Ryder Cup Betting Sites: Your Complete Guide for Betting on This Prestigious Event

This is the only guide you will ever need to read about Ryder Cup betting online from the best betting sites.

Author: Annsley Payne , Last Updated on 04.12.2024

The Ryder Cup is a golf competition that is played every two years between a team from Europe and a team from the United States. The competition alternates between some of the best golfing venues in Europe and the US. It is a very popular event for golf fans to bet on including via the best betting apps, and in the following article we are going to tell you all that you need to know about betting online on this prestigious tournament.

History of the Ryder Cup

Samuel Ryder, who was a successful English businessman that made a fortune by selling seeds, took up golf at the ripe age of 50, and he fell in love with the sport almost instantly. In fact, he loved it so much that he paid Abe Mitchell, a professional golfer, up to £1000 a year to be his coach.

In 1923, he started to sponsor golf events, not only to support professional golfers who were poorly paid, but also to help promote his own seed company, which was called The Heath and Heather Seed Company. Before this, in 1921, the very first unofficial match between professionals from the United States and Great Britain took place at the Gleneagles golf course in Scotland. This was seen as a warm up event before the Open Championship taking place at St. Andrews and was the first time that 12 golfers from both sides of the Atlantic had faced each other - the Brits won 9-3.

Five years later, another unofficial match was played at Wentworth in Surrey. Enthralled by the action, Ryder wanted to make the event an official one that took place regularly. Him and the British PGA came up with a deed trust and donated 17-inch gold cup that designed by Mappin and Webb. There is a golfing figure on the top that reflects the image of Abe Mitchell. In today's money, the cup is worth roughly £15,000.

The inaugural official Ryder Cup took part the following year on the 3rd and 4th of June at Massachusetts' Worcester Country Club. The American team was led by the legend that was Walter Hagen, and they went on to earn a 9.5-2.5 victory. From 1939-45, the cup did not take place because of World War II, but it took place again in 1947. The US team went on to win, and they then went on a huge winning spree, claiming 16 victories from the next 17 cups - the 1969 event was a tie.

Due to the US dominance, people started to lose interest in the event because there was no competition. Thus, in 1977, Jack Nicklaus told the British PGA that they should include players from Continental Europe to widen their talent pool. They agreed, and in 1979 it officially became the United States against Europe. Although the US team won once again, it was clear that the event had a new lease of life. With its sharpened competitive edge, the cup grew into the cauldron of tension, patriotism, showmanship, sportsmanship, and camaraderie that we still see to this day.

As of 1979, Europe has managed to win the cup ten times, the US have won it seven times, and there has been one tie.

Format of the Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup involves different match play competitions between golfers that are chosen from two teams made up of twelve members. It starts on a Friday and ends on a Sunday, with 28 matches played in total - all matches are played over 18 holes. On the Friday and Saturday there will be four foursome matches and four fourball matches on each day. There are 12 single matches played on the Sunday, which is when all members of the team play. Not all players are required to play on the Friday and Saturday; the captain has the power to choose eight players for each of the four-match sessions.

The winner from each match earns a point for their team, with half a point being awarded to both players if the match is a draw after 18 holes. The winning side is the team that cumulates the most points over the weekend - if both teams end on the same number of points, then the team who held the trophy before the contest started will retain it.

A foursome match is one between two teams with two golfers on each side. On a certain hole, the golfers from the same team take it in turns to play shots with the same ball. One of the team members tees off when the hole is odd, while the other member tees off when the hole is even. The hole is won by the team that finishes the hole in the fewest number of shots.

A four-ball match is also played between two teams with two players on each side, but all four players play with their own ball rather than playing alternating shots. The better score of both players is the score that the team is awarded for a particular hole - the hole is won by the player that has the lowest score. The team that wins the most holes will win the match.

Betting on this tournament can't be stressful when you have chosen which bookmaker is worth your wagers. They accept multiple forms of payemts such as Visa, Mastercard and Paypal.

