Ryder Cup betting: Can Europe pull off upset on foreign soil?
After months of discourse about roster choices, the 2025 Ryder Cup from Bethpage Black kicks off Friday morning, allowing the golf to finally take over.
We covered and ranked all 24 players participating in the biennial event, so it's time to place some bets on the action. The Ryder Cup is very different from a traditional golf tournament, making it one of the most unique events on the sports calendar to watch and bet on.
Let's dive in.
⛳️ Check out all of the Ryder Cup lines and odds available on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here
🏆 Europe: To Win the Ryder Cup (+145)
We'll start with the pick to win the Ryder Cup since it filters down to the rest of our selections for top points scorer and matchup bets.
Europe has won two Ryder Cups on the road since 2004, a feat the Americans last accomplished in 1993. Claiming the Ryder Cup on foreign soil is difficult but not impossible, and this European team is built to do it.
Traditionally, home-course advantage has been a huge factor in determining the winner. The Americans tend to host the event on courses that allow their power off the tee to overwhelm the Europeans, while Europe usually sets up courses to reward accuracy when the event takes place overseas.
But this European team is perhaps a more dominant one off the tee than the Americans. Europe has Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Robert MacIntyre, and Rasmus Hojgaard. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, and Cam Young are really the only Americans who can be considered bombers. The days of Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka beating up on short-hitting Europeans, like Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, are over.
Yes, the Americans also have Scottie Scheffler, by far the best player in the event. But he can only play five matches, and even if he completes a 5-0 sweep, the rest of the American team must perform.
Schauffele should be the second-best American, but his game has been in the tank of late. He failed to make the TOUR Championship and hasn't played a competitive round in over a month due to the birth of his child. DeChambeau is also a question mark. Although his game suits Bethpage Black perfectly, he hasn't played since the end of LIV Golf's season. Plus, he's unlikely to play more than three sessions because he's a difficult player to find a partner for in alternate shot.
The U.S. team will need to rely too heavily on the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Young (the only one playing well among the group) to win this Ryder Cup.
When stacking those players up against Europe's mid-tier competitors - Aberg, Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, and Matt Fitzpatrick - the Europeans simply boast a better roster. Factor in that 11 of the 12 players who won in Rome two years ago are returning and this European side appears capable of beating the Americans at their own game on their own soil.
🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler: Top American point scorer (+230)
The key to determining who will score the most points for their team is to figure out which golfers have the best chance to play all five matches. Scheffler is a lock for the American team. This price should be shorter, considering he could be the only player captain Keegan Bradley trots out for every session.
Even if Scheffler earns just 3.5 points in five sessions, that still may be enough to lead the team in scoring.
Russell Henley is the one other player to consider leading the Americans in points at +1100. He'll likely play the two team sessions alongside Scheffler. If they win those and Henley wins his singles match, there's a scenario where three points will get the job done.
🇪🇺 Rory McIlroy: Top overall point scorer (+800)
If the Europeans win, they'll likely roster the player with the most points. McIlroy is a shoo-in to play all five sessions and should have a strong partner for each team match. Bethpage Black is an ideal fit for McIlroy's game, and he'll have an edge over every American not named Bryson.
⛳️ Check out all of the Ryder Cup lines and odds available on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here
🇪🇺 Viktor Hovland: Top overall point scorer (+2000)
Hovland has played all five matches in back-to-back Ryder Cups, and it's likely captain Luke Donald will lean heavily on the Norwegian once again. He went 3-1-1 in Europe's winning effort in Rome, partnering with Hatton and Aberg. As a Scandinavian duo, Hovland and Aberg smoked Scheffler and Koepka 9-and-7 in the Saturday foursomes session in 2023. Hovland thrives in this competition and shouldn't be thrown off by the rowdy American crowd.
Add - Hovland: Top European point scorer (+900)
Add - Hovland: Top European wildcard points scorer (+375)
🇺🇸 Russell Henley: Top overall rookie (+180)
Henley played all three of his team sessions with Scheffer at the 2024 Presidents Cup. The pair went 2-1, while Henley also won his singles match over Sungjae Im. If he's lucky enough to draw Scheffler again, Henley should have the best shot to lead the rookies in scoring.
🇪🇺 Most points: Jon Rahm over Bryson DeChambeau (-130)
This is a play with the assumption that Rahm will participate in more sessions than DeChambeau. Rahm will play at least four matches for the Europeans and could go all five. DeChambeau will likely only be used in the two four-ball sessions before taking off early Sunday to face one of Europe's best players in singles. Considering the maximum points available to DeChambeau may be three, compared to Rahm's five, the Spaniard is the one to take.
🇪🇺 Most points: Tommy Fleetwood over Xander Schauffele (-115)
Fleetwood was the hero of the 2018 Ryder Cup and holds a 7-3-2 lifetime record in the event. He's playing exceptionally well, having closed the season with a victory at the TOUR Championship. Schauffele, on the other hand, didn't have a good season and hasn't played competitively since mid-August.
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