2021 Ryder Cup Betting Preview 

The Ryder Cup is one of the best events of the year for the PGA Tour. Team Europe versus Team USA, with top talent hand-picked on both sides. 

The course, Whistling Straits, is a fairly common-looking place for some golfers. It is long, but it can be easy if the weather is not a challenge. 

Event Details

September 24 - 26, 2021

Whistling Straits (Straits Course) - Kohler, WI

Betting Overview 

Even though the course is long, at 7,800 yards, players do not have to drop bombs off of the tee in order to be successful. In recent years, players like Justin Leonard and even Jordan Spieth have put up solid performances without the need for long drives. 

The course is not overly difficult for these golfers, so high scores could be a common theme. For example, if the wind is not a factor, then players could score up to -20 as previous winners have. 

Head to Head Matchup to Watch 

Patrick Cantlay (-11.050) was potentially paired with Xander Schauffele (-27.356). Not really much of a head-to-head, but how the two will pair up in match play. 

If this duo is indeed a team come tee time, this might be one of the best. They both will be competing for the first time in this event, so these “rookies” do not have any history here. 

In addition, there are talks about foursomes being paired together and a potential format to consider. Both Cantlay and Schauffele have success with this format in the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia, in which they won both of their matches. 

Dunkel Index For This Event 

Dunkel's ratings for all 24 golfers competing in the Ryder Cup are as follows:

Golfers That Could Win 

Some golfers who stand out for team Europe are Jon Rahm, Rory Mcllroy (-26.751), and Viktor Hovland (-26.310). They each bring a unique aspect to the game and are some of the best golfers in the world. 

If they are led by Rahm and Mcllroy early, then complementary play from Hovland and even Sergio Garcia (-29.233) make this Europe team a force to be reckoned with. 

Team USA Wins 

Jon Rahm (-24.659) for Europe and Patrick Cantlay (-11.050) for the USA makes a great case to help their team win. Cantlay has been playing consistently and better than everyone other than Jon Rahm, of course. 

On top of that, Cantlay has the best chance to help Team USA get the job done.The Americans have an average Dunkel rating of -26.614, while the Europeans are at -31.147. Four of the top five rated golfers in the Dunkel Index and seven of the top 10 play for Team USA.

Europe comes in having won four of the last five and seven of the last nine cups in the last 20 years. The only two victories for the Americans came on US soil (Valhalla in 2008 and Hazeltine in 2016).

Dunkel again sees the home course having the advantage with Team USA (-190) being the pick to leave Whistling Straits on Sunday with the Cup.