Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup

[kevshat]

It's nearly here :nana. The biggest "other sports" event of the year begins on Friday in Kentucky. Well worth an early start to the thread. Outright odds and top scorer odds below.

	Europe	1.72	1.9	1.8	1.92	2	1.8	1.72	1.95	1.95	2	1.72	1.8	2.05	1.8	1.8	1.8	2	1.83	1.9	2.02	2.04	2.02
	USA	2.2	2.1	2.2	2.25	2	2.2	2.2	2.15	2.2	2.05	2.25	2.25	2.05	2.25	2.25	2.2	2	2.2	2.2	2.27	2.26	2.22
	Tie	12	12	12	12	10	13	12	11	12	12	11	10	11	13	11	12	11	11	11	13.5	13.5	13

	Garcia, S	8.5	8	9	9	9	8.5	8.5	9	9	9	8	9	8	9.6	8.6
	Mickelson, P	10	10	12	11	11	11	11	11	10	12	10	11	9	13	13
	Harrington, P	12	11	11.5	13	11	11	11	11	10	12	11	12	9	12.5	12
	Furyk, J	11	12	13	11	12	12	12	11	11	13	12	12	9	14	13
	Westwood, L	12	11	13	13	13	12	12	11	13	13	11	11	11	14	13.5
	Kim, A	15	13	14.5	13	15	15	15	13	15	13	13	13	13	16	16
	Stenson, H	17	17	16	15	17	15	13	15	17	16	17	13	17	17.5	18
	Leonard, J	17	15	17	17	17	17	19	15	19	15	15	17	17	18.5	19
	Karlsson, R	17	23	22	19	21	21	17	21	21	21	23	21	17	24	22
	Perry, K	19	23	22	23	21	21	21	21	21	23	23	21	21	24	22
	Cink, S	17	23	23	19	17	19	17	17	19	17	23	21	17	25	22
	Casey, P	19	23	24	19	21	19	19	21	19	23	23	21	21	26	24
	Rose, J	19	23	24	17	21	19	26	17	26	17	23	23	21	26	23
	Stricker, S	19	23	24	19	21	21	26	21	23	21	23	21	21	26	26
	Mahan, H	23	29	27	29	29	29	26	26	26	29	29	26	26	30	30
	Poulter, I	26	29	27	29	26	29	29	26	26	34	29	26	26	30	30
	Jimenez, MA	23	34	31	29	29	31	26	26	26	34	34	26	26	35	30
	Curtis, B	34	29	36	34	31	34	26	41	26	29	29	26	34	40	40
	McDowell, G	36	41	38	34	34	41	34	41	34	41	41	34	41	44	42
	Campbell, Chad	34	29	43	34	29	29	34	41	31	41	29	34	34	50	50
	Weekley, B	31	34	36	41	41	34	34	41	46	36	34	34	34	40	42
	Holmes, JB	41	34	40	34	41	34	41	41	46	34	34	41	34	46	46
	Hansen, S	51	41	52	34	51	41	34	51	51	51	41	34	34	62	70
	Wilson, O	101	81	88	51	101	81	67	101	81	81	81	81	67	112	130
Place terms		4 1/4	4 1/4		4 1/4	4 1/4				4 1/4		4 1/4

