“Between Bets” is an article series revealing our staff’s best wagers across the NFL, NASCAR and PGA Tour. This week’s bets feature our favorite wagers for the 2023 Ryder Cup.
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Ryder Cup 2023 Betting Picks & Predictions
Ryder Cup Tournament Winner
The odds for Team USA to win the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone this week have shifted substantially. The week opened with USA at -110, and we are now all the way up to plus money. It seems that the majority of the money is coming in on the Euro team. The U.S. at plus money seems like the play. Team USA has the better match play record collectively. They have the more well-rounded and balanced group, and they have the comradery to go to battle and compete as a squad.
When you look at the potential pairings with the likes of Jordan Speith/Justin Thomas at an 8-2 record as a pair or the Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele team at 6-3 and then mix in the world No.1 Scottie Scheffler – who reportedly has fixed his putting whoas – and I think you have a very formidable threat to the Euro team. In contrast, they have a sub-.500 win rate with this composition.
Top Point Scorer
Viktor Hovland (+900)
Second Ryder Cup | Record: 0-0-1 Singles, 0-2 Foursomes, 0-1-1 in 4 Ball
Viktor Hovland has yet to win a match in Ryder Cup play, but that all changes dramatically this week at Marco Simone. Hovland is a different player than he was in his first Ryder Cup appearance. He is the hottest golfer on planet Earth right now, and I see no signs of him slowing. Fresh off winning the FedEx Cup and gaining almost 15 strokes to the field in each of his last two starts, he is in prime form. I think he is one of the Euro players that will likely play all five sessions. He hasn’t lost strokes in any metric in his last 10 starts, and the short-game issues he has had historically are a thing of the past. Luke Donald can pair him with anyone, and they can go out and win matches. I see Hovland as the main threat to Team USA this time around.
Xander Schauffele (+1200)
Second Ryder Cup | Record: 0-0-1 Singles, 2-0-0 Foursomes, 0-0-1 in 4 Ball
Xander Schauffele may just be the best answer the U.S. has to Hovland in this Ryder Cup. Schauffele and Hovland just went head-to-head at the Tour Championship, with Hovland getting the better of him in the end. Nonetheless, he is in excellent form and is a match-play magician. I also really like that he will most likely be playing the majority of the week with Patrick Cantlay, who is his regular partner in most team match-play scenarios. The partnership is what makes Schauffele a really inviting pick to be the overall points leader this week. Cantlay and Schauffele are perhaps the most balanced and complementary pairing in all of golf, and I see them doing a ton of damage this week in Rome. Italy.
Top Rookie
There is a ton of hype this week around Ludvig Aberg, and it seems like we are getting a hell of a price on Wyndham Clark as a result. +500 for Clark seems like an incredible value for a player who absolutely tore it up on Tour this year. As a reminder, Clark won twice on Tour this year and also finished third in the Tour Championship behind Hovland and Schauffele.
He is the real deal and the complete package. He drives for show and putts for dough, averaging more than 314 yards per drive and rating out as one of the top-three putters on Tour all season. In total, he is by far and away the best putter in this field right now. His skill set is so well-rounded that he can play with anyone on the American team. I think that makes him very likely to play more sessions than the other rookies here, thus giving him the potential to score more points.
Other Props To Consider for the Ryder Cup: |
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Top Point Scorer |
Top USA Point Scorer |
Top Euro Point Scorer |
Top Euro Rookie
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To Win Zero Points |
Hole in One
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Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the 19th Hole Live for more Ryder Cup coverage from your In Between Media golf team! USA, USA, USA, USA!
*Photo Credit: Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports*