2019 Presidents Cup Betting Picks: Perry and Sobel’s Favorite Plays for Royal Melbourne

The 2019 Presidents Cup may not generate the same type of buzz as the Ryder Cup or a major, but it is still a big deal in the golf community, especially considering that Tiger Woods is serving as the playing-captain for Team USA.

The Americans have not lost this event since 1998 (on this very course) and own a 10-1-1 record against Team International. That's why it is no surprise that Team USA is a -345 favorite over Team International, which has only one win in 12 matches against the USA (and one draw).

Sportsbooks have posted a wide-ranging menu of betting options for the tournament. Here are Jason Sobel and Josh Perry's three favorite plays for the event:

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Jason Sobel

Prop: Abraham Ancer To Be Top International Points Scorer (+1800)

In my initial preview of this week’s event, I wrote that the three Australian members of the team were all smart bets based on sheer volume. Something will have to go very wrong for captain Ernie Els to bench Adam Scott, Marc Leishman or Cameron Smith for any of the five sessions.

Really, though, anyone playing decently should find his way into at least four of those sessions anyway, so I’m readjusting this pick for a few reasons.

The first is that Ancer’s game should suit the fast, firm conditions of Royal Melbourne; he ranked 10th in total driving on the PGA Tour last season. The next is that he’s already enjoyed success Down Under, having won last year’s Australian Open in dominant fashion.

And then, of course, is the price. Ancer’s odds are more than twice those of any of his three Aussie teammates. Considering I think he has as good a chance as any of them to lead the team in points for the week, there’s some nice value on the longshot here.

More Presidents Cup Coverage:

• Perry: My 2 Favorite Bets at the 2019 Presidents Cup
• Sobel: 10 Burning Questions for Bettors at Royal Melbourne
• How Will Patrick Reed Handle the Villain Role Down Under?
• Sobel: Tiger Woods Should Call His Own Number This Weekend

Matchup: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (-167) over Adam Hadwin/Sungjae Im

It was a slight surprise that Woods decided to break up the Zurich Classic pairing of Cantlay and Patrick Reed, however he and Schauffele are rookies in name only and clearly two of the more talented players in the world, not just on this team. Hadwin and Im should make for an unsinkable duo that won’t have too many unforced errors.

Against almost any other U.S. tandem, they’d be difficult to pick against, but there’s honestly not a single team Els could’ve produced that would be the favorite versus these two. This one should go down to the wire, but Shauffele and Cantlay won’t lose.

Josh Perry

The Bet: Louis Oosthuizen To Be Top International Point Scorer (+600)

Only one player for this International squad has a winning record in this event and that’s Oosthuizen. And since bets in these tournaments are all about opportunities, I feel pretty confident that the International team will have to ride the vets, like Louis, for all five matches.

Outside of the favorites, most of the players on his team are rookies in this tournament. If the debutantes have a rough start, they may simply get benched to shake teams up. If Louis has a bad match or two, Captain Ernie Els is still more likely to stick with more experienced Oosthuizen.

Additionally, Oosthuizen is in pretty solid form after finishing second at the Australian Open last week.

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