Ryder Cup Odds 2014: Latest Golf Lines for Team USA vs. Europe
The 2014 Ryder Cup is inching near, and compelling betting lines have cropped up as Team USA and Europe get ready to fight for the trophy.
Action at the Gleneagles Hotel begins on Friday and lasts through Sunday, upon which the Americans will have either won the Ryder Cup in shocking fashion or conceded it to the Europeans for a third straight time. USA captain Tom Watson leads a cast of underdogs, but the star power is there, and a fantastic start at Medinah in 2012 should have the Americans confident of their chances.
However, it will be easier said than done knocking off a European side that features an in-form Rory McIlroy.
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Here's a breakdown of the latest Ryder Cup odds with play only a few short days away.
| Winner | -185 | +175 | +1100 |
| To Lift The Trophy | -225 | +175 | - |
| Rickie Fowler | 12-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 12-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 18-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 18-1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 18-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 18-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 22-1 |
| Hunter Mahan | 22-1 |
| Webb Simpson | 25-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 28-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 40-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 50-1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 7-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 10-1 |
| Ian Poulter | 10-1 |
| Justin Rose | 11-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 14-1 |
| Graeme McDowell | 16-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 16-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 20-1 |
| Jamie Donaldson | 28-1 |
| Thomas Bjorn | 28-1 |
| Victor Dubuisson | 33-1 |
| Stephen Gallacher | 33-1 |
Note: All odds courtesy of Odds Shark, updated as of September 22.
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. That's really Rickie Fowler—with a "USA" shaved into the side of his head—on the course at Gleneagles on Monday.
The Americans will need all of the inner momentum and motivation they can muster, however, going up against a Team Europe squad that looks the part of a well-oiled machine ready to outlast the competition again and win a third consecutive Ryder Cup.
It's a star-studded European lineup from top to bottom, including Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, among other elite standouts. But one familiar foe has been circled by the Americans, a player these U.S. golfers are no strangers to chasing from behind on the leaderboards.
McIlroy is the talk of the town after his British Open and PGA Championship wins—followed by nearly winning the FedEx Cup—to close out his year. Not surprisingly, Team USA's Watson has made taking down McIlroy a focus, according to the Daily Mail.
But apparently, the Northern Irishman doesn't mind the extra attention.
"Any time the opposition starts to talk about you, that's a huge compliment," the Northern Irishman told BBC Sport. "I don't mind that at all. They can come at me."
Of course, McIlroy dominates the betting pools with the best odds to lead both teams in individual points. He's at a 7-1 line, while none of the other 23 golfers have better than 10-1 chances.
As you can see above, the European players have better odds from top to bottom, which is indicative of Team Europe's massive odds to win.
But to say that the Americans will be short on confidence is a bold-faced lie. A majority of this 2014 team was in the fold in 2012, when a final-day collapse and a stunning Europe comeback resulted in a heartbreaking defeat.
The Americans haven't forgotten about the meltdown at Medinah, and that's probably a good thing.
"That whole Sunday is a nightmare," Keegan Bradley told USA Today's Steve DiMeglio. "Even an hour before it ended it looked like we were going to win. Then with 45 minutes left, it looked like we were going to win. And then it was over. It was such an abrupt ending that it was a sudden pain. ... I am still heartbroken with what happened the last time. It still hurts. It still stings."
Success two years ago doesn't guarantee USA anything heading into Gleneagles, especially going up against a European team that remembers early shortcomings of its own from 2012. While the Americans have a point to prove, so do the Europeans, who were a shell of themselves for much of Medinah.
Even Watson's channeling of a new U.S. tradition seemed to indicate reserved expectations, as Golf Channel's Jason Sobel poked fun at:
There's no doubt that it would be an upset should the Americans take back the Ryder Cup over the weekend. But with star-caliber players of their own along with plenty of experience on their side, Team USA won't just roll over and die at Gleneagles.
While Europe is all the rage, there's no shortage of world-class talent on the American side. There's no Tiger Woods, and hot golfers like Billy Horschel are staying at home. But the skill is there, and the adversity could galvanize a group of players that are used to others counting them out.
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