2020 Ryder Cup: Best bets

It seems odd calling it the 2020 Ryder Cup given that we are well into 2021 but these are strange times with Covid. The buzz is reaching a crescendo as the players prepare at the Whistling Straits Golf Course, Wisconsin.
Team USA is firm favourites with the murmuring of the best team ever etc. however, we are not so sure. A team that includes six rookies against one that has some Ryder Cup stalwarts will make fascinating viewing.
The three-day competition is a brilliant spectacle but also acts as a great betting opportunity as bookmakers price up so many different markets for you to get stuck into as a punter.
Europe to win the Ryder Cup - 5/2

The bookmakers make the USA the firm favourites to win back the Ryder Cup following the loss in Paris in 2018. When you look at the squad of players who will be teeing up at Whistling Straits to represent the USA, it is easy to see why they top the betting.
However, six of their players are rookies and the animosity between two of their stars DeChambeau and Koepka make for an interesting team dynamic.  There are no obvious pairings apart from perhaps Justin Thomas and Jordan Speith.
Europe however only have three novices and the likes of Garcia, Poulter and Westwood bring a combined experience of twenty-five Ryder Cup matches.
The match is likely to go down to the wire and that is why we think odds as large as 5/2 are too good to ignore.
Patrick Cantlay To Be Top American – 15/2

It’s been a huge year for Patrick Cantlay culminating with his winning of the FedEx Cup a couple of weeks back. Cantlay, who was voted PGA Tour player of the year, is a rookie but he is a calm figure and a regular feature on major leaderboards.
If that putter runs as hot as it was at the Tour Championship we can see Cantlay quietly rack up the points for Team USA.
Sergio Garcia to be top Wildcard Pick - 8/1

Sergio Garcia's Ryder Cup record speaks for itself: Won 22, Lost 12, Halved 7. He was a Captain's pick back in 2018 and proceeded to three wins from four matches to become Europe’s leading points scorer in the contest.
The Spaniard comes into this Ryder Cup in much better form and finished in a tie for fourteenth at the Tour Championship. We would like to see him paired with Jon Rahm and hopefully emulate the achievements of the great Ballesteros/Olazabal Spanish partnership.
One of the big advantages of backing Garcia in this market is that he is likely to play far more than many of the others in the Wildcard category who are rookies. Harrington will have full confidence in his player, given what he has achieved time after time at the Ruder Cup.
Lee Westwood to be Top GB and Ireland point scorer - 11/1

One has to think the bookies think that the old man of Team Europe will not get as many starts as others. However, this is the new super-fit Westwood playing in his eleventh Ryder Cup. If he forms a good partnership in the opening foursomes then he may play at least four matches.
It is clearly a bit of a punt but if you think Team USA may give Europe a thumping then this category may be wide open.
Europe To Win 15-13 – 14/1
Although the bookies have the USA as firm favourites the betting suggests that they believe it will be tight. A USA win by 15-13 offers the lowest odds at 9/1 but the stand out odds for us are the reverse bet, i.e. a win for Europe by 15-13 which offers 14/1.
Predicting the score is always a tricky one as the final singles sometimes do not count and you see concessions and players resigned to the result losing focus. However, if you think like us it will go to the wire those last few singles matches are likely to be nail biters. Westwood v Spieth maybe?
For those who think it could be even tighter than 15-13, the draw (14-14) is available at 12/1 and it wouldn’t harm to have a small stake on that selection as a little bit of an insurance bet.
Good luck with all your bets and enjoy every shot in the greatest team competition in sport!