Ryder Cup Betting Tips – A Dominant Win For Team USA?

The GM Tipster can only see one outcome at Whistling Straits this week. Here he lists his best bets...

Ryder Cup Betting Tips

Those feisty Solheim Cup women did it – now can our Ryder Cup men take inspiration from that away-from-home upset and complete a fairytale double when the USA v Europe showdown tees off at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin on Friday?

The heart says they can, the head says too many of Padraig Harrington’s squad are not at peak form and the likelihood is that a strong US team will grind out a convincing victory and justify their 8/15 odds with Fitzdares.

We have world No. 1 Jon Rahm batting for Europe but the Americans fill the next six places on the rankings and a noisy partisan crowd rooting for them while most European fans have to watch it from home because of Covid-related travel restrictions.

On combined ratings, Steve Stricker’s team are more than 250 points superior and should walk it. They got hammered 17.5 to 10.5 in Paris the last time the Ryder Cup was played in 2018. But three years is a long time in golf and the wheel has turned full circle.

Rahm missing the cut in California last week did nothing for European morale, nor did the Wentworth victory of Billy Horschel, the only PGA Tour American in the field. And he’s not even in the US team!

Clutching at straws, the Dye-designed course, over 7500 yards long and with 967 (!) bunkers, could work in Europe’s favour as it is supposed to replicate the ancient links of Scotland and Ireland.

Once an abandoned airfield, It has eight holes hugging Lake Michigan, vast rolling greens, few trees and is exposed to the wind coming in from the lake.

Nothing like any of the other courses on the rota, the three Majors it has hosted since it opened 23 years ago, were all won by non-Americans, Vijay Singh, Martin Kaymer and Jason Day. Have the Americans shot themselves in the foot by going to Whistling Straits?

In Europe’s favour is their superiority at matchplay, leading by 11-8 (one tie) in the series since the stars of the Continent were brought in to power up the often-overmatched GB & Ireland team in 1979.

And the knowledge they have won before as away team outsiders, not once but four times, at Muirfield Village in 1987, Oak Hill in 1995, Oakland Hills in 2004 (by nine!) and that fabled Miracle at Medinah in 2012 when they overcame a four-point deficit going into the singles.

Europe’s problem is the current form of a number of team members, notably Tyrrell Hatton, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Despite a recent second place, Tommy Fleetwood has done nothing of note, while newcomer Bernd Wiesberger’s shocking capitulation in Crans is still fresh in the mind – will his nerve fail him again under pressure?

With Rory McIlroy you don’t what you’re getting these days, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry are consistent rather than brilliant, and while Ian Poulter brings more to the table than his golf, all his best 2021 form came a while ago.

Rahm and young rookie Viktor Hovland therefore have quite a burden on their shoulders and if US Open champion Rahm has anything worse than a stellar three days, it is hard to see where 14 points are coming from.

It’s an old team, average age 35, and while experience is all well and good, bad experience, which has been the recent lot of several squad members, is no help at all.

The home side in contrast has strength in depth.

Maybe Collin Morikawa has gone off the boil but Tony Finau is to be feared now he has finally won a meaningful tournament.

The wide fairways will give bombers like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka (assuming he is fully fit after wrist trouble) and Finau himself quite an edge.

And we haven’t yet mentioned that short-game genius Jordan Spieth.

He and another suspect driver Justin Thomas can do serious damage if they can put the ball in play which may not be the hardest thing in the world at Whistling Straits.

So I’m expecting a comfortable USA victory and will be backing a few numbers around the 17-11 and 16-12 on the winning margin. And for once I’ll be backing odds-on as they look more like 1-3 or 2-5 chances rather than the current 8-15.

We are looking at a breezy, warm weekend with winds of up to 18mph and rain on Friday and look forward to Sky’s blanket coverage of one of the most exciting events in world sport.

As for the top-scorer markets, I shall be looking into them later in the week when the first foursomes pairings are announced. That will come at the opening ceremony (10pm Thursday our time).

We don’t want to give the bookies a start as it is only those who opening the batting who can win five points out of five, as Francesco Molinari so brilliantly did in Paris three years ago.

No Frankie this year though. Yes, 2018 was a long time ago.

Ryder Cup Betting Tips – A Dominant Win For Team USA?

Ryder Cup Betting Tips

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