Outright plays (total stake: 1pt unless stated)
Europe to win the Ryder Cup -1.5pts 5/4 @ Bet365, Paddy Power, BlueSq and BetFred [3pts]
There really isn't enough space to outline why Europe should be the favourites in this match! From such a strong home advantage that everyone in the European team bar Luke Donald has played in the European Open on this course (and with multiple wins across this team) to an American qualification system that almost let John Rollins into the team for winning a very minor event for players who failed to qualify for the Open Championship, there really is very little apart from the world rankings to suggest that the Americans have the better team.
But the world rankings mean nothing in this event. In 2004, the Europeans had an average world ranking (38.25) that was more than double the American average, but won a landslide. In the nine Ryder Cups since the World Rankings began in 1986, the European average is over twice that of the American?s, but they have won five times, drawn once and only lost three times. To make an even bigger mockery of the player?s World Rankings, in the five highest European averages (1987, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2004), the Europeans have won four times; three of which have been on American soil, and they really should have won in 1999 at Brookline as well.
And that 1999 defeat at Brookline really bucked the trend. It is the only time since 1993 that Europe has failed to win this event. That victory was on account of poor captaincy by Mark James. The American team beat the European 8.5-3.5 in the final day singles to secure a victory by a single point. Should we expect the American team to dominate the singles because they have the better world rankings? The answer is an emphatic no. Take out the 1999 result and over the last ten Ryder Cups, the American team leads the European team merely by 54.5-53.5 points. A difference in captaincy skills was the decisive factor in 1999 and that is the only concern with this play this time around. Tom Lehman has looked the far better captain in the run-up to this event; the blundering Woosnam could yet blunt the Europeans' edge in this match.
Chris DiMarco to finish top American points scorer 9/1 @ William Hill
Let's compare DiMarco with some of his team-mates ... Before the 1999 Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods insisted it was nothing more than "an exhibition", sentiments which were echoed by Phil Mickelson and David Duval. Then, after winning the American Express Championship the week before the 2002 Ryder Cup, when asked whether that event or the Ryder Cup was more important to him, Woods responded "I can give you a million reasons", grinning and referring to the $1 million winner's prize. And he is at it again this time. On the Friday of the Open Championship, when asked if it was good to see DiMarco doing well from a Ryder Cup perspective, he replied "We couldn?t care less about the Ryder Cup." No wonder he?s only won 7 of his 20 Ryder Cup matches!
But to say ?we? was a huge mistake. Only a few minutes earlier, DiMarco had been asked whether a first major title or the Ryder Cup meant more to him and he had replied ?playing for your country is probably the greatest thing I?ve ever done in golf. So I?d have to say playing for your country.? No wonder that he has won seven, halved two and lost just one of his last 10 Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup matches. The only downside is that he played in the 84 Lumber Classic last week and that may lead Lehman to only play him four times, but otherwise he should certainly be the best American player this week.
Sergio Garcia to finish top European points scorer 6.08/1 @ Pinnacle
In terms of the leading European points winner, Garcia is the European equivalent of the fist-pumping DiMarco. He has played in three Ryder Cups and played in all five matches every time with just one defeat in twelve foursomes and fourball matches. In fact, in foursomes, he is a perfect 6-0-0. He has a fourball partnership with Lee Westwood and a foursomes partnership with Luke Donald and the benefits of consistent partners cannot be understated. Donald is a better player than he was two years ago and Westwood is a two-time winner on this course, so I can't see any sense in Woosnam splitting up these two partnerships. It will be a big surprise if Sergio doesn't win more than three points this week.
