Ryder Cup Betting Odds & Preview
The biennial Ryder Cup is one of the great events in the sports calendar when it comes to drama, with the competition renowned for producing rapid changes in momentum from one team to the other over the course of any given day. Here’s a preview of the 2021 tournament and those all-important Ryder Cup betting odds…
The 43rd Ryder Cup between the USA and Europe, originally scheduled to be played in 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will now take place at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin from 24 to 26 September, 2021.
It’s therefore been three years since Europe regained the cup, with a dominant 171/2 points to 101/2 win on the Albatros Course of Le Golf National in Guyancourt (a suburb southwest of Paris) in France.
Home Advantage
There’s little to suggest that Europe will be capable of securing a similar score against the USA on this occasion and not just because the competition is being held on American soil this year.
Having said that, there’s even the possibility that the Straits Course at Wisconsin, which was designed to replicate the ancient seaside links courses of the United Kingdom and Ireland could, theoretically, work in Europe’s favour.
Ryder Cup Betting Odds
On current form, there is little arguing against the USA being worthy favourites for the tournament at 8/13 (1.63) with William Hill, with Europe available at best Ryder Cup odds of 2/1 (3.00) with bet365* and the draw on offer at 12/1 (13.0) with Betway.
Current Form
Jon Rahm of Spain might currently be ranked No. 1 in the world, but eight of the top 10 places are occupied by Americans. In fact, after Rahm, the next highest European is Rory McIlroy at No. 13.
There’s also the fact that, following Collin Morikawa’s recent victory at The Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, Americans have won 14 of the last 18 major championship titles.
Morikawa’s meteoric rise is another strong case for the USA, with the 24-year-old not even having turned pro when the Ryder Cup was last held.
Since then he has won five professional title, including two majors. Indeed, he became the first player in history to win titles in two major championship debuts (PGA Championship 2020 and The Open Championship 2021).
Team Europe
Selection for the European Ryder Cup team under captain Padraig Harrington is based on two lists. It consists of the top four players from the European Points lists and the top five in the World Points list (those who are not already qualified on the European Points list).
As things currently stand, the top four on the European Points list is Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and McIlroy. The five players currently in pole position on the World Points list are Viktor Hovland, Paul Casey, Matt Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood and Shane Lowry.
In addition, Harrington also gets to make three picks himself, which he will name after the conclusion of the BMW PGA Championship (the third Rolex Series event of the season) at Wentworth in mid-September.
Team USA
Selection for the 2021 USA Ryder Cup team consists of the leading six players on the Ryder Cup points list (based on prize money won in the biggest tournaments), with captain Steve Stricker selecting the remaining six players with his picks.
At present, the six players leading the way on the points list are Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele.
Were Stricker to simply opt to select the next six players on the points list he would have a very strong team, with Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau making up the top dozen as things stand.
However, there are plenty of others for Stricker to consider, including Phil Mickelson who won the PGA Championship this year.
The USA team is sure to feature plenty of players who have won big tournaments in the past couple of years and so will be full of confidence. Harrington’s European team will certainly fight all the way to defend the trophy, but it’s surely going to take an outstanding performance for them to retain the Ryder Cup.
Ryder Cup 2021 Prediction:
USA to Win @ 8/13 with William Hill
* Ryder Cup betting odds 2021 correct at the time of writing. All odds subject to changes.
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