USA! USA! USA! I wish I could be more encouraged about this squad but, oh boy does it have some chemistry issues. For start we have the Bryson and Brooks drama, but it shouldn’t be a factor as they seem to have made up according to social media at least.
After a three year hiatus, the Ryder Cup is back after Europe dominated on home soil in 2018 defeating the Americans by a score of 17.5 – 10.5. The American’s will now have the home field advantage with the crowd behind them as they try to recapture the Ryder Cup. This event is truly like no other and is exciting no matter how much of a golf fan you are.
Let’s breakdown each team and the format and try to find some winners!
Team USA:
USA: Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Scottie Scheffler, Daniel Berger
Captain: Steve Stricker
The US will have six players making their Ryder Cup debuts; Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay, Harris English, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, and Scottie Scheffler. Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Dustin Johnson will bring the experience to this squad.
Team Europe:
EUROPE: Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Paul Casey, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger
Captain: Padraig Harrington
Europe will have three players making their debuts in the Ryder Cup; Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, and Bernd Wiesberger. Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia will be the leaders of the squad as they have the most experience playing in Ryder Cup’s. However, Jon Rahm is arguably the golfer that’s in the best form in the world currently and will be asked to win most of his matches. Jon Rahm to win all 5 points is currently +4000 and should be the only player considered for this bet.
Tournament Information:
- Dates: September 24, 2021- September 26, 2021
- Location: Haven, Wisconsin, United States
- Course: Whistling Straits
- Par: 71 (4x 3’s / 12x 4’s / 3x 5’s)
- Length: 7,355 yards
- Greens: Creeping bentgrass .100”
- Fairways: Fescue / creeping bentgrass /Poa annua .400”
- Rough: Fine fecue 2.5-4”
- Avg. Green Size: 7,000 sq. ft.
- Water Hazards: : 3 (In-Play 1)
- Bunkers: A lot (exact quote from GCSAA form)
Each of the first two days includes one four-match session of fourball and one four-match session of foursomes. The final day is reserved for 12 singles matches.
FOURBALL – 1 Match Friday Afternoon / 1 Match Saturday Afternoon
In fourball, each member of a two-man team plays his own ball, so four balls are in play on every hole. Each team counts the lowest of its two scores on each hole, and the team whose player has the lowest score wins the hole. If the low scores are tied, the hole is halved.
FOURSOMES – 1 Match Friday Morning/ 1 Match Saturday Morning
In foursomes, each two-man team plays one ball per hole with the players taking turns until each hole is complete. Players alternate hitting tee shots, with one leading off on odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting first on even-numbered holes. The team with the low score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved.
SINGLES – 1 Match Sunday
In singles, each match features one player from each team. The player with the lower score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved.
Each match is worth one point, with matches ending in a draw worth ½ point to each side. The first team to reach 14 ½ points wins the Ryder Cup. If the matches end in a 14-14 draw, the team holding the Ryder Cup retains it.
POINTS
POINTS
The three days of the matches consist of 28 total matches, each of which is worth one point. There are no extra holes in Ryder Cup matches. Should the two sides be tied after 18 holes, each side earns a halve (½ point).
CLAIMING THE CUP
To win the Ryder Cup outright, a team must collect 14 ½ of the 28 points available. In the case of a 14-14 draw, the winning team from the previous Ryder Cup retains the trophy.
CONCESSION
Unlike stroke play, players don’t have to complete each hole in match play. If a player concedes a stroke – almost always a putt – to his opponent, the opponent picks up his ball, takes the score he would have made on the next stroke and moves on to the next hole.
Course History:
Whistling Straits is a course that will be familiar to most players as it’s played host to the PGA Championship in 2004, 2010, and 2015.
If you’d like to read more about the history of Whistling Strait check out this article.
Course Guide:
This is a European links style course that has a ton of bunkers and where the wind coming off Lake Michigan will be a major factor. For this reason, it may suit Team Europe better as they’re used to these conditions back home. However, it is an extremely long course which bodes well for the Americans as they have a team comprised of mostly long ballers.
This course has a brutal finish with the last four holes being the toughest test. It starts with Hole 15- Grand Stand that’s a long Par 4 measuring over 500 yards. Hole 16- Endless Bite border’s Lake Michigan and is a grueling Par 5 with a risk/ reward element in going for the green on your second shot. Hole 17- Pinched Nerve is a Par 3 that plays over 200 yards with a narrow green surround by bunkers on the left and out of bounds on the right. Hole 18- Dyeabolical, a pun on the course architects name, is another Par 4 that plays over 500 yards making for an exciting closing hole.
