Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
Team Europe has been the dominant side in the Ryder Cup for the last decade.
Europe won the last Ryder Cup three years ago in France, and it relinquished the trophy once since 2010.
Despite Europe’s dominance and the experience it carries on the 2021 roster, it is the underdog to hoist the trophy at Whistling Straits.
Europe captain Padraig Harrington assembled a strong mix of veteran Ryder Cup players and some of the world’s top golfers for the event that begins on Friday.
United States captain Steve Stricker is running with a 12-man squad that consists of six rookies and only three players who participated in multiple Ryder Cups.
Stricker is taking a calculated risk with his squad, and it needs a near-perfect performance over three days in Wisconsin to win on home soil.
Ryder Cup Info
Dates: September 24-26
TV: Friday (8 a.m. ET-7 p.m. ET; Golf Channel), Saturday (9 a.m.-7 p.m. ET, NBC), Sunday (12-6 p.m. ET, NBC)
Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook): USA (-190; bet $190 to win $100); Europe (+160; bet $100 to win $160)
Format
The two squads will compete in paired events on Friday and Saturday.
The four-ball format will have every player in the matchup play their own ball. The lowest score from the American and European pairs will be recorded.
In foursomes, the players alternate shots. One player will take the tee shot on odd-numbered holes and the other will do so on even-number holes.
The format is simple to follow on Sunday, as all 12 golfers from each team will compete in singles matches to determine the Ryder Cup champion.
Odds
Europe To Win Ryder Cup (+160)
Europe is listed at a price that is favorable to bettors.
The Europeans have had a hold on the event in the last decade, with the exception of the American triumph at Hazeltine, Minnesota, in 2016.
Europe has a chance to run away with the competition if its experience shines through on the opening few days.
Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter have played in a combined 25 Ryder Cups, and each carries a winning record in the event.
Poulter is the most prolific Ryder Cup player on either roster. He is 14-6-2 in 22 matches over six Ryder Cup appearances. Westwood is 20-18-6 and Garcia is 22-12-7.
There is a good chance all three players are on the course for each of the four sessions on Friday and Saturday. Two of them could even be paired together.
Europe only brought three rookies to Whistling Straits, and one of them is a major champion in Shane Lowry.
Conversely, the Americans have three players (Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka) who have played in multiple Ryder Cups and have six rookies within the squad.
Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa all achieved career-defining victories in 2021, but entering the Ryder Cup for the first time is a completely different animal than winning the Olympics, FedEx Cup or a major championship.
Europe is the more known commodity in this matchup, and the winning experience of its older players should shine through over three days.
Justin Thomas To Win Most Points (+800)
Justin Thomas is one of the few American players who have a winning record in the event.
In 2018, Thomas earned four points for the Americans in their failed attempt to retain the trophy at Le Grand National in France.
Thomas went 3-1 in the foursome and four-ball events with Jordan Spieth, and then he beat Rory McIlroy in the first singles match.
Thomas was responsible for four of the 10.5 points earned by the Americans three years ago and will be called upon again to do some heavy lifting.
Stricker could call on the Thomas-Spieth pairing again to pick up a handful of points on Friday and Saturday, or he could pair Thomas with one of the six Ryder Cup rookies.
In that scenario, Stricker would put Thomas and Spieth in different pairing with the hope that their Ryder Cup experience will help along their new partners.
Thomas should have the edge over other golfers to earn the most points because he was consistent all season long on the PGA Tour.
Thomas finished inside the top 40 in eight of his last nine PGA Tour events, and he picked up a pair of fourth-place finishes on the FedEx Cup circuit at the Northern Trust and Tour Championship.
Jon Rahm is the only other golfer with better odds to win the most points in Wisconsin, but he went 1-2 in his Ryder Cup debut in 2018.
Expect Thomas to be one of the strongest individuals over three days, and he should be in a good position to clinch the most points during his individual match on Sunday.
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