United States +130 Underdog After 2nd Day of Presidents Cup
- The United States shockingly trails by three points after day two of the Presidents Cup
- The Internationals are bidding for their first win in this event since 1998
- See the live odds and whether it’s worth a gamble to bet on the States
With an hour to go in the second round the United States was staring down the barrel of an unmitigated disaster at the Presidents Cup as it was extremely conceivable they’d be trailing by a whopping eight points.
A funny thing happened down the stretch with USA wrestling a pair of matches away from the Internationals on the last hole and a tie was salvaged in another match which helped save the States to produce a draw on day two. That kept the score manageable with a 6.5 to 3.5 lead for the Internationals entering the third day of competition.
So is now the time to bet on the Americans to come storming back to win the Presidents Cup?
Updated Odds to Win 2019 Presidents Cup
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Internationals | -120 |
| United States | +130 |
| TIE | +900 |
Odds taken December 13th.
If you’re wondering why the US was so heavily favored coming into the event, just take a look at the rosters which are heavily slanted towards USA.
2019 Presidents Cup Teams & Player World Ranking
| Team USA | Team Internationals |
|---|---|
| Justin Thomas – 4 | Adam Scott – 18 |
| Dustin Johnson – 5 | Louis Oosthuizen – 20 |
| Tiger Woods – 6* | Hideki Matsuyama – 21 |
| Patrick Cantlay – 7 | Marc Leishman – 28 |
| Xander Schauffele – 9 | Sungjae Im – 36* |
| Webb Simpson – 11 | Abraham Ancer – 39 |
| Patrick Reed – 12* | Byeong Hun An – 42** |
| Bryson DeChambeau – 13 | Adam Hadwin – 48* |
| Tony Finau – 16* | Cameron Smith – 52 |
| Gary Woodland – 17* | Joaquin Niemann – 56* |
| Rickie Fowler – 22** | C.T. Pan – 64 |
| Matt Kuchar – 24 | Haotong Li – 65 |
*Denotes Captain’s Pick
**Denotes Injury Replacement for Brooks Koepka and Jason Day
United States With Furious Late Rally
The pitchforks would’ve been out had the States been destroyed nine points to one after two days – it was on the verge of happening with the Internationals ahead in all five matches – surely leading to a national crisis which would conjure up task forces of yesteryear (reserved for the Ryder Cup) and the hot take artists would’ve had a field day.
In the span of an hour, however, three American matches held stem the tide and delivered hope.
For two decades, the U.S. hasn’t lost the Presidents Cup and the prevailing narrative has been: The Internationals need a win to keep it interesting. Can already see it now. If the U.S. finally loses, narrative will be: WHAT’S WRONG WITH AMERICAN GOLF?! Which is silly, of course.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) December 13, 2019
Justin Thomas delivered an emphatic point along with Tiger Woods, then Patrick Cantlay dropped a clutch putt on 18 as well to steal another match for the States, with Rickie Fowler and Gary Woodland winning two holes late to tie their match. With that, the Presidents Cup was back on, making it a whole new tournament.
CHILLS. ?@JustinThomas34 and @TigerWoods win their second point of the @PresidentsCup. ??#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/bS5WvOeNm8
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 13, 2019
Day 3 will feature two sessions with Four-Ball going in the morning and Foursomes being contested in the second session. Captain Tiger Woods has parked the player Tiger Woods on the bench to begin the third day.
Day 3 Four-Ball Matches
| Rickie Fowler/Justin Thomas | Match 1 | Marc Leishman/Haotong Li |
| Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay | Match 2 | Sungjae Im/Abraham Ancer |
| Patrick Reed/Webb Simpson | Match 3 | Hideki Matsuyama/C.T. Pan |
| Matt Kuchar/Tony Finau | Match 4 | Adam Scott/Byeong Hun-An |
*The afternoon foursomes will be set upon completion of the morning Four-Balls
Who You Should Bet Today
It is still absolutely stunning that the overmatched Internationals have a three point edge after two days, but they’re continuing to get it done. The States were a massive -275 favorite to begin the week but are now the +130 underdogs. There’s still plenty of golf yet to be played with 15.5 points needed to raise the cup.
The late surge by the United States might’ve just been the jolt of energy they needed to take control of this event. Stay the course and continue to bet the superior Americans despite their shaky play thus far.
Pick: Team USA Wins Presidents Cup (+130)
Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.