Fire away gents :ok

[Mr Intensity]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup I'll have a go.... Outright: EUROPE @ 2.05 Paddy Power. Very surprised to be able to gets odds against on Europe. On paper they look far stronger than the Americans and I ike this price despite America being at home. The American squad looks poor, the big names like Mickleson and Furyk have poor Ryder Cup records, and a few of the guys like Stricker, Holmes and Mahan I think will be out of there depth here. Europe are extremely strong with the likes of Garcia and Harrington who have done so well at the Majors this year, and guys like Westwood who has a great Ryder Cup record and Casey who is an excellent match play player. Europes squad looks well balanced, and just like the last two meeting I can't see this being close. A lot has been talked about Faldo and his decisions not to bring Clarke and Monty, but I think he'll step up at the weekend and be a good captain. Top USA points scorer CINK @ 10.00 E/W (1/4, 1,2,3) VC. Quite like Cink to top score for the Americans. He's very solid and looks a reasonable price compared to Furyk and Mickleson. He should play most of the matches and has a decent 3-5-4 record. Notably he beat Garcia in the singles in 2006 which is a fine effort and I think he'll be close to top scoring here. Top Wildcard CASEY @ 4.50 Stan James. In this market are Casey, Poulter, Stricker, Mahan, Campbell and Holmes. I'm expecting most of the Americans to struggle here, and this could be won with a couple of points. Casey is a great matchday guy and I think he'll get at least a couple of matches in the first two days. I think he'll feature more than Poulter and a couple of the Americans. He has experience of the last 2 Ryder cups and a good 3-1-2 record and I like this price.

[theoldmaster]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup well i think the draw is excellent value and a result that will do the job!, as for top points scorer, i agree with both picks, however no so sure of casey while he can be explosive he is not a good chaser once he goes behind in an event he seems to struggle badly.

[TheRat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Cannot wait for this I do think Europe at 2.05 is actually value. I cannot see us getting beaten by the US

[meatman]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup yeh Europe @ 2.05, I really am confident abobut us this year!

[jay jay]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Have to agree guys, i took Europe at evens a month a go and surprised you can still get odds against. They have won it 4 out of last 5 Ryder cups so price looks value to me !! Top Debutant e/w A. Kim 9-2, The man is class and might be paired with Mickleson , so should get a few points if they bond. Top American e/w B.Curtis 16-1, Has been playing really well the last 3 months and worth a punt at those odds !! Good luck

[TEHOBA]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup One way traffic... EUROPE 2,05.!!!

[kevshat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup I'll go against the grain. Quite a few ante-post bets for me but I'll get involved in the matches too. 5pts USA to win Ryder Cup 11/8 VC I think the USA are a big price here. If you look at the personnel on offer to the two sides then you would think Europe can't lose but there is one factor to throw into the mix. Their captain Nick Faldo. Here is a guy reknowned for his single mindedness and selfishness and everything I've seen from him so far has looked like it's his show. I wasn't too enamoured by his wildcards and he seems hellbent on getting everyone's backs up which can't help Europe. Compare that to Paul Azinger. He's made four solid enough picks and almost the first thing he said this week was Europe are favourites knowing no favourite has won this event since the turn of the century and he's clever enough to have kept himself to himself and not got everyone on his case. Europe look like they should win this and if it was just about hitting golf shots I think they would but captain Faldo and his ego look sure to have a say and couple that with the Kentucky crowd who are the beer swilling, rowdy sort who are sure to be right behind America then I think the hosts could well claim the cup back. 5pts USA to win Friday Foursomes 13/8 Sportingbet USA have a decent mix of players to make up some good foursome pairings. In the likes of Ben Curtis, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink they've got straight hitters who are all good putters and then of course there's the bombers in Mickelson, JB Holmes, Chad Campbell and Anthony Kim. Then you've got solid players like Stricker and Mahan who can make good foursome players too. Europe don't have such a range of options. We're traditionally not that straight off the tee and we're not good putters generally, especially on these demanding greens but we do probably have the edge in iron play. However this side doesn't have many natural pairings like we've had in the past. Westwood and Garcia would look the only natural pairing but they look set to partner other players. The 1st session is always a key session. Azinger will stick his best pairings out here to try and get some red on the boards and I think USA are better equipped to take the opening session. 5pts 1st shot to miss the fairway 13/8 Paddy Power There's got to be some value in this market. I've had a decent look at the 1st hole and it's a dogleg right to left tee shot. Now with all the nerves and tension it wouldn't be impossible for whichever European who steps up to the 1st tee shot to hook one. Equally with the adrenalin pumping they could push it through the fairway the other side. If we look back 2 years, most of the players ended up in that fairway bunker off the 1st tee while Tiger Woods even managed to find the water. It's not an easy tee shot at the best of times and if there's any lingering wind about that will assist the chances of missing the fairway. The fairway should be hit but that doesn't mean it will and I'll take the fairway to be missed at a big looking price. 5pts Over 4.5 Halved Matches Evs Blue Square I've actually backed this at 11/10 but while I've been writing up my 1st 3 bets it's been shaved into evens. 3 of the last four Ryder Cups have had over 4 halved matches. Oakland Hills is the only one which didn't and America were almost non existant in that competition so I'm happy to forget that. I don't think there's a great deal between the majority of these sides and I can see a few halved matches in this week. I don't expect a runaway winner of the cup as a whole and I can see quite a few matches going up 18. Such a low total is handy if there is a one sided finish on Sunday because although they've agreed to play the matches out, matches could easily be conceded as halves a la McGinley's match last time. This line looks achievable so I'll go on the overs here. 10pts K.Perry to score more points than M.Jimenez (DNB) 4/5 Bet365 Kenny Perry is the local boy and will probably know this course better than anybody. Miguel Angel Jimenez is a golfer I like a lot but he could well be one of those who doesn't get a regular gig in the matches. Kenny Perry's form over July and the fact he's local should ensure he gets at least 4 matches and will get all 5 if he's up to it. Jimenez is unlikely to get any fourball matches because Europe are just so strong and if he comes up against one of the better Americans in the singles it may just be that the Spaniard leaves Kentucky pointless. I've got Perry down for at least a couple of points such is his consistency and I think he'll win this match bet. Some point scorers bets to follow.

