2023 Ryder Cup Prop Bets & Tips: Ludvig's Symphony

Get our best Ryder Cup golf prop picks and predictions for Team USA vs. Team Europe from September 29 to October 1 at Marco Simone in Rome, Italy.

Sep 28, 2023 • 14:12 ET • 4 min read

The Ryder Cup is upon us and golf odds for the premier international team event are all the rage at sportsbooks, with dozens of markets and options to choose from. 

Returning much of its dominant 2021 roster for Rome, Ryder Cup odds have Team U.S.A. listed as a slight -110 favorite at Marco Simone, but that line's been shrinking over the past month thanks to some great form by the Europeans.

I dive into the field and serve up my best golf picks for the 2023 Ryder Cup below.

Ryder Cup props

Picks made on 9/26/2023 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Best Ryder Cup bonuses

DraftKings All Users
Team U.S.A. to win outright BOOSTED to +110Claim Now
+250 odds surge for one Top Overall Point Scorer bet! Claim Now

FanDuel All Users
Get three 30% profit boosts for Ryder Cup bets! Claim Now

Caesars All Users
17% profit boost on one Ryder Cup bet! Claim Now

Eligible USA locations only. Also, see our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2023.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Ryder Cup prop bets & tips

The four USA rookies at this year’s Ryder Cup are Max Homa, Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark, and Brian Harman. Homa is the betting favorite to finish the highest among these four at +160 with Clark and Burns tied behind him at +260 and Harman rounding out the market at +500.

Homa is deservedly the favorite — he’s the highest-ranked golfer in the world out of these four and has been playing at an elite level for longer than the other three guys. With that said, the Ryder Cup is a high-pressure event contested between the best golfers in the world, which has always been one of the few knocks on Homa.

Yeah, he is a six-time TOUR winner, but he has never performed well at major championships. Homa has missed the cut in nine of his 17 appearances and has never finished higher than T10.

In fact, outside of his T10 at this year’s British Open and T13 at last year’s PGA Championship, Homa has never finished higher than T43 in his other 15 major appearances. Meanwhile, Clark had a breakout campaign in 2023, winning not only his first TOUR event at the Wells Fargo Championship in May, but also his first major championship at the U.S. Open in June, which is particularly impressive with how difficult that major typically plays. He out-dueled Rory McIlroy en route to that win, proving he can handle the pressure on the biggest stage against one of the world’s best.

That leaves us with Burns and Harman.

Burns profiles similarly to Homa, but with even less success both this year and at major championships in general. Harman was a Major champion this year with his dominating performance at the British 

Open, but that was his first win on TOUR since 2017 and it was due to one of the best (and most unsustainable) putting performances I have ever seen.

Give me the better ball-striker and Major Champion in Clark to lead the U.S. rookies.

Pick: Wyndham Clark — Top USA rookie (+260 at DraftKings, 0.50 units)

In my mind, Ludvig Aberg is the most important player on Europe this year (more on that in the next prop bet below). Hailing from Sweden, Aberg is one of the biggest prospects the sport has seen in quite some time.

He won the Ben Hogan Award in back-to-back years as the best collegiate player in the U.S., the first to do so since Jon Rahm (pretty good company to be in). At just 23 years old, Aberg already has three professional wins, the most impressive of which occurred at the Omega European Masters earlier this month.

He is currently playing the best golf of his young career, and it is certainly only going to go up from here. Those who follow the sport know of Aberg’s monumental potential, but I believe this is where those who don’t follow professional golf as closely learn of Aberg and he becomes a household name.

In this market, the other betting options are Sepp Straka (+275), Nicolai Hojgaard (+275) and Robert MacIntyre. We just saw Aberg out-duel Hojgaard at the European Masters (Winner vs. T5) and the BMW PGA Championship (T10 vs. T64).

The same is true for MacIntyre, who finished T55 and T45 respectively at those two events. That brings us to Straka, who I view as the only real threat to Aberg in this market.

