Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
The Ryder Cup | Friday 26 September – Sunday 28 September | Gleneagles Hotel
The 40th edition of the Ryder Cup tees off at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland on Friday and everyone is looking forward to what promises to be one of the highlights of the golfing season. In a previous article I had a look at the history of the illustrious tournament and made mention of some of the important aspects of this instalment, but now it’s time to look for some winners. The 7,262 yard, par 72 course will prove a real challenge to all concerned. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the PGA Centenary Course was described by the great man as “the finest parcel of land in the world I have ever been given to work with.” It is the shortest course to host the Ryder Cup in a decade, but that won’t make it easy, as deep bunkers guard nearly every green, with thick, extensive rough to punish players who venture too far from the fairway. The course has hosted the Johnnie Walker Championship since 1999, which no American has ever won.
TO WIN OUTRIGHT
Europe 6/10
Draw 12/1
USA 17/10
Team Europe have home ground advantage and on paper they look the stronger team. They find themselves at 6/10 favourites. There has been a look of talk around how this is the weakest team the United States have fielded in a while and for good reason. Tiger Woods will be sorely missed and the fact that the winner of the FedEx Cup is not present comes as a surprise, although if we’re being realistic, until little over a month ago there’s no way Tom Watson could have justified picking Billy Horschel. What is most concerning though is the Ryder Cup form of some of these guys. Bubba Watson, one of the most talented golfers seen in a long time, simply has not excelled in this format of the game. In eight matches he’s managed a pathetic three points for his team and looks to be outclassed by almost every player in the European team. Matt Kuchar has been suffering with back issues of late and is in pretty dismal form at the moment, as is Jordan Spieth, who has only managed a single Top 10 finish since May. Zach Johnson is also suffering at the moment and has done little to inspire much confidence is his game. Phil Mickelson will be one to watch and I reckon he could win a few points for his team, as perhaps will veteran Jim Furyk.
With this in mind the likes of Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose look to have their American counterparts outclassed. 6/10 isn’t a great price, especially considering this is the Ryder Cup and anything can happen, but it’s worth backing because the Europeans are worthy favourites.
Top European: Ian Poulter 8/1
The European team is oozing talent and picking the Top European is not an easy task. Rory McIlroy is the best player in the world at the moment and although he has every chance of picking up points whenever he tees off, he’s going to be facing the best players that this American team has to offer, so the value lies elsewhere. Sergio Garcia has a lot of Ryder Cup experience and is in great form so the 5/1 available on the Spaniard is definitely worth a nibble. I feel that the best bet of the lot though is Ian Poulter. He has an unprecedented 80% win percentage in the Ryder Cup and has proven almost impossible to beat in this format in the past. He’s going to have a great tournament and 8/1 looks like a great value bet.
Top American: Jim Furyk 8/1
I’ve already written off most of the Americans so for me, the Top American can only be one of two players: Jim Furyk or Phil Mickelson. Although Phil Mickelson looks a good enough bet I think this time around he will be outdone by an in-form Jim Furyk. In terms of experience there’s little to separate the two but Furyk is in a great run of form at the moment and will come into every match confident. His game is on point at the moment and he will be a great bet in every match he plays. 8/1 looks generous; don’t let it go to waste.
Honourable Mentions
Keegan Bradley should find himself as the Top American Wildcard and at 14/10 you can’t go wrong having a small strike on him to edge out Hunter Mahan and Webb Simpson. Jamie Donaldson is available at 16/10 to be the Top European rookie and looks to have Victor Dubuisson and Stephen Gallacher’s number in this market. And of course, a small wager on the final day outsider is also always worth the gamble.
So there we go, get your bets on and get ready for what should be a spectacular few days of golf. The Ryder Cup only comes around every two years; make sure you make the most of it.
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