[kevshat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup 2pts ew P.Casey Top European Points Scorer 10/1 Paddy Power (1/4 1,2,3) Paul Casey is a solid match player and I'm sure he'll have a good Ryder Cup whoever he plays with. It seems likely that in the foursomes he'll be partnering Padraig Harrington which can be no bad thing and I wouldn't be surprised if he and Rose played fourballs together. I think Casey is a really strong cog in the Europe wheel and at 10/1 he looks a very good each way bet to top score for Europe if we assume, as has been reported, that Westwood and Garcia will be split up. 2pts ew S.Cink Top USA Points Scorer 10/1 Stan James (1/4 1,2,3) Stewart Cink showed his matchplay pedigree at the Accenture World Matchplay earlier this year where he made the final before being destroyed by Tiger Woods. Backing that up was the fact he thrashed Sergio Garcia in the singles 2 years ago in Ireland, beating the Spaniard by 4&3. Cink is an allround solid player. Good driver, straight as a die and a very good putter and he'll be a help to whoever he partners this week. He'd be favourite for his singles match against almost anyone on the European side so 10/1 is too big for the bald American who is well worth an ew bet. 1pt ew H.Mahan Top Debutant Points Scorer 8/1 Stan James (1/4 1,2,3) Hunter Mahan made the semi finals of the HSBC Matchplay a couple of years ago so he knows his way around a matchplay scenario. This is quite a tough heat this year with no less than 10 debutants playing this week and they include the likes of Justin Rose who was Europe's number one golfer last year, Anthony Kim who is the next big thing in America and Ben Curtis who has top 10's in the last two majors. Steve Stricker was world number 3 as recently as the turn of this year showing he has pedigree too but I like Hunter Mahan. I think his game is well suited to matchplay and if he can get enough matches he could prove to be the best debutant on show.

[RussP]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup

5pts USA to win Ryder Cup 11/8 VC I think the USA are a big price here. If you look at the personnel on offer to the two sides then you would think Europe can't lose but there is one factor to throw into the mix. Their captain Nick Faldo. Here is a guy reknowned for his single mindedness and selfishness and everything I've seen from him so far has looked like it's his show. I wasn't too enamoured by his wildcards and he seems hellbent on getting everyone's backs up which can't help Europe. Compare that to Paul Azinger. He's made four solid enough picks and almost the first thing he said this week was Europe are favourites knowing no favourite has won this event since the turn of the century and he's clever enough to have kept himself to himself and not got everyone on his case. Europe look like they should win this and if it was just about hitting golf shots I think they would but captain Faldo and his ego look sure to have a say and couple that with the Kentucky crowd who are the beer swilling, rowdy sort who are sure to be right behind America then I think the hosts could well claim the cup back.

