Team USA Heavily Favored to Win 2018 Ryder Cup
- Can USA be stopped in their bid to repeat?
- Should Europe really be this big of an underdog?
- See the odds and best prop bets here
After years of falling short in the biennial Ryder Cup matches, the United States will look to build off their 2016 victory, when they decimated Team Europe by six points.
This USA team is absolutely stacked and online sports betting sites are taking notice. The US is listed as heavy favorites to win the 2018 Ryder Cup, which will take place on European soil – a place the US haven’t won since 1993 (five straight losses).
Odds to win 2018 Ryder Cup
| Team | Odds to Win 2018 Ryder Cup |
|---|---|
| USA | -135 |
| Europe | +145 |
| TIE | +1100 |
*Odds taken 9/25/18
If you’re wondering why the US are so favored, just take a look at the rosters.
2018 Ryder Cup Teams
| Team USA | Team Europe |
|---|---|
| Brooks Koepka | Francesco Molinari |
| Dustin Johnson | Justin Rose |
| Justin Thomas | Rory McIlroy |
| Patrick Reed | Tommy Fleetwood |
| Bubba Watson | Jon Rahm |
| Jordan Spieth | Tyrrell Hatton |
| Rickie Fowler | Alex Noren |
| Webb Simpson | Thorbjorn Olesen |
| Tiger Woods* | Sergio Garcia* |
| Phil Mickelson* | Henrik Stenson* |
| Bryson DeChambeau* | Ian Poulter* |
| Tony Finau* | Paul Casey* |
*Denotes Captain’s Pick
But Team Europe has to be feeling a large measure of disrespect given that they’ve recently dominated at home, and have hoisted the trophy in eight of the previous eleven occasions at this prestigious event.
Experience on the Course Could be Crucial
Despite being underdogs on home soil, the Europeans boast a considerable advantage in that all 12 players have history on this golf course (Le Golf National), having competed in the Open de France.
By contrast, only Justin Thomas competed in the tournament this year from the American side, finishing in a tie for eighth.
There are so many reasons to love the #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/zbzeIBQnQu
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 25, 2018
Don’t Fall for the Odds on a Tie
A tie is super unlikely, even though +1100 odds are awfully juicy.
In the 41 all-time matches, only twice has the event ended in a draw: 1969 and 1989.
Past Ryder Cup Results
| Won by 6 pts | 2016 | – |
| – | 2014 | Won by 5 pts |
| – | 2012 | Won by 1 pt |
| – | 2010 | Won by 1 pt |
| Won by 5 pts | 2008 | – |
American PGA Tour Dominance
Despite Europe’s edge in recent years, this does reek of the potential for another dominant American performance.
Seven of the previous nine majors have been awarded to Americans, and nine of their twelve players are brandishing major championship hardware – five for Europe.
Should this become a blowout, can we at least get more awkward celebrations like this one from Bubba Watson and company?
2018 Ryder Cup Betting Advice
As nice as it would be to take the extra value with Team Europe, this USA team is so stacked that it seems implausible they’ll lose.
Bet the Americans with confidence.
2018 Ryder Cup Props
Prop bet #1: Top Wild Card
| Player | Odds to be Top Wild Card |
|---|---|
| Tiger Woods | +300 |
| Henrik Stenson | +550 |
| Ian Poulter | +550 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +600 |
| Sergio Garcia | +600 |
| Paul Casey | +600 |
| Phil Mickelson | +750 |
| Tony Finau | +900 |
There is one name that immediately stands out above the rest in terms of value, and that is Bryson DeChambeau.
He may be a Ryder Cup rookie, but he has serious pedigree, winning the first two legs of the FedEx Cup playoffs, not to mention he was victorious at the US Amateur match play event three years ago.
What is most appealing here is if reading the tea leaves proves correct, DeChambeau will be paired with Tiger Woods this week.
Pick: Bryson DeChambeau +600
Prop bet #2: Top USA player
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dustin Johnson | +500 |
| Justin Thomas | +600 |
| Brooks Koepka | +650 |
| Tiger Woods | +750 |
| Jordan Spieth | +750 |
| Patrick Reed | +800 |
Coming off an emotional win at the Tour Championship, Woods is tempting to bet on. But, surprisingly, he has a rather pedestrian 13-17-3 all-time record at these matches.
Still, he’s arguably the best player to ever live, so that’s not the reason I’ll pass on him. There’s a chance captain Jim Furyk will rest Tiger in one or two matches so he doesn’t get fatigued and/or tweak his back.
So Tiger may find himself benched in order to stay fresh.
I love that Patrick Reed has just the sixth-shortest odds.
There’s a reason he’s known as “Captain America”. (Spoiler alert: it’s not because he wins popularity contests.) The 2018 Masters champ flexed his muscle in the last two Ryder Cups, posting an incredible 6-1-2 record.
Who could forget his epic 2016 singles match duel (and victory) against Rory McIlroy?
Pick: Patrick Reed +800
Prop bet #3: Top Rookie
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Justin Thomas | +250 |
| Jon Rahm | +400 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +450 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +550 |
| Alex Noren | +800 |
| Tony Finau | +1100 |
| Thorbjorn Olesen | +1400 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +1400 |
Just in case Europe exceeds expectations, it’s good to spread the wealth a little bit.
For that reason, I’m thinking about two European golfers for top rookie: Alex Noren and Tommy Fleetwood.
These two have ripped up the European Tour in the last three years, with Noren hoisting six trophies and Fleetwood victorious three times. Both have come oh so close to tasting victory in the States as well.
The kicker is that Noren and Fleetwood are the previous two champions at this golf course so they’ve got great history at Le Golf National which should give them an edge.
Pick: Tommy Fleetwood +450
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.
