Ricky Dimon
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I’m not saying the Ryder Cup is over, but… it’s over.
The United States was already a heavy favorite heading into the first day of competition and then it dominated Friday by an even bigger margin than expected. Although 6-2 may not seem like a ton since 28 total points are awarded over the three days, it’s pretty much insurmountable when the trailing team (Europe) is far inferior in the talent department. Look no further than the odds to see as much: Team USA is now -1000 to win the cup, while the Europeans are +900 (a tie is +1600).
There is still plenty of betting intrigue on individual matches, though. We went 3-0 on Day 1, so let’s try to keep it rolling! Here’s a look at our three best foursomes bets for Saturday.
Rahm/Garcia (-115) over Koepka/Berger
Both the Americans the Europeans are put their best foot forward right off the bat on Day 1. Europe’s Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia teamed up to beat Americans Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. That was no surprise. Rahm is the No. 1 player in the world and Garcia is the all-time leader in total Ryder Cup points won in a career with 26.5 (23 wins, 11 losses, 7 halves). Desperate to get off to a strong start on Saturday, it only makes sense that captain Padraig Harrington is sending Rahm and Garcia out first again. Now the duo faces weaker opposition in Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger. Koepka and Berger got the best of Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick in Friday foursomes, but both Americans were shaky at best down the stretch. It’s mind-boggling that Rahm and Garcia are -115; this is without question the best bet of the day.
Johnson/Morikawa (-145) over Casey/Hatton
We rolled with the Rahm/Garcia duo on Friday, cashed it, and are staying the bandwagon. The story is the exact same for Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa, who had no trouble defeating Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland on Friday AM. Johnson and Morikawa are right behind Rahm as the No. 2 and No. 3 players in the world, respectively, and they played like it. While Morikawa rested in the afternoon, Johnson earned another point for the host nation in his second round. When Johnson is hot, watch out; and he’s clearly hot right now. Tyrrell Hatton played well for Europe in the afternoon, but it’s hard to see him and Casey offering more resistance than Hovland and Casey did on Day 1.
Thomas/Spieth (-165) over Hovland/Wiesberger
Hovland picked up only a half-point in two matches on Friday. Wiesberger lost the only match he played. That can’t be helpful for the confidence of the two Ryder Cup rookies. As for Thomas and Spieth, they are cup veterans who also have a ton of experience partnering each other. Sure they couldn’t beat Rahm and Garcia, but they actually played well in defeat. Thomas came back out in the afternoon and mounted a furious comeback to halve with Patrick Cantlay against Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood.
Cantlay and Xander Schauffele obviously have a great chance to beat Westwood and Fitzpatrick in the final match of the morning, but I’m not overly excited about -195 juice. Thus the above three plays are the best bets.
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