Kev, some fantastic write ups there as usual. I'm with you on the US. Great price at 13/8 to take this. This type of competition always favours the underdogs and I think Europe could become a little complacent. US will be fired up, especialy without Tiger, and pressure will be off a little bit as they are, for once, not strong favs. The point Kev makes about Faldo is a good one and this has just enhanced my confidence.

[Mr Intensity]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup

The point Kev makes about Faldo is a good one and this has just enhanced my confidence.

I have to agree. I'm on Europe but Faldo is just annoying and could feck this right up:@:@

[bartonbank]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup First matches up: Michelson/Kim v Harrington/Karlsson Mahan/Leonard v Casey/Stenson Cink/Campbell v Rose/Poulter Perry/Furyk v Westwood Garcia Thoughts?

[kevshat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Hmmm, so I'll be relying on either Harrington or Karlsson to miss the 1st fairway for me. Both have history of pulling big shots so I'm not too disappointed. An ideal situation would've been Sergio Garcia or a rookie but I'll take that. I'll be very interested to see how matches 2 and 3 are priced up.

[bartonbank]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Markets up on betfair

[meatman]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Well I'd imagine it'll be Harrington to tee off first. So much pressure on the shot though that anything could happen. To be honest I think 13/8 was decent value on that missed fairway play Kev. Like the Perry to beat MAJ bet. I'd imgaine Perry will play in a lot of matches giving him more chances to score. Pretty good player as well IMO and I expect him to go well. Cink and Casey seem popular picks on here for top pts scorer and I agree that both of those should go well. The foursomes are interesting. The last match looks to be the strongest partnership for both teams, Perry and Furyk are good, but beating Westwood and Garcia will be one hell of a challenge for them. The top match looks pretty tasty as well, but I never have much confidence about Mickelson in the Ryder Cup. The middle two look very interesitng and are capable of going either way. Europe's weakest pair in this format could be Poulter and Rose, and I have the feeling that Cink and Campbell will beat them. Cink is a very good putter and straight hitter of the ball. 2.40 looks decent value on them IMO

[kevshat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup

Well I'd imagine it'll be Harrington to tee off first. So much pressure on the shot though that anything could happen. To be honest I think 13/8 was decent value on that missed fairway play Kev.