Ryder Cup Team Composition

There are obvious plenty of golfers that would love to play in the Ryder Cup, but obviously only 12 Americans and 12 Europeans can play at any one event. So, how exactly is each player chosen for this prestigious golfing event? Well, that is what we are going to take a quick look at right now in relation to the 2021 Ryder Cup.

The United States Team

All American golfers had the chance to earn points from the start of 2019 right up until the conclusion of the BMW Championship, a FedEx Cup Play-Off event, on the 29th of August 2021. The top six golfers will automatically secure a spot in the US team, while the remaining six players were selected by Steve Stricker, the captain of the American team.

The full United States team for the 2021 Ryder Cup was as follows:

Captain: Steve Stricker

Vice Captains: Jim Furyk, Davis Love III, and Zach Johnson

Players:

• Collin Morikawa
• Dustin Johnson
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Brooks Koepka
• Justin Thomas
• Patrick Cantlay
• Tony Finau
• Xander Schauffele
• Jordan Spieth
• Harris English
• Daniel Berger
• Scottie Scheffler

The Team from Europe

The 2021 Europe team was made up of the first four players on the European Points List, the top five players on the World Points List, while Padraig Harrington, the team captain, chose the three remaining players.

The full Europe team for the 2021 Ryder Cup was as follows:

Captain: Padraig Harrington

Vice Captains: Robert Karlsson, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, and Martin Kaymer

Players:

• Jon Rahm (Spain)
• Tommy Fleetwood (England)
• Tyrell Hatton (England)
• Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
• Bern Wiesberger (Austria)
• Viktor Hovland (Norway)
• Paul Casey (England)
• Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)
• Lee Westwood (England)
• Shane Lowry (Ireland)
• Sergio Garcia (Spain)
• Ian Poulter (England)

Ryder Cup Results

Europe has dominated the Ryder Cup this century, and in the table below we take a look at the results for each tournament from 1999 up until the most recent edition, which took place from the 24th-26th September 2021 at the Straits Course in Haven, Wisconsin, USA.

In the 2021 Ryder Cup, the US team fielded their youngest ever team, and their victory margin of 10 points is the biggest victory margin in this competition since European golfers started playing in the Ryder Cup back in 1979. This was also the first time that the United States won consecutive Ryder Cups on American soil since 1983.

The Odds for the 2021 Ryder Cup

If you used Odds Checker Ryder Cup before the 2021 edition got underway, you would have seen that the American team were the heavy favourites to go ahead and win the event. Sometimes, especially when a team is the heavy favourite, it is wise to wait a bit before you place a bet on the winner. For example, if team Europe got off to a bit of a flyer, then the Ryder Cup 2021 betting odds for Team America would have increased, and it might have been worth putting some money on them to win. However, the American team pretty much dominated from the start, so the Ryder Cup betting odds 2021 for the team to win were never worth betting on.

Thankfully, though, there were plenty of other markets with pretty decent Ryder Cup 2021 odds that golf betting punters could put their money on and entertain themselves with.

The Best Ryder Cup Players

The Ryder Cup has seen some fantastic players take part over the years, and we thought it would not be just to write an article about this prestigious golfing event and not take a look at some of the best players to have graced the competition.

Seve Ballesteros

When it comes to playing record, we should probably put Ballesteros alongside Jose Maria Olazabal, a Spanish compatriot, because whenever they were paired together they were virtually impossible to beat. They played together on 15 occasions, and lost just twice while producing a total of 12 points, which happens to be six more than the next most successful couple. However, it was not only his record that made him a great Ryder Cup player. No, it was his flair, passion, and gamesmanship that helped him to stand out from the crowd. He definitely helped make the Ryder Cup what it is today.

Sir Nick Faldo

Faldo makes this list because of his longevity in this competition and he, alongside Seve, helped to make this event what it is nowadays. He once held the record for being the leading points scorer for Europe and has a 23-19-4 record in this competition. This equates to 46 matches from 11 Ryder Cups, which gave him the record of having the most European appearances and the second most Ryder Cup appearances, since Phil Mickelson made his 12th Ryder Cup appearance in 2018.

