Betting: Reliable Rose to prove a thorn in USA’s side once again
There is no player going into this year’s Ryder Cup with more confidence than Rory McIlroy and the bookmakers certainly haven’t missed that.
The Ulsterman is clear at the top of Sporting Index’s Top European index where 50 points are awarded for the best player, 30 for second, 20 for third and 10 for fourth.
McIroy can be bought at 23 which doesn’t leave much wriggle room.
I’d prefer to stick with Justin Rose who has had another strong year after winning the Olympics and absolutely adores the Ryder Cup.
He was top European two years ago at Gleneagles and has won 11 of his 14 Ryder Cup matches in total.
At the time of writing, the pairings hadn’t been announced but Darren Clarke is likely to put him alongside Henrik Stenson which is likely to be Europe’s strongest duo.
Rose is 14-17 on the Top European index and there seems little downside in buying him at 17.
Jordan Spieth is favourite in the Top American index at 18-21, while Dustin Johnson is only fractionally behind at 17-20.
Johnson’s distance off the tee is going to be a huge advantage at this 7,628 yard course and he’s greatly respected.
But there could be better value in supporting Matt Kuchar at 11, as I’m hoping when I wake up on Friday that David Love III will have paired him with D Johnson.
He’s the perfect foil for Johnson’s big hitting and has been in solid form all season.
He isn’t a monster driver by any means, but can pick up points from his partnership with the US Open winner, which could see him go close in this market.
POINTERS
Buy Justin Rose in Top European index – 17 (Sporting Index)
Buy Matt Kuchar in Top American index – 11 (Sporting Index)