Yeh it'll be Harrington for sure. All the par 5's are evens so I'd imagine Karlsson would get those as he biffs it further which means Harrington would take the odds. I'm happy to be on at 13/8.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup I will come back with prices on first day matches later (Europe in matches 2 and 4 and US in match 3 are my intial thoughts) but my outright picks for this are: Europe evens var 15 pts Europe in some places are odds on for this and imo they should be everywhere and solid odds on chances at that. Europe have simply dominated the Ryder Cup lately. They have won 5 out of the last 6 and the one they lost was a controversial cup at Brookline. The last couple of Ryder Cups have not even been close, they have been walkovers and a complete destruction job. Some could point out to the fact that this is in America and generally the US do better in the States but that wasnt much use to them in 2004 even though the leadership of Sutton was questionable then. Ok Faldo isnt everyones cup of tea and some might say not really captaincy material but Im not really sure how important that really is. For what it is worth I didnt rate Woosie much as a captain and yet Europe cruised to victory. Maybe a few Ryder Cups ago the role of a captain was more important especially to the European team as they had stategically plot their teams and the respective order more carefully and at times hid the odd player but that is less so these days given the strength in depth in the European team. I would say that possibly only Wilson is the player I would be looking to hide in the euro team imo. The bottom line is that the European team is just better imo. Theres no doubt too that Woods is a loss to the US team, even though he hasnt fired tremendously in the event. Statistically in the total of the 5 cups he has been in, he has scored more points combined than any other player from the states, plus he is generally good in the singles on the last day apart from his first cup. He is not here now and the US will need players who have been poor in previous ryder cups such as mickelson, furyk to play better in this one. The other slight issue I have is that Im not quite sure if some of the americans who had better form earlier in the year such as Cink and Perry are quite in that form now. Europe on the other hand dont really have many players with bad records and have a clutch of players in top form. Even just last week, soem of the 'lesser' players were involved in the buisness end of the tournament and Karlsson ended up winning it. Overall I just think the European team is better and I take them to win this outright. Stenson top overall points scorer 16/1 var 3 pts e.w Stenson is a player I really like and he is undoubtedly one of the top golfers in the world for me and especially so at matchplay. That is shown with his record in big matchplay events. In 2006 he won the hugely competitive wgc matchplay and this year he just lost to Woods in the semi. He also has played in the other matchplay event and reached the semis. The other bonus is his good form. He went close in the Open where he was third and followed that with a good PGA when he was fourth, clearly showing that he is developing what it takes to do well in the majors. A few weeks ago he was third in the event that was won by Clarke in Holland. Of course he was the man who held the winning put in the last Ryder Cup too. Given that I think he will score well and play most of the matches if not all, Im going for top overall points scorer. Campbell top US points scorer 20/1 var 3 pts e.w Of all the US wildcards, Campbell was a very solid and good pick for me. He has played in the last two Ryder Cups having qualified on merit. Granted he hasnt shown that much in the cups he has played but he has had some moments, played very well I recall when he beat donald in one singles match. I just think he has very much a complete game that suits matchplay especially foursomes. When you look through the stats, you sometimes wonder why he doesnt win more often because he often is near the top in driving accuracy and gir. Campbell starts by being paired with cink in the opening game in a match that could be a winning opportunity for the US and that would get him of to a decent start and if he does get off to a decent start, he might just play and hopefully score more than some might expect. Taking the safe option by going for jsut campbell in the us list.

[bowles10]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Ryder Cup Starts Friday 19th September 5 bets 1. Biggest winning margin in a match - 5&3 @ 6/1 Ladbrokes most matches will be close, but i can see one going this way, with someone dormy 4, winning the 15th to win 5&3. 2. Top American points scorer - Mickelson @ 5/1 VC Bet thier best player, will play every game so has a great chance of picking up 2 or 2.5pts. 3. Top European - Westwood @ 6/1 Tote Great record over the years & on song in recent months. Will play every round & can take the title from Sergio. 4. Top European - Rose @ 14/1 Sporting bet A great value bet IMO with Rose bound to be one of Faldo's favourites this weekend. Knows the americans well also. 5. Top GB / Ireland player - Westwood @ 3/1 Tote Consolation prize if Sergio manages to beat him to the top european. 3pts win on each bet

[Mr Intensity]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Top Englishman WESTWOOD @ 2.75 Boylesports. With Westwood playing with Garcia this looks like a cracking price. Both guys have an excellent Ryder Cup record and they look a formidable pair. If they do well in the first match - which I think they will - then I'd fancy them to stay together. Westwood should play all the matches, I'd expect Casey to do so too but not the rest of the English guys. This should be solid.