Colin Montgomerie

Montgomerie is probably the best Ryder Cup player that Europe has ever produced. He played eight singles matches and did not lose one of them. He was a rock for the Europe team and always provided points when they were needed, frequently annoying players and fans from the US team. His overall record at the Ryder Cup is 20-9-7.

Sergio Garcia

How can we make such a list without mentioning Sergio Garcia? In 2018, Garcia earned three points from four, and the wins that he picked up gave him a total of 25.5 points, meaning that he is now Europe's leading scorer. Garcia brings fire and passion to this event, and often saves his very best for the Ryder Cup. His record in singles is not that good (4-4-1), but when he is playing with someone else, he flourishes - in four balls his record is 8-4-3, and in foursomes it is 10-4-3. His appearance at the Whistling Straits in 2021 was his tenth Ryder Cup appearance overall.

Ian Poulter

Poulter's Ryder Cup record is 14-6-2, and he seems to be one of those golfers that always delivers at this event. In fact, he is called "The Postman" because of his uncanny ability to deliver points during the most vital times. In 2008, he won four points out of five matches and in 2012 he helped Europe to overcomes a 10-5 deficit.

Best Ryder Cup Betting Sites

Nowadays, you can find golf fans all over the globe, and a large percentage of these will have placed a bet on the Ryder Cup at some stage, you can be sure of that. Golf is an entertaining sport when there is no money on the line, but when you go ahead and put a bet down, you increase the levels of entertainment tenfold.

Golf betting has become so popular now that if we were to tell you to find a sports betting site that does not have any golf markets or Welcome bonuses for the biggest golfing events, we are sure that you would struggle to find one. All of the best bookies will offer competitive odds and a variety of markets, which we will look at in more detail a little bit later on.

Golf betting fans around the United Kingdom have plenty of great bookmakers that they can open an account with, but some are quite a bit better than their rivals. Below are the best online betting sites for those who want to bet on golf competitions such as the Ryder Cup in the UK:

• Betiton
• Unibet
• Ladbrokes
• William Hill
• Bwin
• Casumo
• TonyBet
• NetBet
• 10Bet

So, what is the reason that we rate these bookies very highly? Why do we rate them above their main rivals when it comes to betting on the Ryder Cup? Well, the main reason is that their odds on Ryder Cup are extremely competitive. In addition to their competitive Ryder Cup betting odds, they have plenty of markets for this prestigious competition. It is important that a bookie has plenty of markets for the event that you want to bet on as this ensures that you will not get bored. Putting your money on Europe or the US to win is entertaining, but there could be a time when the betting odds on Ryder Cup for this market are not worth it because one team is a huge favourite. In this scenario, you will need something else to bet on and the bookies that we have just listed provide plenty of options.

Furthermore, every bookie in the list above has some really good bonuses and promos that you can use to bet on golf competitions such as the Ryder Cup. Being able to make use of a Welcome Bonus or free bets when you have registered with a sportsbook is great as this gives you the opportunity to place Ryder Cup bets without having to risk your own hard-earned cash. Whenever you are making use of a bonus, we recommend that you put your money on a risky bet because winning because winning will land you a large profit, while losing will not put you out of pocket.

So, if you want to bet on big golf events such as the Ryder Cup, then you can help yourself out by signing up with a quality bookmaker, and you really do not get any better than those that we just listed above. We have reviews for all of these bookies on our site, so we recommend that you read them all before you make your final decision.

Ryder Cup Betting Sites: The Different Markets You Can Bet on

When it comes to betting on the Ryder Cup, there are plenty of markets that you can bet on, and in the following section this is exactly what we are going to take a look at.

Who will win the trophy: This is simply a wager on the team that you think will go and lift the trophy when all the matches have been played. When you are betting on this market, you need to keep in mind that the competition can finish in a draw.

