woods: No competitive rounds at Le Golf National.

How much does home advantage matter?

From an historical point of view, it is 25 years since the USA last registered a win on foreign soil. Bringing that up to date, the set-up of Le Golf National does not favour the big-hitting Americans unlike the wide open fairways and no rough of Hazeltine in 2016. The fairways are narrower and the rough thicker and – to a man – the American team have spoken about hitting driver is going to be limited. Tony Finau, whose PGA Tour average drive this season is over 315 yards, admits he will hit driver only between four to six drivers a round compared to 10 to 12 he would usually employ on courses in the US. Then there is the crowd factor with the first tee’s near-7,000 capacity stand certain to ramp the pressure on the Americans.

Format

Friday morning begins with four fourball matches; each member of a two-man team plays his own ball. The lowest team score on every hole wins the hole. If the low scores are tied, the hole is halved. The afternoon is foursomes: each two-man team plays one ball per hole with the players taking turns until each hole is complete. Players alternate hitting tee shots, with one leading off on odd-numbered holes, and the other on even-numbered holes. The format is repeated on Saturday before Sunday’s singles, when every player in the team goes head-to-head against an opponent. Every player – barring injury – plays on the final day. First team to 14.5 points of the 28 available wins. The holders only require 14 points to retain the trophy.

Who’s best on paper?

The United States, the holders, have a significant advantage purely on the basis of the numbers. The American team have a combined 31 majors between them – Tiger Woods has 14 to himself – with their European counterparts having won just eight, and Rory McIlroy has half of those as the only multiple winner. The USA have six players in the world’s top 10, 11 of the best 17 with Phil Mickelson, a five-time major winner, the lowest-ranked player at 25. Europe make up the rest of the world’s top 10 with Justin Rose, in second, preventing Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka making it an American one-two. They have only six players in the top 20 and two outside the top 30 (Ian Poulter 34, Thorbjorn Olesen 45).

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