We’ve covered the top European market for the Ryder Cup so before the opening ceremony takes place and the schedule for the first session of play is announced we’ll delve into the top American one and have a look at them.
As with the European market the 12 men will be fighting it out for as many points as they can get over the weekend although given that we think Europe will win the Ryder Cup we might not be needing as many points here.
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Favourites
Dustin Johnson is the 11/2 favourite for this market but to my eyes the only thing he has got going for him is the fact he will most likely play all five rounds. I don’t see much else that is going to pull me in. You couldn’t even nail down a guaranteed partner for him either although Brooks Koepka might be a daunting partnership. He is 13/2 to lead the American point scoring but this course doesn’t suit him much better either. They look a little short to me.
Justin Thomas needs to be kept onside if for no other reason than the fact he turned up and played the Open de France earlier in the year to get some preparation for the course. He was on fire in the Presidents Cup 12 months ago although he was right in the middle of that winning run back then. He is 7/1 to land the most points for USA while Tiger Woods is a point bigger at 8/1. At this stage of time it is hard to see Tiger playing five rounds in three days though.
Contenders
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed have been talismanic together in recent team events but they were not at their best in this in 2016 which could open up a concern. Another concern would be that neither are in the best of nick right now although if he can keep it straight off the tee this course is made for Spieth. He is 17/2 and Reed is 9/1. I think we can be certain they will partner each other to begin with but they look about the right price.
I would wager Rickie Fowler will be out alongside his good friend Justin Thomas in the early stages of this tournament and if they combine well and play all week together Fowler can piggy back off of Thomas which makes the 11/1 appeal on him. Fowler is a wonderful match player too so he certainly shouldn’t be counted out.
Bryson DeChambeau might be a rookie and completely new to all this but nobody is in better form than him right now and if, as expected, he is Tiger’s first partner then you would think he will score points from that although we should remember that Tiger’s record in this tournament is little better than awful. That’s enough of a concern for 12/1 to be a little short.
Outsiders
The four men left in the American set up are Webb Simpson, Tony Finau, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson. Simpson is a 22/1 shot, Finau slightly bigger at 25/1 and then come the two rags in the form of the left-handed Mickelson and Watson at 33/1.
The obvious issues with all four men is none of them are likely to play five rounds and in truth it would be a surprise if any of them play in four of the rounds given their low status or erratic nature. There are no obvious partners for the quartet either unless they are out alongside each other but it is hard to see a great combination there either.
Profile
As we covered in the European list it is important to pick out a profile of player with us really looking for someone who will either play the five matches with a regular and reliable partner or who will play a significant amount of the tournament and then be a favourite to win his singles match against most of the players.
The good thing with the American team is that we actually have a little more to go on in terms of picks as a good number of these players played in the Presidents Cup last year so the likes of Thomas and Fowler would be an obvious starting point off the back of that for example.
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Betting
I think we can centre around four men in this market. Something bizarre would have to happen for Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed not to play alongside each other and the same goes for Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler who were unbeaten last year. It could be that all four men play as the same pairs for all four rounds and if that is the case the winner could come from the player who wins their singles match.
Spieth has a really poor singles record while Justin Thomas lost to Hideki Matsuyama in singles last year. That leaves me with Reed and Fowler and only by virtue of the fact there are more players for Fowler to partner naturally should anything go wrong with him and JT I will go with him. Fowler took care of Justin Rose in this two years ago and Emiliano Grillo in the Presidents Cup. He’s the biggest price of the four too which is nice so I’ll go with him.
Tips
Back R.Fowler Top American Point Scorer (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 12.00 with Skybet (1/4 1-3)
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