Correct score betting: Just like you can in football, you can also bet on the Ryder Cup final score. The Ryder Cup score odds will always be pretty decent because this is not an easy market to get right. If you want to boost your odds even more, then you can bet on the final score and the winner.

Bet on matches: Every four-ball, foursome, and singles match can be bet on individually. Pick a match, pick a winner from that match, and if you have predicted correctly, then you will walk away with a nice profit.

Hole in one: A hole in one in golf is like a hattrick in football, a nine-dart finish in darts, or a 147 break in snooker. They are rare, but they do happen, and you can bet on whether there will be a hole in one at the Ryder Cup. The hole in one Ryder Cup odds will always be high because of the rarity of such a feat.

Top scorer: All of the best sports betting sites that offer odds Ryder Cup will allow you to try and predict which golfer will get the most points over the course of the tournament.

Number of matches: You can put your money on the number of matches that an individual will play. It does not matter if your chosen player loses, all that matters is that they appear in the number of matches that you predicted.

Ryder Cup players: Some bookmakers will allow you to try and predict the players that will be participating at the next Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup selection odds are always going to be decent because there are only 12 spots up for grabs on both sides, meaning that plenty of talented golfers will miss out.

Next captain: Well in advance of the next Ryder Cup, the best betting sites will allow you to predict who the next captain of both Europe and America will be. The next European Ryder Cup captain odds will always be high because this is not that easy a market to get right.

Ryder Cup wildcards: The captains on both teams get to choose some wildcards to play at the Ryder Cup, and you can bet on who these will be. This is not an easy market for anyone to predict, so the Ryder Cup wildcard odds will always be high.

Ryder Cup Betting: Best Bonuses for Betting on the Ryder Cup

The online gambling world is very competitive, which is the main reason why bookies offer different bonuses and promos to any new player as well as their existing customers. Bonuses are great since they give you the option of betting on the Ryder Cup without needing to risk your own cash. If a bookie does not have different promos and bonuses on offer, then new customers will soon get bored and leave for pastures new.

We would be lying to you if we told you that all bonuses are created equally. They are not, and they never will be. Thus, below we have helped you out by providing you with the names of four sportsbooks that currently have really good welcome offers that you can use on golf tournaments such as the Ryder Cup. Please keep in mind that bookmakers will change their bonus offers and promotions quite regularly to stay ahead of their competition, so the offers that you are about to see below might be slightly different when you go to register. We try our best to keep these pages regularly updated, but it is difficult with all the changes.

William Hill: If you decide that William Hill is the bookie that you would like to register with, then you can claim two £15 free bets after you have made a £10 initial bet. You can use your free bets on any sport you feel like, but we recommend that you use them to bet on golf events.

Unibet: If you sign up with Unibet, then you can place a first bet of up to £40 and if you lose, you will get your stake back in the shape of a free bet. This type of offer is awesome as it allows you to take a risk first up.

Ladbrokes: If you sign up with Ladbrokes, then after you have placed a £5 wager, you will get four £5 free bets that you can use on any sporting event.

N.B. Whether you plan on using the bonus money on Ryder Cup odds William Hill, Ladbrokes Ryder Cup odds or on the odds on offer from another bookmaker, there is something that you need to do before you make your first bonus wager, and that is read all the different T&Cs that apply. By reading every T&C, you will learn all the important information such as the wagering requirements in play and if there are particular banking methods that the bookmaker in question blocks from claiming the bonus offer.

How Ryder Cup Odds Change

Sportsbooks, just like they do with their bonuses, change their odds all the time because they are aware that if they offer odds that are betting than their competitors, then they have a much higher chance of getting new customers through their virtual doors. When you are looking for a bookie to register with, you should always take a look at the odds on offer. The best golfers in the world can make plenty of money, and you can make a tidy amount if you place a bet using quality odds.

