Ryder Cup 2021 Betting Picks: Top Scorer Props, Updated Odds, Matchups & More

Ryder Cup Odds

Odds to lift the cup and via BetMGM

We had to wait an extra year, but the most exciting team tournament in golf is finally back.

Twenty four of the best golfers in the world — as well as some of the most experienced coaches possible — have come to Whistling Straits with their minds set on one thing: the Ryder Cup.

Europe won the cup back in France back in 2018, 17½-10½. The Americans won in similarly impressive fashion in Minnesota back in 2016, 17-11. Before that, Europe won six of the first seven Ryder Cups to start the century.

As the Americans look to retain at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, our GolfBet team has identified some pre-tournament picks with betting value. Matchups are not announced for the morning slates on Friday and Saturday until the night before, as will be the case for the singles match-play format on Sunday.

Check out our best bets below.

2021 Ryder Cup Betting Picks

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Xander Schauffele — Top USA Point Scorer (+800)

Jason Sobel: The first rule for choosing a leading points-getter for either team is picking a guy who’s going to play in at least four sessions, if not all five.

Three years ago, Francesco Molinari led all Europeans in points and Justin Thomas led the U.S. team. No surprise: Each of them competed in all five sessions.

Two years before that, it was Thomas Pieters and Patrick Reed. Again, each one played all five.

Two years before that one? Justin Rose, who played all five, and Reed, who played four.

You get the point. For as much as you’d like to chase a juicy number next to the names of Harris English or Bernd Wiesberger, they’re each likely to play only three sessions, at most, essentially eliminating them from this wager.

So, which players could/should compete in all five sessions?

Even the captains likely don’t know right now – this is dependent on performance and energy and momentum, of course – but we can at least infer a few on each side.
For the U.S., I believe Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele are tandems built for all four team sessions. Again, if any of these players underperforms, that could change, but it wouldn’t surprise me if captain Steve Stricker has this plan entering the proceedings.

Of the four, Spieth’s game doesn’t necessarily fit Whistling Straits as much as the others. That doesn’t mean he can’t/won’t succeed, of course, but I prefer a guy who hits it a bit longer over the course of five sessions.

Thomas (+650) and Cantlay (+700) are the favorites, but it’s Schauffele’s name which continues to draw my eye. Already a decorated American after winning Olympic gold this summer, Schauffele owns both the game and the mindset to have a stellar week in what is, somehow, his Ryder Cup debut.

If Schauffele is indeed paired with Cantlay, who’s riding a heater of his own coming into this week, I like his chances to pick up at least four points and lead the team.

Xander Schauffele — Top USA Captains Pick Point Scorer (+275)

Chris Murphy: There are some markets this week that seem to be a bit inefficient, and I really like this one on DraftKings, which allows you to take from the captain’s picks on either side, but the odds only get up to +350 for Schauffele by including the Europeans.

I’ve drummed it down a bit further and taken Xander here since I think he will be one of the players nearly locked for four or in his case likely all five matches this weekend.

The other player in contention to be sent out an equal number of times is probably Jordan Spieth at the same number, but I just don’t love the state of his game coming into the week. Spieth could cause and see some struggles in a couple of formats this week, where I anticipate Xander being paired with the hottest player in the world, Patrick Cantlay.

Schauffele’s likely partnership with Cantlay is going to be one to be reckoned with throughout the team portion, and should be in contention to post some big points leading into singles. I love that this market allows me to get away from them, some of the other big American players, and even the upper-echelon of the European side. The rest of this group are some nice players, but I don’t know that many will get the opportunity to put up 4 or more matches, making it really tough to keep up.

All of this has me really excited for a nice plus money number on Schauffele this week.

Viktor Hovland — Top Europe Point Scorer (+700)

Josh Perry: With these bets, we’re looking for guys we think will play all five sessions. Not a shocker, but the older guys resting a session or two can’t get it done without being perfect, and some of the newer crew may not have the captain’s confidence to get the matches necessary to win.

Europe doesn’t have a lot of guys beyond Rahm and McIlroy who you’d count on for five straight matches. Rahm is recovering from illness, so he may get a session fewer than we’d expect. McIlroy will probably play the whole time, but his form has been pretty inconsistent this year, so who knows what we’ll get.

That leads me to Hovland. He had a great season, finishing top 10 in nine of 22 worldwide starts. He’s young enough that five matches won’t be too much to ask if gets on a roll.

Hovland is fifth on tour off the tee and 15th in approach which makes him a viable candidate in all formats because you know that tee-to-green game will hold up in alternate shot and give him plenty of birdie looks in fourball. When I look past Rahm and Rory, I just don’t see anyone else as like to get five cracks at a point, so I’ll take my chances here.

Paul Casey — Top Europe Point Scorer (+1000)

Matt Vincenzi: If the European team has any chance to compete this week at Whistling Straits, they need certain players to step up.

Paul Casey is most definitely one of those players.

The United States team has the clear talent edge in this match up and Casey is one of the few golfers who can go toe to toe with anyone U.S. captain Steve Stricker throws at him.

Statistically, Casey rates out extremely well for Whistling Straits. The Englishman has played long courses extremely well throughout his career, including as recently as Kiawah Island at the 2021 PGA Championship where he finished in 4th place.

At 44 years old, Paul Casey is slowly approaching the twilight of his career. However, his game hasn't been declining much at all as he still ranks second in the field in approach over his past 24 rounds. Pete Dye designs have also been kind to Casey where he trails only Bryson DeChambeau in total strokes gained on Dye tracks.

The only concern I have for this week is whether or not Casey plays enough to have a chance to be top scorer for the European team. With the lack of depth and overall talent on the team, it stands to reason that the veteran will be heavily relied upon. I believe he will play in at least four of the five matches, in which case he will have a shot to be the top scorer.

Viktor Hovland (+115) over Patrick Cantlay — Total Points Scored

Shane McNichol: I mentioned two other matchup plays in my props preview this week, both also a Euro over an American, but this one also caught my eye. This sounds obvious, but you can’t earn points in the Ryder cup if you’re riding the bench.

Cantlay is a very good player who has been at the top of his game in winning the FedEx Cup. He’s also a player with a checkered history of injury, mainly his long standing back issues. He did play every session at the 2019 Presidents Cup, but that event only requires 36 holes of play on one day.

This is Cantlay’s first Ryder Cup and on a team as deep as the US squad, it’s highly possible Cantlay is given a rest period or two to stay fresh.

Hovland, also a rookie, sits among the class of a top heavy European team. There’s a better chance we see Hovland all weekend, as a major piece of captain Padraig Harrington’s plans.

Hovland is playing well of late and has always been strong in match play, winning the US Amatuer and all four of his career matches in the NCAA Championships. With the odds in his favor, Hovland’s the better bet here.