Course Architect/ Comparable Courses:
Architect: Pete Dye (1998)
Comparable Courses:
- Torrey Pines GC (South)
- Corales Golf Club
- TPC Harding Park
- Round 1: Friday, September 24, 2021
- Golf Channel* – 8:00 AM –7:00 PM ET
- Round 2: Saturday, September 25, 2021
- Golf Channel* – 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM ET
- NBC** – 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM ET
- Round 3: Sunday, September 26, 2021
- NBC** – 12:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET
Match Schedule:
Friday, September 24
- Morning Matches (Foursome)
7:05 AM, 7:21 AM, 7:37 AM, 7:53 AM - Afternoon Matches (Fourball)
12:10 PM, 12:26 PM, 12:42 PM, 12:58 PM
Saturday, September 25
- Morning Matches (Foursome)
7:05 AM, 7:21AM, 7:37 AM, 7:53 AM - Afternoon Matches (Fourball)
12:10 PM, 12:26 PM, 12:42 PM, 12:58 PM
Sunday, September 26
- Singles Matches
11:04 AM – 1:05 PM (11 minute intervals)
Weather:
- Friday: Partly Cloudy 76 F, Wind: 14 mph, 57% Humidity, 20% Chance of Rain
- Saturday: Partly Cloudy 66 Wind: 15 mph, 50% Humidity, 10% Chance of Rain
- Sunday: Partly Cloudy 70 F, Wind: 9 mph, 53% Humidity, 0% Chance of Rain
Key Statistics:
- Stokes Gained: Off the Tee
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass)
Previous Winners:
- 2018, Le Golf National, 17 ½,-10 ½, Europe
- 2016, Hazeltine National GC, 17-11, USA
- 2014, Gleneagles Resort, 16 ½,-11 ½, Europe
- 2012, Medinah CC, 14 ½-13 ½, Europe
- 2010, Celtic Manor Resort, 14 ½-13 ½, Europe
Pick (Top American/ European Scorer):
When approaching a bet like this, you have to take into consideration of who will play in all four matches on Friday/ Saturday. The captains for each side don’t have to use every player in every fourball/ foursome match. You also have to look at the predictive matchups and try to guess which players will be matched up with each other. For the American’s you’ll want to avoid anyone who is playing against Jon Rahm as much as possible.
Top American Scorer:
- Jordan Spieth (+750)
- Personally I don’t believe Spieth is getting enough credit for the turn around he’s made. In 2015, when Whistling Straits hosted the PGA Championship, Jordan Spieth finished 2nd with a -17 behind the winner Jason Day. He’s back in form and is familiar with this course. He also should play in most of the matches on Day 1 and 2. He’s also 7-5-2 in the Ryder Cup and has more points than anyone else on this team. While he has played in more Ryder Cup’s than most, I see him relying on his experience with the course history and Ryder Cup to help the US.
- Collin Morikawa (+1000)
- He’ll make his Ryder Cup debut here but his ability as an elite tier iron player should allow him to capitalize on this course. He struggled in the Tour Championship but has proven that he has the ability to turn his game around quick. He was the best player on Tour last year in SG: Approach the Green and second in SG: Tee-to-Green. Both are key stats this week which makes him a great pick to lead the US in points.
One player I didn’t include but also like is Xander Schauffele (+800). He seems to do well in these non traditional tournaments. The main example is him capturing the Olympic Gold in Tokyo recently. He also has a solid President’s Cup record. Another plus is that he should be playing in all five matches this week.
Top European Scorer:
- Viktor Hovland (+700)
- From the practice rounds played, it looks as though Captain Padraig Harrington will be pairing him with Rory McIlroy. This will provide Hovland with some much needed experience out on the course as he’s making his debut. He has one of the best personalities on the Tour so I don’t see him getting affected by the crowd too much. Rory is also a fierce competitor in the Ryder Cup as we saw with his famous match with Patrick Reed back in 2016. Europe has had a breakout star in their last three Ryder Cup’s and I could see Hovland being that guy here. He was fifth in SG: Off-the-Tee, eighth in SG: Tee-to-Green, and ninth in SG: Total on the PGA Tour last year.
- Paul Casey (+1000)
- One of the Captain’s picks but, nonetheless and guy that matches up extremely well with the course. He’s played well on long courses throughout his career and also Pete Dye designed courses. The main concern with this pick is if he’ll play in enough matches to put him in contention for the European’s top scorer. If he does, I believe he has a chance.
Pick (To Win- Margin of Victory):
The official odds to lift the Trophy are USA (-186), Europe (+220), and Draw (+1200). For those unfamiliar with the Ryder Cup, if it does end in a Draw 14-14, Europe will retain the Cup for the next two years. For that reason, I’ll be placing a bet on the margin of victory as the odds offer a better value.
The USA has struggled in the Ryder Cup the past few years, ending a three year drought back in 2016. The past four out of five times the US has won, it’s been on home soil. They have a team comprised of a lot of young guys that should be around for a while. Captain Steve Stricker was also smart in his picks, selecting guys that fit the course well. In the US’s last five victories, they haven’t won by more than six strokes. The largest victory for them since 1981 was by six strokes in 2016. I believe the US has the ability to recapture the Ryder Cup back on home soil by a narrow victory.
- USA by 1-3 points (+250)
- USA by 4-6 points (+375)
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
