The 44th Ryder Cup has finally arrived, and with it has come plenty of line movement in the betting markets. Just three months ago, the European side were close to +200 underdogs to extend its 30-year home winning streak that includes raising the Ryder Cup six straight times on European soil.
Fast forward to present day, and the Europeans are favorites to steal the cup back after a drubbing at Whistling Straits in 2021 to the tune of 19 to 9.
The reason for this one-way movement is simple as players like Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood and the rest of their 12-man roster experienced strong summers and rounded into form at the exact right time.
Meanwhile, on the American side, stalwarts such as Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas looked shaky to round out their PGA Tour seasons as did world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele should continue to shine on this stage, but can the Americans lean on another pairing when they need it the most?
This edition of the Ryder Cup is expected to be the most competitive contest since the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah when the Europeans overcame a Sunday Singles deficit of 10 to 6 to steal the Ryder Cup on U.S. soil. If you're new to this tournament, check out our Ryder Cup format page so you can feel comfortable making your picks.
With such tight margins, let’s get into the betting angles one may be able to attack before play gets underway at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy.
2023 Ryder Cup Betting Odds
Odds as of September 27
2023 Ryder Cup Betting Picks
We have a pick for each of the major Ryder Cup Betting Markets here.
U.S. To Win The Ryder Cup (+105)
The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of the Europeans, so I will happily take the more talented team at the longer price.
The U.S. brings more depth to this competition as the middle portion and back-end of their team hold the advantage over that of the Europeans.
This should be able to provide some relief to their top three players of Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler who will need to try their best to slow down Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.
With little team experience on the European side, the Americans’ will be able to lean on their comfortable pairings built through the last five years of team events and raise the Ryder Cup on foreign soil for the first time since 1993.
Rory McIlroy To Be Top European Point Scorer (+500)
Odds as of September 27
The path to victory for the Europeans, while very real, is much narrower than that of the U.S. The home team must rely on their top three players, and that means trotting them onto the golf course in each and every session.
With McIlroy likely to play all five sessions just as he did in Paris in 2018, he will be given every opportunity to collect the most points on the European team.
He trails Hovland and Rahm in this market given the question marks around who he will play with in foursomes and fourball, but that shouldn’t matter for a player who has arguably been the best in the world since the PGA Championship. He leads this field in total strokes gained over the last three months and should relish the home game.
Ludvig Aberg To Be Top European Rookie Scorer (+140)
Odds as of September 27
The young Swede has come out of nowhere to play in his first Ryder Cup before his first major and should be in line for plenty of playing time.
Early practice rounds suggest a possible pairing with Hovland meaning Aberg will be on the golf course more than his fellow rookies of Sepp Straka, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Robert MacIntyre.
It is possible Hojgaard and MacIntyre play a maximum of two sessions making this a two-man race between Aberg and Straka. Aberg’s usage may be higher, and his form is better at the moment meaning it is time to buy in on the 23-year-old.
Patrick Cantlay To Be Top USA Top Scorer (+550)
Odds as of September 27
The U.S. team has one pair that it knows it can rely on, and it is Cantlay and Schauffele.
The two have collected a 5-0-0 record together in foursomes across the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup and have looked great together in the Zurich Classic on the PGA Tour. They will at minimum play four sessions, and if anyone sits, I believe it will be Schauffele leaving Cantlay with a slight edge.
Cantlay is a much better driver of the golf ball and just experienced the best season of his career from a statistical perspective. His floor is so high that three points appear to be his minimum with an upside of going 5-0-0 like Dustin Johnson did in 2021.
Max Homa Top USA Rookie Scorer (+175)
Odds as of September 27
There are four rookies on the U.S. team with those being Homa, Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman. The last two may not see the golf course a ton leaving this as a two-horse race.
Homa has been playing great golf with a string of six straight top-10 finishes kick started by his first major top 10 at The Open. He arrives having finished 4-0-0 in his Presidents Cup debut and is likely to draw the pairing of Collin Morikawa in foursomes.
Homa has a chance to clear three points with a couple foursomes victories and a singles match, and this doesn’t even factor in the potential to play in fourball.
Total Matches To Go 18 Under 10.5 (-110)
Marco Simone is stealing the show early in the week as the par 71 features an eclectic mix of holes. There will be three drivable par 4s, three par 5s, a mix of long par 4s and those par 3s where par will be a tremendous score.
To put it bluntly, there will be a ton volatility, and despite how close this Ryder Cup is on paper, a number of matches will be heading to the final hole. With 28 points up for grabs throughout the competition, it is more likely than not that 10 or less matches see the finishing hole.