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Ryder Cup betting: USA has experience and talent at a great price
Team USA golfer Justin Thomas. Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Ryder Cup betting: USA has experience and talent at a great price

By Jack Dougherty  |  Last updated 9/26/23

The 44th edition of the Ryder Cup is upon us, as the best golfers from the United States and Europe will square off from Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome starting on Friday, Sept. 29. The Americans will be looking to retain the cup after a decisive victory at Whistling Straits in 2021, but they'll have to do so on European soil for the first time since 1993. Due to Team Europe's recent dominance overseas, the Euros have won nine of the last 13 Ryder Cups.

You might think the Europeans would be heavy betting favorites with another home game on deck, but that's actually not the case. Team USA is a -120 favorite to lift the cup this year, while Team Europe is a short underdog at +102. The Europeans were closer to +200 a few months ago, but steady money has poured in on the home side since then to move the price. 

Thanks to the recent line movement, we can finally jump in and buy the United States.

Team USA has the far more talented side in the 2023 Ryder Cup. The average Official World Golf Ranking for the U.S. is 12.9, while the Europeans' average rank is 29.25. Six of the top 10 players in the OWGR are on Team USA, and the lowest-ranked player is Rickie Fowler at 25th. By comparison, the Euros have five players on the roster ranked worse than 25th.

Talent hasn't been the issue for Team USA in recent years. The Americans have been the better team on paper for decades, but the rowdy fans and foreign golf courses across the pond have stymied the U.S. for 30 years.

But this isn't a European side that should be feared. The 12 players on Team Europe have a combined Ryder Cup record of 36-38-13, and only three of them have winning records. Gone are Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, and they've been replaced by unimpressive rookies Sepp Straka, Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Hojgaard. Captain Luke Donald will be piecing together pairings on the fly without much familiarity within the team.

As for the U.S., captain Zach Johnson already has most of his pairings lined up. Justin Thomas-Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler-Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa-Max Homa all have previous experience playing together, and familiarity is paramount in any Ryder Cup.

This is finally the year for the Americans, and now that the lift the trophy price is down to -120, it's time to pounce on the U-S-of-A. 


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