Ryder Cup Golf Betting Guide
With a field of dozens of golfers competing over the course of multiple days, golf is a natural sport for betting. It is that format, and the abundance of new bets and live bets that begin with each new round, that makes betting on golf so popular.
After a great 2022-2023 season that saw four different golfers win the four major championships, and two first-time winners emerge, one of the most popular events returns for one last bite at the betting apple. It is the Ryder Cup, the biannual battle between the best golfers in the United States and the best golfers across Europe.
The United States is the defending champion, having won in a rout in 2021 in Wisconsin, 19-9. But we are back in Europe in 2023, where the U.S. hasn’t won since 1993, when captain Tom Watson put together a team that won, 15-13.
Since then, on European soil, the American team has lost by an average of four points. Overall, they have lost seven of the last 10 Ryder Cups, and winning in Rome, Italy, this weekend will be no easy task.
The Teams
Each team is made up of 12 golfers, and each team has four first-time Ryder Cup participants. Gone from the victorious United States team in 2021 are Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau. They were stalwarts for that team, with Johnson going 5-0 over the course of the weekend. But captain Zach Johnson admitted to not seeing as many of the LIV golfers this season, and thus they needed to do something big to play their way onto the team.
Brooks Koepka is an example of a player who played big when it counted, winning the PGA Championship. He fell just short of an automatic spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but Johnson used one of his captain’s selections on Koepka.
The complete United States team (with world rankings) is: Sam Burns (20), Patrick Cantlay (5), Wyndham Clark (10), Rickie Fowler (25), Brian Harman (9), Max Homa (7), Brooks Koepka (17), Collin Morikawa (19), Xander Schauffele (6), Scottie Scheffler (1), Jordan Spieth (12), and Justin Thomas (24).
The members of Team Europe (with world rankings) are: Ludvig Aberg (80), Matt Fitzpatrick (8), Tommy Fleetwood (13), Tyrrell Hatton (11), Nicolai Hojgaard (82), Viktor Hovland (4), Shane Lowry (34), Robert MacIntyre (55), Rory McIlroy (2), Jon Rahm (3), Justin Rose (37), and Sepp Straka (22). The Captain of the Europeans is Luke Donald.
The Europeans have three of the top four players in the world, and the hottest player in Viktor Hovland, who won the BMW and the Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup playoffs and the $18 million grand prize. The U.S., however, has the world’s No. 1 player this season in Scottie Scheffler, and every member of the team is ranked 25th or better.
Tournament Format
On Friday morning, September 29, there will be four foursome matches. A foursome match is two teams of two players each, with each teammate taking alternate shots with the same ball.
In the afternoon there will be four four-ball matches. A four-ball match is two teams of two players each, but all golfers play their own ball through the completion of the hole, with the best individual score counting for the team.
On Saturday this will repeat, with four foursome matches in the morning (Central European Time), and four four-ball matches in the afternoon.
The captains for each team will pick the eight players that will compete in each of the two rounds on Friday, and each round on Saturday.
On Sunday, all 12 golfers for both teams will compete in singles matches. The pairings for those matches will be announced on Thursday during the opening ceremonies.
The Betting Lines
Even though this addition of the Ryder Cup is in Europe, the United States is the betting favorite. They are paying -145 to lift the trophy, compared to +115 for Europe. BetUS.com also has odds on a tie, which is paying +1100.
In the event of a tie, the team that is the current champion, in this case the United States, retains the trophy.
The 10-point margin of victory in 2021 was the most since 1975. If the United States was to duplicate that feat this year, the bet pays +450. A four to six point win pays the most for the U.S. at +475.
BetUS.com has a European win at seven points or more, paying +700.
The odds for the top points scorer for the Ryder Cup are:
Scottie Scheffler (+800)
Jon Rahm (+800)
Rory McIlroy (+850)
Viktor Hovland (+900)
Patrick Cantlay (+1000)
Xander Schauffele (+1100)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1400)
Brooks Koepka (+1400)
When pairings are announced on Thursday, odds will be released for each individual and team matchup.
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