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Ryder Cup week is now upon us, and after the excellent Solheim Cup which took place over the weekend, the excitement among golf fans is rife. 24 of the world’s best players, 12 from Europe and 12 from the United States of America, will go battle it out for team-golf glory, but who will come out on top? Can the boys from the US get the job done after their success in 2021? Or is their a European fightback on the cards?
This time around, after being held on US shores to years ago, the Ryder Cup will be hosted in Europe. Specifically, the competition will be played in Italy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, located in Guidonia, a town within the metropolitan city of Rome. Ahead of the much awaited 2023 renewal of this fantastic and unique golf competition, let’s get stuck into the betting side of things and see where the value may lie.
Ryder Cup betting odds
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As we’re now just a few days away from the start of the Ryder Cup, here’s how things stand in the main betting market, as we can see, it’s quite tight:
Team USA to win – 21/20 (2.05)
Team Europe to win – 5/4 (2.25)
Draw – 12/1 (13.00)
Odds correct at the time of writing. Best odds taken from a range of top firms.
Ryder Cup betting tips
Before this grand old event gets underway, here’s a few bets to consider if you’re looking to get some money down on the action in Italy:
Tommy Fleetwood Top English Points Scorer @ 23/10 (3.30)
A market that catches my eye ahead of this tournament is ‘Top English Points Scorer’. There are four Englishmen in this European Ryder Cup team and they’re all in for a reason, though Tommy Fleetwood is the player who stands out to my eyes. As he currently sits 13th in the world rankings, Fleetwood is not the highest ranked Englishman involved this week. That honour goes to Tyrell Hatton, who is currently ranked 11th, but Fleetwood is the player with the most positive recent Ryder Cup experience, while he’s also the English player with the best recent form.
Sure, Hatton finished second in his last event, but that was at a venue that suits his game, while he missed the cut before that tournament, highlighting the fact that he’s still a player that struggles to hold his form, while there’s also concerns over his ability to seriously handle the pressure when it comes to match-play, which is perhaps why he’s only secured two victories from a possible seven in two previous Ryder Cup appearances. In contrast, Fleetwood has won four of his eight Ryder Cup matches, picking up a total of five points compared to Hatton’s three.
Of course, there’s Rose and Fitzpatrick to consider more, though as the elder statesman of the team, Rose is likely to be used more sporadically, saved for crucial moments, while Fitzpatrick doesn’t have the best Ryder Cup record. For my money, Fleetwood is likely to used throughout and the man who this season ranks fifth on the PGA Tour, which is higher than any other English player, for Strokes Gained: Total can build on what’s been a very solid year by scoring more points than his countrymen in Italy this week.
Jon Rahm Top Continental European Points Scorer @ 7/4 (2.75)
When it comes to the ‘Top Continental European Points Scorer’ market, I make Jon Rahm an even bigger favourite than early odds of 7/4 suggest. Viktor Hovland naturally merits lots of consideration following his fantastic form on the PGA Tour of late, but the Ryder Cup is a slightly different animal, and let’s face it, the Norwegian doesn’t arrive in Rome with the best match-play record.
In contrast, Rahm, who has only Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler ahead of him in the world rankings, is very much a ‘been there, done it’ guy in these situations. The Spaniard has only ever lost one match at the Ryder Cup, winning four and tying three of his other seven. This year on the PGA Tour, only Scheffler and McIlroy have a better scoring average, which doesn’t hinder him in this market, while only Patrick Cantlay has a better birdie average. For my money, the two-time major winner is likely to be involved on all three days, possibly in every session, and stands out as a solid play here.
Scottie Scheffler Top USA Points Scorer @ 9/2 (5.50)
This is hardly unique and may even be slightly boring, but I can’t resist going with Scottie Scheffler to be the top scorer for the US Ryder Cup team. To be honest, I’m slightly surprised that Scheffler isn’t shorter than 9/2 in this market, so while he’s not, I’m taking advantage.
The current world number one is not the most experienced Ryder Cup player having only played once in this competition before, but he picked up two points on that occasion, holding his nerve to win his singles match in fine style. Since then, the 27-year-old has gone from strength to strength. For starters, he’s now the world number one, while he also has a major under his belt since his last Ryder Cup appearance.
We also know that Scheffler is a very, very solid match-play golfer. In 2021, he finished as the runner-up at the WGC Match Play, before winning that match-play event a year later. Now at the top of his game, Scheffler is is likely to feature at every turn of this tournament and the man who currently ranks as the best player on the PGA Tour for Greens in Regulation, Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Total can lead the way for his team.
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