In the world of golf, it’s the USA vs the International Team in the Presidents Cup this week at the famous Medinah Country Club in Illinois.
If you’re new to it, here’s how it works, why the US are such strong favourites, and which players to watch in the top points-scorer markets.
Presidents Cup Best Bets and Offers
- Back US to win 18-12 @ 11.0
- Back US to win 17.5-12.5 @ 11.0
The US are strong favourites for good reason and are expected to dominate, according to the latest odds. We agree with the bookies' assessment, so we’re betting accordingly.
The US won 17.5-12.5 the last time it was played on US soil in 2022, but it’s also very possible it’ll be even more comfortable this time round, with an 18-12 win a lively runner.
Those two scores are available at 11.0, and it makes sense to split stakes between them.
The Presidents Cup at a Glance
The Presidents Cup is a men’s international event, but instead of the US taking on Europe, they play against a team of 12 players who are neither European nor American, obviously, with the goal of winning each hole and then the match as a whole.
In this year’s edition, the International team features three South Koreans, two Japanese, two Australians and the rest from an assortment of other countries.
The US have dominated this event, winning the last 10 editions. The last time they didn’t win was in 2003, a tie, but they also won three of the four before that.
1998 was the International Team’s sole win, in Melbourne, since this competition began in 1994, so one thing is for sure: it’s been all USA up to now.
Another of the key differences between this one and the Ryder Cup/Solheim Cup is that the action takes place over four days, rather than three.
There are 30 points available over four days. Thursday features five four-ball matches, Friday has five foursomes, Saturday contains four four-ball matches in the morning followed by four foursomes in the afternoon, and Sunday consists of 12 singles matches.
Every match is worth one point. A match finishing all square after 18 holes gives each team 0.5 points. Therefore, a team needs 15½ points to win outright. If the competition finishes 15-15, the Presidents Cup is declared a tie and the trophy is shared
It’s up to the two captains – Brandon Snedker for the USA, Geoff Ogilvy for the International team – to choose which are their six captains’ picks (the other six players qualify automatically), who to pair with who, how many times to send out each of their players and in what order they want their team to go out and play Sunday’s singles, which can make a huge difference in close contests.
The US Are Red-Hot Favourites at Medinah
Given their dominance in winning 15 of the 13 previous editions, it’s no surprise that the US were always going to be strong favourites here, and they are: just 1.25. Ogilvy’s team are 4.5 and the draw 15.0.
It’s a particularly short price this time around because they’re at home, with the event held at the Medinah Country Club in Illinois.
Medinah's Course No.3 is one of the most famous venues in American golf. It hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup, which became known as the ‘Miracle of Medinah’ after Europe mounted an extraordinary comeback to win, plus three US Opens and two PGA Championships. However, bettors should be careful when using historical course form because the layout has undergone a major renovation.
That said, US players don’t have an advantage in knowing the redesigned course better than the International team’s players, as it hasn’t hosted a major event since the 2012 Ryder Cup.
The bookies aren’t just expecting a US win; they’re expecting a dominant win, with USA to win 18-12, 17-13, and 17.5-12.5 all available at the shortest odds on the correct score market of 11.0.
The Biggest Favourites on the Top Points Scorer Markets
Two of the most popular betting markets ahead of the President’s Cup are the top points scorer market for each of the two teams, particularly given that the US are expected to win it easily, so interest in the main market may be lower than usual.
Odds aren’t available at the time of writing, but expect the favourites for the US to be World Number 1 Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young. Young was brilliant at the last Ryder Cup and top scorer for his team despite making his RC debut that year. Steady-handed Xander Schauffele and two-time Major winner Colin Morikawa are others to watch.
For the Internationals, Kim Si-Woo of South Korea will be among the favourites, seeing as he’s the highest-ranked player on the team, while New Zealander Ryan Fox is fresh from winning The Open title this summer and in good form; Hideki Matsuyama’s great iron play makes him extremely consistent, while veteran Adam Scott has seen it all before and played beautifully at last week’s PGA Championship, so he can’t be discounted.
Fun Fact
The US may boast better-ranked players going into the competition, but their most experienced players are Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele, with ‘just’ three appearances each.
That’s nothing compared to Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott in the International team: Matsuyama has made six appearances, and Scott has 11 under his belt, the first of which was way back in 2003.
