2019 Presidents Cup Betting Odds and Picks: Two Value Plays for Team USA vs. Team International
Matt Roberts, USA Today Sports. Pictured: Tiger Woods
2019 Presidents Cup Odds
- Team USA: -400
- Team International: +275
- First Tee: Wednesday, 5 p.m. ET
- Location: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia
The last notable golf tournament of 2019 gets underway this week with the Americans taking on the International squad in the Presidents Cup.
Normally, this tournament doesn't draw too much attention because of Team USA's dominance over the past two decades, but after Patrick Reed's cheating incident at the Hero World Challenge last week, there will be a few more eyes on how the Americans perform.
Neither squad will be at full strength. Brooks Koepka and Jason Day will miss the tournament, but there will be plenty of talented players taking part this week in Australia.
Presidents Cup Format
The set up for this tournament is similar to the Ryder Cup, but the event takes place over four days instead of three, and the first set of four-ball and foursome matches take place on different days.
The opening day will feature five four-ball matches. Day 2 will consist of five foursomes.
The final two days line up exactly with the Ryder Cup. There are four four-ball matches in the morning and four foursomes in the afternoon. Then Saturday night, we'll see the 12 singles matches.
The Course
Royal Melbourne is the site of Team International's only victory, back in 1998. It's a shorter course, measuring just over 7,000 yards for a par 71. It's a pretty easy course for accurate hitters who can keep the ball in play and then try to attack with their approach game.
When thinking of the players who could do well here, Jim Furyk is the prototype. Furyk went 5-0 here in 2011 to help Team USA earn the win.
With tricky rough, several bunkers and plenty of trees, accuracy will be very important this week.
2019 Presidents Cup Betting Picks
I am making a couple of Top Scorer bets.
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With these props, the most important thing is to consider playing opportunities. If a golfer doesn't play in all five matches, he's at a pretty significant disadvantage to lead his team in points.
I'm starting my card with Justin Thomas (+800) to be the top overall point scorer in the competition. I think Team USA wins this. They are decent-sized favorites at -275 and they have a long track record of success in this tournament. That means that the top scorer will likely be an American.
I'm happy to back Thomas to be that guy since Dustin Johnson has health issues and a few other players, like Rickie Fowler, aren't in great form. That means that Team USA will be riding Thomas in each session. And, if the pairings at the Hero were any indication, it looks like Tiger Woods will be partnering up with JT. Woods and Thomas are the two most in-form players on the American squad.
If you are looking for a longer shot for this bet, Webb Simpson (+1800) is interesting. Simpson best fits that Furyk-mold, but I'm not confident that Simpson will play in every match. If he loses early, he could lose chances to play later in the tournament. If Thomas loses a match, it's likely they'll just shake up his pairing and throw him out there again.
On the other side, I'll go with Louis Oosthuzen (+600) to lead Team International in scoring. Only four of the 12 International players have ever won a match in this contest, so it's likely all four of them (Oosthuizen, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Marc Leishman) will play in every single session.
Of those four, Oosthuizen is the only player with a winning percentage over .500 and I like his form the best of those four. Oosthuizen just finished second at the Australian Open last week, while Scott missed the cut and Leishman never threatened to contend. There will also be a little added pressure on the Aussies, Scott and Leishman, playing in their home country.
I see this prop coming down to Matsuyama or Oosthuizen and while Hideki is the favorite at +450, I'll take the bigger number on the only guy with a winning record in this International squad.
The Presidents Cup Card
- Justin Thomas Top Overall Scorer +800 (1 unit)
- Louis Oosthuizen Top International Scorer +600 (1 unit)
Top Stake: 2 units
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