The 2018 Ryder Cup

The 2018 Ryder Cup

Oh my, Oh my, Oh my…..here we are again with another fascinating Ryder Cup, but this years renewal taking place on European territory in France is one that will be made all the more spicier by recent events in the golf world.

Just in the last week we have see the English Rose (Justin) climb to the Top Of the World, and only last week we witnessed arguably the best golfer the world has ever seen (Tiger Woods) win The Tour Championship against an elite field (the aforementioned Rose included)

But the next battle is about team and not individual honour’s. We have seen some ferocious battles over the last two decades and memories will come flooding back this week for both sets of supporters.

I was going to write up a history of the Ryder Cup but have decided there is no need. From men and women across the world who play this beautiful game, you already know. You don’t need somebody to tell you, but I would like to say this…..

The game of golf

Golf, a game that is played with a little white ball, that sits on a piece of wood or plastic an inch or so high, by a man or woman holding a piece of metal in there hand.

The aim of the game

Hit that little white ball a quarter of a mile or so away to a little hole far in the distance which only measures 4 1/4 inches and do it by using your metal sticks as few times as possible.

That is golf in a nutshell. Forget about the other stuff like your competitor, the wind and rain, bunkers, lakes and ponds (plenty of those this week) trees and long grass.

It is all immaterial when you boil it down to the simple components.

Rose vs Woods

This last couple of weeks has seen Rose become the official World Number 1 and Woods win the Tour Championship. Woods, whether you love him or loathe him is great for the game of golf. Woods to the game of golf is like toast and jam, bread and butter, strawberries and cream.

One does not work well without the other and the game of golf is all the better for Tiger’s comeback, least not the Ryder Cup.

The Ryder Cup Team Captains

Jim Furyk thoughts

“I think one of the tasks for every captain, and the vice captains, is really trying to figure out not only your best pairing, but how you get your best four or your best five, your best six,” he added.

“We have the analytics team in place, and they have opinions on why guys match up well together from a statistics standpoint, but we really need to understand the personality side and how guys mesh together and why that happens.

“I think it’s a combination of both, but I’ve got a lot of experience on my side with our vice-captains. I’ve got a lot of guys that were world-class players themselves, played on a significant number of these teams and understand the inner workings, and there’s a lot of feel that goes into it as well, and I really trust and believe in their opinions.”

Thomas Bjorn thoughts

“I think it is important to make a strong start, something we did not do last time around. I think you build your whole mind up about that first day, and how you see that evolving, and you obviously have a plan for Saturday, but that can change from where you are.

“You don’t want to fall behind and see your whole plan that you’ve laid out falling apart in that first session, and that’s what it did for Darren. It’s not easy as a captain. I would dread being 4-0 down after Friday morning’s session, but I think any captain would do that.

“That’s not a great place to be. You can’t do anything but second-guess yourself if you’re in that situation, but in the end, players have to go out on the golf course and play their golf and do the things that they need to do on the golf course.

“That was an unfortunate start for us last time, and hopefully we’re not in that situation on Friday.”

The Ryder Cup – Betting Analysis and Stats

Top European Points Scorer

Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy top the betting in the category at 11/2 apiece but if we are looking for value the both Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood come out as better value at around the 15/2 mark with Skybet and it is the Englishman who we will side with. An excellent season has been had by Fleetwood and he looks the type of golfer who will thrive in this pressure cooker environment.

Top American Points Scorer

A whole host of talent on show for the Americans and Woods will be well fancied at 15/2 to tp the American charts after last weeks heroics. However, caution is advised as Woods record in Ryder Cups is not that great and it will pay to look elsewhere. Of course experience plays a massive part in The Ryder Cup and at 25/1 generally (33/1 with Bet365) then Phil Mickelson has to be the play.

He has not had a great season, but captain Furyk has put his trust in him and that can rewarded with a veterans performance.

Correct Score Betting

Although the Americans are favorites here, we have to take into account the nature of the course which is full of water and danger. The layout does not favour big hitters and is more a strategists layout. With that in mind the Europeans look great value to win back the Ryder Cup but best price available is 7/5 with Blacktype. This is why we are looking at the correct score as the best option

15-13 is available with Unibet and Betfred at 11/1 whilst a slightly more aggressive play is the 15.5 – 12.5 with Betstars at a standout 14/1

Race To 10 Points

With the thought that the Europeans will win and the layout suiting them more than their American compatriots, then 11/10 for them to reach 10 points first with Unibet looks a nice bet to have and can give some more punting ammunition for the final day.

Final Conclusion.

Whatever or whoever you are supporting in the 2018 Ryder Cup, enjoy the golf as it is sure to be one of the best if not the best Ryder Cup in history.