Diane Knox Balas
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One of the best golf weekends takes place this week in the form of the 2023 Ryder Cup, as Team USA and Team Europe renew their rivalry in Rome with the USA looking to retain the title and beat Europe in their soil for the first time in 30 years. As a proud Scot, I’m hoping Europe can pull off the win, but as well as betting on the outright winner there are also tons of player prop markets to dive into. With some of the best golfers around lining up, let’s get into my best Ryder Cup prop bets of the week, including a couple at big odds.
Top Continental European Points Scorer: Viktor Hovland (+185)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
With back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour culminating in the season-long FedExCup title, Hovland is the hottest player on the scene whose game has reached new heights in 2023. He only contributed 1 point in his 5 matches in his Ryder Cup debut, but Hovland’s game has simply been elevated to a different level of late. In his last 3 starts he has gained almost 4.5 strokes off-the-tee and over 4 strokes putting. That’s a winning combo wherever you’re playing!
Read our full Ryder Cup betting preview and predictions, including odds and best bets
Top European Rookie: Robert McIntyre (+350)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
I know Aberg is the hot young talent right now, but let’s not forget that my fellow Scot won the 2022 Italian Open at this course, defeating his team mate Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff. Yes, I’m sure he’s going to be nervous making his Ryder Cup debut, but we saw McIntyre perform under pressure at the Scottish Open and finish right behind McIlroy. Being back at the scene of his second DP World Tour victory should help with the comfort factor, even just a little bit.
Top USA Points Scorer: Max Homa (+900)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
I feel like I’m going big on the rookies this week, but Homa doesn’t feel like a rookie. Following his impressive Presidents Cup debut last year where he went 4-0 at Quail Hollow, Homa is ready for this contest. Not only that, but he also hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in any tournament since the Scottish Open mid-July (he finished 12th) and hasn’t lost any strokes off the tee since May. I’d love to see a great showing from Max for the Americans this week, and these are favorable odds.
Make sure you check back on Pickswise throughout the week as we give our daily Ryder Cup best bets throughout the weekend
Top Event Rookie Scorer: Brian Harman (+1100)
Odds available at Caesars Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Out of the 8 Ryder Cup rookies, Harman has the longest odds for top points scorer. Brian Harman, the Champion Golfer of the Year, who dominated The Open Championship and won by 6 strokes? Yep, that’s the one. The former Georgia Bulldog is a phenomenal putter and short-game wizard who showed extreme grit and determination to get his first major win back in July. Plus, when looking at the speculated Team USA pods, Harman and Koepka could be paired together to form quite the combo. I think Harman is going to be a real hero of this American side in Rome. He is also +500 to be top rookie scorer for Team USA.
Top Captains Pick Scorer: Ludvig Aberg (+1400)
Odds available at Caesars Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Aberg is making his Ryder Cup debut. Of course he is — he only turned professional in June! I’m sure Donald is confident in his selection, as Aberg has been playing over in Europe on the DP World Tour the last few weeks and has been on quite the run. The Swede won the Omega European Masters, finished T4 in the Czech Masters and T10 at the BMW PGA Championship. In his 10 professional starts, he has never been negative strokes gained off the tee. This is a huge stage for him, but he seems to be taking a lot in his stride right now, and his game is mighty impressive.