[kevshat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup 2 very big prices which I just have to take for tomorrow morning. 10pts S.Cink/C.Campbell to beat J.Rose/I.Poulter 6/4 Ladbrokes Match tees off at 1335 BST Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell look a very good partnership especially a foursomes partnership. Both their games are similar, they are straight hitters, solid iron players and good putters. I guess you could say the same about the English pairing although Poulter has been known to shank a few in the past. He makes up for that with an extraordinary putting ability. The American duo will go well together and have plenty of Ryder Cup experience and in what looks a close match they look good value at 6/4. 10pts K.Perry/J.Furyk to beat L.Westwood/S.Garcia 2/1 Stan James Match tees off at 1350 BST I really like the pairing of Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk. Naturally this match will have a big gallery with the local boy being part of it and it's important that Zinger put someone solid, reliable and unflustered in alongside him and in Jim Furyk he's done that. They'll have a tough match though because Westwood and Garcia have been electric in the past but this is a different Ryder Cup and we still don't know exactly how Westwood's game is given he's missed some golf recently. Sergio is 8 and 0 in foursomes which is incredible but he starts a blank today and with the crowd right behind them the American's look a big price to win this over 18 holes.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Three for the first morning: Casey/Stenson 11/10 spo 10 pts The two former world matchplay champions (two different events) pair up in what looks a very aggressive pairing from Faldo. They play rookie Mahan and veteran Leonard who makes a ryder cup come back 9 years after his last cup in which he made that putt and arguably more important that celebration. I have already spoken a lot about what I think of Stenson but Casey too is a quality player and just like Stenson really suits matchplay. Mahan is perhaps the unknown here but not too be undone as he is a solid player, very high percentage of gir, although his putting is average and the pga stats show that. I guess the idea of pairing a veteran with him is to calm down his nerves but he undoubtedly will still be feeling them. However I just feel this Euro pair will have too much firepower for the americans on what remember is a course that supposedly suits big hitters. Cink/Campbell 6/4 lad 10 pts I have already mentioned what I think of Campbell and Cink is in many ways a similar player. Normally very straight although he has not been quite as deadly straight this year as in the past and seemingly statistics suggest he has added a touch more length to his game which may explain the ever so slight drop in fairway accuracy. However he remains generally what I would call a solid player who in the main hits fairways and greens more often than not and can be a very hot putter when he gets it going, remember his rout of Sergio in the last ryder cup although saying that his putting stats this year are not as special as in the past. the one slight contrast between the pair is possibly their form, Cink hasnt quite played as well in the past few months compared to early in the year and Campell the opposite. Overall though this looks a strong and possibly under rated team. In contrast Im not sure what to make of Poulter and Rose and thats the only Euro pair I can say that for. Rose is a quality player when on form but his 2008 record suggests thats not really the case, he got in this team on what he did at the end of last year. Poulter has a point to prove having got a controversial wildcard ahead of Clarke and it will be interestingly to see how he reacts to that and besides I just feel this American team has been under estimated. Garcia/Westwood 5/6 tote 10 pts Very good pairing this one. They have had lots of success in the Ryder Cup before and look set to have more to follow. Agin two big hitters who really know how to attack a golf course but still they remain solid, not only do these two hit a fair way but they also keep it straight. On paper I would have a slight reservation on the greens about these two as in their individual play, they do miss a few more putts then they ought too. However in the ryder cup they seemingly change all that and seem to make everything. They most be full of confidence too. Not only have both gone close in the majors this year and Sergio of course winning the 'fifth major' but they also are on hot records in the ryder cup, Westwood hasnt lost in 10 matches and Sergio has won everytime he has played in fourballs and that is soem record. They play Perry and Furyk who again are similar players in that they are very much fairways and green men, indeed I consider Furyk to be one of the best if not the best in the world at that and his US Open record (courses that suit that style of golf) just emphasises that. However I dont think they quite have the aggressive play that the European pair does. I also have concerns about Perrys form as he has dipped since what was a fantastic summer and possibly worn himself out of and also about Furyk's putting at times because quite simply as well as Furyk plays from tee to green, he doesnt make enough putts, certainly hasnt this year and that comes from a fan of the American. Overall I just take the dream Euro pair to win this.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Quote above was meant to say about Garcia is that he has won all 8 of his foursomes in the ryder cup so far, not fourballs.

