Steve Palmer's Ryder Cup predictions & free golf betting tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Ryder Cup, which starts at Whistling Straits Golf Course on Friday.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 1pm on Friday

Best bets

USA
8pts 8-15 general

USA to win 17-11
1pt 16-1 bet365

USA to win 16.5-11.5
1pt 14-1 bet365

USA to win 16-12
1pt 12-1 bet365

Steve Palmer's Ryder Cup preview

Punters who base their golf bets on the world rankings are probably beside themselves with excitement about the odds available for America beating Europe in the Ryder Cup this week.

Padraig Harrington has been talking a good game - as he always does - but the European skipper and his team may be whistling in the dark at Whistling Straits. The world rankings indicate they are coming up against one of the best teams in Ryder Cup history.

Of course these competitions are not played on paper, but the fact that eight of the world's top ten are at Steve Stricker's disposal this week highlights what a mountain Europe have to climb. Scottie Scheffler is the lowest-ranked player in Stricker's squad at 21st.

While Harrington and eight members of his team were absorbed in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth the week before last, every American at Whistling Straits has been resting since the Tour Championship, preparing for Cup combat and getting ready to peak for Wisconsin.

Home advantage has always been an enormous factor in Ryder Cups. The home captain gets to set the course up as he wishes and vociferous support is guaranteed from the galleries. This year the impact of the crowd has been increased by the coronavirus pandemic - around 95 percent of spectators will be cheering on Stricker's side.

Wisconsin does not get much top-flight golf and the atmosphere should be intense as a result. Six of the last seven Ryder Cups have been won by the home side - the odd one out in that period being the famous Miracle of Medinah in 2012. Europe fought back from 10-6 down to triumph 14.5-13.5 on that occasion, but away teams have generally struggled badly in the modern era.

Much has been made of Harrington bossing the media conferences while questions have been raised about mild-mannered Stricker's ability to handle the egos in his locker room, but the 54-year-old Wisconsin man is being underrated in his home state. He is well liked and well respected by everyone in his team and he captained the American Presidents Cup team to a resounding 19-11 victory in 2017.

The American vice-captains are bursting with experience - Major champions who can help the players a lot. Davis Love is a two-time Ryder Cup captain, Fred Couples is a three-time Presidents Cup captain, while Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson also bring a great deal to the Yank camp.

As for the course, the idea that the links-like nature of the layout swings the match in Europe's favour seems wide of the mark. Whistling Straits is a long, soft track built on clay - a paradise for the American powerhouses - and many of Europe's team have flopped there in past US PGAs. In 2004, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood all missed the cut while Ian Poulter (37th) was the only one of them to make the cut.

In 2010, Garcia and Shane Lowry missed the cut, then in 2015, Lowry, Poulter, Bernd Wiesberger and Tommy Fleetwood all missed the cut. In contrast, Americans have shown a liking to it, and four members of Stricker's team finished in the top ten in 2015 - Jordan Spieth was second, Brooks Koepka fifth, Dustin Johnson seventh and Tony Finau tenth.

Stricker has some obvious pairings around which he can build his plans over the first two days. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, great friends who have been successful together in the past, could play all four pairs sessions, while the same can be said of Californian duo Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who team up in the Zurich Classic.

Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler can be added to the mix for the fourballs - the Americans boast firepower and flair for the fourballs, which must be leaving Harrington green with envy. The Irishman does not have any obvious pairings and is short of big-hitters for the fourballs. Even the much-touted link-up of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry would require one of them (almost certainly Lowry) to use a different golf ball than usual in the foursomes. McIlroy typically employs a TaylorMade TP5x, while Lowry uses a Srixon Z-Star XV.

Golf balls seem less of a problem for the States, with Thomas, Spieth and a total of eight players in the team usually using a Titleist ProV1. Johnson and Collin Morikawa are both TaylorMade operatives, while Schauffele (Callaway) and DeChambeau (Bridgestone) are the only other non-Titleist users.

Everything looks in place for a comfortable home win. Much has been made of the States having six rookies, but one of them is the world number three, and another three of them have competed in the Presidents Cup. English, a three-time champion in the QBE Shootout pairs event, and Scheffler, are the only players who resemble genuine rookies for the States.

Dutching three correct scores at top prices - USA to win 17-11, 16.5-11.5 or 16-12 - is an appealing alternative at combined odds of 4-1 for those seeking a bigger return than the 8-15 USA outright odds.

Whistling Straits course guide

Course Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin
Length 7,390 yards
Par 71
Field Two teams of 12
Course records- 72 holes 268 Jason Day (2015) 18 holes 64 Wen-chong Liang (2010), Branden Grace (2015)

When to bet By 1.05pm on Friday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 1pm on Friday

Time difference Wisconsin is six hours behind the UK and Ireland

Course overview Designed by Pete Dye in the early 1990s on bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan, Whistling Straits was crafted to resemble the classic links tests found in Britain and Ireland, opening in 1998. The course is treeless and looks like a links, but does not play like one. The layout is built on clay, not sand, so lacks firm, fast fairways. Bentgrass greens are softer and more receptive than is typical at a links. The course has hosted three Majors (USPGA in 2004, 2010 and 2015). Vijay Singh triumphed in 2004, then Martin Kaymer beat Bubba Watson in a 2010 playoff. Dustin Johnson would also have been part of the playoff, but he was controversially given a post-round two-shot penalty for grounding his club in a fairway bunker. Spectators were in the 'bunker', a sandy walkway which was one of many official hazards which were difficult to identify in 2010. Jason Day romped to victory in 2015. There are 14 water hazards and this is one of the hilliest venues in golf - one reason why Tiger Woods opted to turn down a vice-captaincy role.

Story of 2018 Le Golf National, Paris, is a regular European Tour venue and Team Europe thrived there while the American visitors could not handle the tight, testing terrain. Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood were the stars of the show as Europe thrashed the States 17.5-10.5.

Type of player suited to the challenge Nerves of steel and matchplay experience are key ingredients for success in the Ryder Cup. Big-hitters have dominated at Whistling Straits in the US PGAs there, and the long, open, soft, undulating layout will be set up to favour the powerhouses again this time.

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