Ryder Cup odds tip in Team USA's favor after Zach Johnson picks controversial Justin Thomas
The U.S. Ryder Cup team was officially selected on Tuesday, with captain Zach Johnson selecting Brooks Koepka, Sam Burns, Ricky Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. His six captaincy picks. Europe captain Luke Donald will announce his six captaincy picks on Monday 4 September.
Although the European teams have not yet been finalized, oddsmakers in the U.S. and Europe, where the biennial showdown attracts heavy bets, already have the U.S. team as the betting leader.
In the United States, leading sports betting providers DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook want Team USA to win the Ryder Cup. The consensus line is around -130 (10/13). This line means the chance of winning is about 57%. A winning bet of $100 will return $73.
Since the United States are the defending Ryder Cup champions, a draw would be enough to retain the coveted trophy. However, the U.S. hasn't won the Cup on foreign soil since the 1993 game at the Belfry, where the U.S. defeated Europe by 15-13 points. Tom Watson is the captain of this team.
European oddsmakers agree that the United States looks good on paper. Leading UK bookmaker William Hill has the United States at -140. Leading Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is slightly closer in the US at -120.
Johnson was voted captain, joining six players who automatically qualified for the team. They are Scotty Schaeffler, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark and Patrick Cantlay.
The Ryder Cup will be held from September 29 to October 1 at the Marco Simeone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. The six automatic qualifiers for the European Championship include Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Victor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton.
JT Draft Sensation
Although betting experts believe Johnson has fully rounded out his team with his six picks, many golf fans in the United States were outraged by his decision to select Thomas.
JT (as Thomas is affectionately known) is one of the most popular players in America. But he had a poor year, missing three of four major elimination games and missing out on the FedEx Cup playoffs, leading many fans to believe Johnson should have opted for a hotter bat.
Lucas Glover and Keegan Bradley are two of the more likeable names that are mentioned most often. Glover has won back-to-back tournaments this month at the Wyndham Championship and the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He finished the season ranked 18th in the FedExCup Points.
Bradley won the Travelers in June and finished ninth in the FedExCup.
Cameron Young is also overlooked despite being ninth in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. That's four spots ahead of Fowler, three ahead of Burns and six ahead of Thomas.
“Boys’ Club” Allegations
Many critics of Johnson's selection said it was further evidence that golf is divisive and that the PGA Tour is run by a so-called "boys' club."
That's what Tiger Woods' former swing coach Hank Haney said Tuesday. Thomas was one of Tiger's closest friends, and many believe Woods had a big influence on Johnson's selection.
“This choice confirms that this is a boys’ club,” Haney said on X .
Bradley was also involved.
I thought I had a really good year. I've always been an outsider in the sport, but I tried to get closer to the people I thought would make the team. I feel like I need to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup in the future," Bradley told Golf Channel.
He added that Thomas "is a generational talent" who will continue to "play for Team USA."
Glover wrote a simpler message to X.
"Thank you all for your support. I'm so grateful to you all for continuing to believe in me," he posted with the hashtag "#Year20."
"Cam Young is going to Italy," Freddy Capps, one of Johnson's co-captains and one of Woods' closest friends, said last month. Johnson said the call was particularly difficult to tell him, but Young handled it Well done. "There's nothing but classes."
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