[meatman]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Europe to win the Ryder Cup @ 2.0 P Power I just cant see past us to be honest. I believe this is the strongest European team ever against one of the weakest American ones. There are few weak links in this EU team, even the four rookies look to be fairly strong and capable of picking up points. Behind Tiger Woods, I think the likes of Harrington, Garcia and Westwood are possibly the best in the world. In the past we have come into this Cup as underdogs but now we have the quality and experience of a higher level than the US. There is much talk about Faldo, and whilst I admit he is a bit of an eccentric character, I just cant see how he can mess things up for us. I already like his foursomes pairings which should go well, but I think most people could captain this EU team to victory, the tools at Faldo’s disposal are excellent. The US, yeh they have some good players but regularly their top guys fail in the Ryder Cup. With so many rookies in the team as well it will be a struggle for the hosts. Cink top American @ 11.0 Bl Sq Great putter, straight hitter and likely to play in most of the matches. He will be a key part of this US team and I think he will do better than the likes of Mickelson and Furyk. Cink is someone whom I rate highly and he has a good match play record, 10/1 is simply too big IMO. Westwood top Englishman @ 2.75 Boyles I think this is a terrific price and I’m really confident about this pick. Westwood is class in the Ryder Cup and can normally be relied upon to get an awful lot of points. In the foursomes he is likely to be combined with Garcia, usually a banker of a partnership. Lee will almost certainly play in all 5 games giving him a great chance of scoring points. I doubt any of the other Englishmen will play that many times, Casey, Rose and Poulter might only appear in the foursomes and not fourballs. Garcia top continental European @ 2.32 Betfair He is usually terrific in the Ryder cup and I can see him scoring at least 3 points, probably more. Jimenez and Hansen wont play enough matches and although Karlsson and Stenson might be a threat, I doubt they will be able to overhaul the Spaniard. I cant see past him in this market. Harrington / Karlsson @ 2.25 P Power Both of these two Europeans didn’t have such good Ryder Cups in 2008 but I think they look to be a strong partnership today. Harrington will be high on confidence after winning two majors this year and he knows he’s a vital part of this EU team and will want to lead from the front. There is a lot of talk about Anthony Kim that he will have a good Cup, I think he is a fine player not to be underestimated. The problem in this partnership could be Phil Mickelson, who continually seems to struggle in the Ryder Cup for whatever reason. It could be close, but I don t believe the Americans deserve to be slight favourites in this match and I will side with Europe. Casey / Stenson @ 2.05 Sp Bet I think Paul Casey is perfect for foursomes golf, such a consistent player tee to green and he should combine well with Stenson who is a similar player. Both of these two are cool under pressure and wont be fazed by the early morning American crowd. I think it’ll be interesting to see how this US partnership of Leonard / Mahan turns out. It might prove to be useful or it might prove to be a disaster, only time will tell. But I feel that Europe again have the edge here and I’ll back them to prevail. Cink / Campbell @ 2.50 Lads I agree with the partnership of Rose and Poulter, but I have the feeling that it might lose this match. A lot does point to the Europeans doing well in this game, the two Englishmen get on very well and have partnered each other in the world cup before. But facing Cink and Campbell wont be easy. I have already mentioned how I rate Cink quite highly and that he could have a decent Ryder Cup. Campbell was a good wildcard pick by Paul Azinger and is perhaps underrated. A lot of focus will be on the English duo here, especially Poulter, but the US couple might silently beat them. Decent value @ 2.50 IMO. Westwood / Garcia @ 1.83 Tote This is the European’s best pairing and is an incredibly formidable duo. Their record together is very good and Garcia’s record in foursomes is quite staggering. These two just seem to feed off each other so well and I expect them to win their match. Perry and Furyk is also a strong partnership but they face a really tough challenge. Mentally before they start they will know how hard it will be, and someone like Perry who isn’t perhaps so mentally strong might struggle. This will be a good game but ultimately I expect the European dream partnership to prevail, they are just so good together.