To prove to you how much of a difference the odds can make, we are going to give you an example. Let us say that Ryder Cup odds this morning and see that one bookie has odds of 1.80 for the United States team to win and a second bookie has them at odds of 2.10 to win. If you bet a tenner on the US to win with bookmaker one and they do, you will make a £8 profit. On the other hand, if you place a £10 bet with bookmaker B, you will make a profit of £11. So, in this scenario, if you bet with the first bookmaker, you would be missing out on £3. Now, this is not a lot at all, but if you miss out on £3 every time you land a winning bet, it can quickly add up.

So, what sports betting sites have the best odds for Ryder Cup betting? Well, here we have listed four of the best golf betting sites for you:

• Unibet
• Betiton
• NetBet
• William Hill

Live Betting on the Ryder Cup

Sportsbooks jumped to the online scene in the 90s, and this was a great transition for sports betting punters around the world because it meant that we could now make bets on our favourite sports without needing to get off the sofa. However, live betting did not come into being right away, which meant that to start with anyone who wanted to make a live bet on a sport event would have to do place their wager before the event started.

Making live bets on the Ryder Cup is something that you can definitely do now, and it is so popular that you will find it hard to locate a sportsbook that has Ryder Cup betting but no live Ryder Cup betting. Bookmakers are aware that if they do not offer a really good live betting platform, then they will lose a lot of customers. We are pretty certain that you will feel like placing some live Ryder Cup wagers, so we have provided you with four bookies that we feel have very good live betting platforms.

• William Hill
• Ladbrokes
• Betiton

When you are looking for a sportsbook that has a really good live betting platform, there are a number of things that you need to keep an eye out for. For instance, live betting can only ever be as good as the markets and odds that a bookie is offering. A bookmaker that just offers a few live markets is one that will bore a lot of customers and their registration numbers will suffer because of it. To add to this, earlier we told you that it is vital that you place bets with the best odds, and this rule applies with live betting too. The bookies above will all give you a quality live betting experience.

Ryder Cup Betting Tips

When you are betting on the Ryder Cup, there is nothing stopping you from jumping right in and placing bets without much thought, but if this happens to be your only strategy, then do not be too surprised if you end losing a lot more money than you end up winning. Below you can find some great Ryder Cup betting tips that we recommend you keep in mind whenever you sit down to bet on this event.

Look at Player Form

When it comes to betting on the Ryder Cup, or any golf event, it is important to assess the golfers that are taking part and seeing what type of form they are in. You should take a look at how they have played leading up to the competition and if you have any doubt about their form, then it is probably best if you do not put your hard-earned money on them.

Looking at Stats Can Come in Handy

You should take some time to look at recent and season-long stats because this can give you a bit of an edge over the sports betting site you have an account with. You should take a look at their putting accuracy because if it has been off as of late, then they are going to struggle to pick up points during the tournament.

Know the Course

If you are a golf novice, then you might think that all golf courses are pretty much the same, but this is just not the case. Some courses will require golfers to be a lot more accurate off the tee, while other courses are wider so do not require as much accuracy from the tee. This will mean that the long hitters will have an advantage over those shorter hitters. So, before you go ahead and bet on the Ryder Cup, find out as much as you can about the course that it is being played on.

Do Your Homework

Before you go and place a bet, it is vital that you do a bit of homework first. You should take the time to listen to some podcasts from some top golf tipsters that know a lot about the sport. One popular podcaster is Steve Bamford, and we recommend that you listen to his podcasts should you get the opportunity to do so.

Conclusion: Betting on the Ryder Cup

With regard to betting on the Ryder Cup, there are many different markets that you can entertain yourself with, which is great as this means that you will not meet the old nemesis that us sports bettors call boredom. If the odds for the team to lift the trophy are poor, then you can make a decent profit with a variety of other markets. Even if you end up losing your bet, you will still have been entertained, which is what gambling is all about. We feel that all of the info that you just read will stand you in good stead when you are Ryder Cup betting.

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