USA favored over Europe for Ryder Cup on home soil - ESPN
The United States will be favored going into the 45th Ryder Cup, with sportsbooks giving the Americans a slight edge over the talented European team by virtue of the notoriously rowdy Ryder Cup gallery.
USA holds -150 odds to Europe's +150, with the tie showing +1200 on the three-way tournament winner line, according to ESPN BET lines. The United States maintains those same odds in the two-way «to lift the trophy» market, while Europe is +120 by virtue of a tie resulting in the previous winner retaining the cup.
The Ryder Cup is a golf betting event unlike any other. The biennial tournament can only have three possible results, as opposed to a regular golf tournament, major or otherwise, that has just one winner from a field of sometimes more than a hundred. «Those prices need to be managed accordingly,» Adam Landeka, VP of sportsbook strategy & growth at ESPN BET, said via email. Those two main markets will make up a majority of the event's handle, he adds.
As with any golf event, bookmakers start their usual handicapping with the course, in this case, the infamously difficult Bethpage Black, which last hosted a professional tournament in 2019 for the PGA Championship. They also have to take into account the unusual team aspect, including the chemistry of each squad, as well as home-course advantage, a true rarity in golf.
«The New York crowds are going to be a bit boisterous, I would say, so that should be an advantage to the American side,» DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN.
The books also, per usual, take action from bettors into consideration. At ESPN BET, patrons are generally backing the home team, with the USA team holding 57.5% of the wagers and 50.9% of the money on the three-way line,