[bartonbank]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup I just cannot have, even for value reasons, the pick on Perry/Furyk. If there is one thing that recent weeks has taught us it is that Perry has been found out as being a "flat track bully", to coin a rugby phrase. Nowhere in any big tournament, even though it is his home state Furyk will have to carry him IMO. This may come back to bite me, but Westwood/Garcia looks far too strong.

[Boulder5111]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Phil Mickelson - Top Points scorer 11/1 E/W (1/4 odds 1,2,3,4) I actually think the absence of Tiger Woods will benfit Mickelson enormously. They clearly aren't the best of pals and Mickelson will benefit from being the American flag bearer. He'll also be playing the maximum number of games which is important. The price looks just too good to me.

[stewartd14]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Europe to win Ryder Cup @ Evs Europe to win Ryder Cup (-1.5) @ 2.36 Having one of my biggest bets on Europe, as really think we should win this. Harrington and Garcia have rally found form recently and they will be very tough to beat. Past that, there is not a bad player in the European team and as always, I think we are more of a team than the Americans. The US are missing Tiger and Mickelson hasnt been in great form throughout the Fed-Ex Cup. Casey is coming into form for Europe and I really think we should take this. Evens is an attractive bet for me. Also having a flutter on: Garcia top combined points scorer @ 6/1 Been playing really well lately, and just been seen off by Padraig and Villegas in big competitions recently. Great team player and adds that bit of passion to the team. he will be selected frequently so looks a good bet. P Harrington top combined points scorer @ 6/1 Same as above, brilliant recent form, winning 2 majors this year and I expect him to do well. M A Jimenez top combined points scorer @ 33/1 EW Jimenez is a joy to watch in the Ryder Cup and he is a brilliant team player. No one can question his consistency as a golfer and he cant be overlooked here. he is not the best, but he is consistent and looks a good EW shot, paying 4 places and 1/4 odds K Perry top combined points scorer @ 16/1 EW Struggled a bit in the FedEx cup playoffs but has been remarkably consistent all season and could be the surprise package in the US team. It was his dream to make it into their Ryder Cup team and whether he will be able to produce his best is an unknown, but the price looks huge. I think those prices are correct. Bets were placed with 365 last night. :ok

[Mr Intensity]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Haven't got time for write ups but I'm on Garcia/Westwood and Casey/Stenson today for reasons outlined in my outrights.

[Karel]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup I have backed the U.S for moderate stakes as I think the price is just too big on home soil. Hard to cheer them on though.

[kevshat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Decent morning betting wise for me. Will update when all matches have finished but I have to get on this one for the afternoon fourballs. 10pts H.Mahan & J.Leonard to beat S.Garcia & M.Jimenez 13/8 Ladbrokes Ladbrokes have gone mad here. Either that or they weren't watching this morning. Betfred actually have the American group down as favourites here. Hunter Mahan played some imacculate golf and his partnership with Justin Leonard who was very good himself this morning looks a good one. Neither get too carried away and waste emotional energy a la Garcia and both are solid tee to green and good putters. Neither Jimenez or Garcia would be high up on the list of choices if you needed someone to putt for your life and Garcia can be erratic. They may be from the same country but I'd have rather Garcia partnered Westwood in fourballs and Westwood partnered Hansen this morning but I don't mind too much now I can take the Texan duo at 13/8.

[kevshat]

Re: Golf: 2008 Ryder Cup Just taken another one. Just missed out on bet365's 11/8 but 5/4 will do still. 10pts B.Curtis & S.Stricker to beat I.Poulter & J.Rose 5/4 Ladbrokes Ian Poulter and Justin Rose just messed up the 18th and having been 3up on Campbell and Cink at one point, to lose will be hard to take. Curtis and Stricker watched the action this morning and with the US taking a 3-1 lead shouldn't have too many nerves. They are both solid players who strike the ball well and most importantly they putt well. It's gonna be hot this afternoon and if this match gets near the 18th that could take it's toll on the British pair, as could memories of this morning. This looks a tight match on paper but I think the American's might just be able to get up early on and they could be away before Poulter and Rose recover their focus for this match.