The Ryder Cup is one of the great golf events. The United States’ best battling Europe’s finest on one of the greatest courses in the world is appointment viewing every two years.
There is no prize money, and golfers receive no ranking points. It’s a team effort in a typically solitary sport, and participants are playing for the sake of honor.
Read on for a preview and predictions for this year’s Ryder Cup.
2023 Ryder Cup Odds
All odds are current as of Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. EST and can be found at DraftKings Sportsbook.
- USA: +105
- Europe: +100
Don’t forget to check out our Ryder Cup Odds & Field piece for a full breakdown of the odds.
2023 Ryder Cup Winner Prediction
Team United States Wins Ryder Cup (+105) • DraftKings Sportsbook
The edge in the Ryder Cup comes with familiarity between pairings in the team battles, and that is a strength the United States has in spades. Meanwhile, this European team is very fresh-faced, and a lot of the players are on this stage for the first time and will play with unfamiliar partners.
The U.S. team, which absolutely crushed Europe in the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, returns many of their top players from what was the youngest team in history, and they’re still all as good as they were two years ago – in some cases even better.
Brooks Koepka is a prime example of an X-factor player for the United States team, and he could play a huge role. He went 2-2-0 at Whistling Straits despite injuring his knee earlier in the year, and he’s always a big-game hunter. He’ll show up and show out at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.
2023 Ryder Cup Best Bets
Tournament Spread USA -2 (+150) • DraftKings Sportsbook
My two best bets will look similar here, so we’ll have a short explanation for both. Again, this is one of the most talented teams the United States has ever built.
When the U.S. beat Europe 19-9 two years ago, people were flabbergasted. It was the worst beating Europe had taken in the competition, and it was embarassing.
With Europe armed with some new names, like Ludvig Åberg and Sepp Straka, it might not be quite as one-sided, but this should still be a handy American win.
USA 15.5 Europe 12.5 (+1200) • DraftKings Sportsbook
Building on my above bet, the United States will not blow Europe out again, mostly because they’ll be ready for anything the U.S. throws at them.
On the other side, though, the European team will have enough experience as partners to overcome the American team’s familiarity with each other.
2023 Ryder Cup Props
Xander Schauffele Over 2.5 Points (+100) • DraftKings Sportsbook
Xander Schauffele is probably the best option the United States has, despite not being the best player. He has performed exceptionally well in Ryder Cup matches, going 3-0-1 in 2021, which was his debut year.
So why is he their best option if he’s only played one Ryder Cup? That’s because we have to remember the team format of this event is extremely important, and the likely pairing of him and Patrick Cantlay is the best the U.S. has. If this has to go the distance, there is a good chance that the U.S. leans on Cantlay and Schauffele to seal the deal because of how well they work together.
Marco Simone Course Preview
- The course sits just outside of Rome, Italy.
- It features narrow fairways with extremely penal rough, which will favor players who are accurate off the tee.
- Undulating greens are another aspect of this course that the players will have to navigate carefully.
- 10 of the 18 holes feature water that either surrounds the green or runs the length of the hole on either side.
- There are plenty of large bunkers, which surround the greens and sit in the fairway.