When Straka gets going, he’s a scoring machine, but consistency is certainly not his strength. He’s an aggressive golfer that gets away with it at easier courses (hence his win at this year’s John Deere Classic) but can sometimes struggle at harder courses like what we will see in Italy.

Again, it’s the inconsistency that gets him. Straka finished inside the Top 10 at both the PGA Championship and British Open, but he also missed the cut at the U.S. Open and finished T46 at the Masters.

I think this market comes down to Straka and Aberg, but I think Aberg’s ball-striking and more consistent approach will prevail.

Pick: Ludvig Aberg — Top European rookie (+165 at DraftKings, 0.50 units)

Picking between these two stacked teams comes out to which you value more — top-heavy stars or depth. If you value top-heavy stars, then you’re likely to back Europe, as I would take the combination of Hovland/Rory/Rahm over the combination of Scheffler/Schauffele/Koepka every single day of the week.

With that said, the United States have the depth advantage as the remaining players outweigh those on Europe. In fact, Europe probably has the worst three players in the tournament in Lowry/MacIntyre/Hojgaard — and that is in no way disrespectful to those guys, this is an absolutely loaded field.

I think an argument could be made in either direction of which factor will prevail. However, Europe is going to have the edge on the opening day in front of their home crowd.

As I am sure everyone reading has heard all week, the U.S. haven’t won in Europe since 1993. Although I think that could snap this year, I like the better top-heavy star power on team Europe to lead the charge in front of the home crowd on the opening day.

Pick: Europe Day 1 winner (+120 at DraftKings, 0.50 units)

Odds to win 2023 Ryder Cup

Outcome DraftKings BetMGM bet365 bet365
Team U.S.A. to win outright +105 +110 +110 +120
Team Europe to win outright +100 +100 +100 -105
Draw +1,000 +1,100 +1,100 +1,025

Odds as of Sept. 28, 2023.

Tips for betting on Ryder Cup props

Since the Ryder Cup is so different from a stroke-play tournament, there are some simple golf betting tips and strategies to follow to help you get the most from your Ryder Cup bets.

Current form Current form

Not much is more important in golf betting than knowing who is swinging some hot sticks. Who comes into this event playing well? Who is in a slump? How long has it been since they last played in a competitive event? Or is anyone nursing a nagging injury?

Course history < Course history 

The Ryder Cup happens every two years and is usually played at courses with a history of significant events, and this year is no different. Whistling Straits hosted the PGA Championship in 2004, 2010, and most recently in 2015. Look for players who have had success on this course.

Watch the weather Watch the weather 

No matter the format of the event, the weather will always affect golf bets. Strong winds can lengthen or shorten a course depending on direction; rain can soften greens and fairways, making the course play slower than usual. Make sure you keep an eye on forecasts as weather can change throughout the day, giving some golfers completely different looks at a course than others.

Set a narrative Home-field advantage

The Ryder Cup is a more boisterous event than most golf tournaments, and you can certainly tell which team is playing in front of its home fans. If the home team gets on a roll, or certain players become fan favorites, look for them to ride a wave of crowd-fueled momentum and maybe find some value in the prop betting market. The home side has won six of the last seven Ryder Cups.

Set a narrative A Perfect Pairing

The first two days of the Ryder Cup are all matchups where golfers pair up with a teammate. Look back to old Ryder Cups to see who has played well together and who hasn't. And make sure you follow along with the action to see if any new bonds form to find value later in the event.

Set a narrative Ryder or Die

There are just some players who thrive in match-play events. And some who are even better in team-based match-play events. Team Europe's Ian Poulter comes to mind. He has never won a major, but his game always seems to elevate in international head-to-head events like the Ryder Cup. Keep an eye out for players who excel in head-to-head match play.

Where can I bet on the Ryder Cup?

You can bet on Ryder Cup odds at many online and casino sportsbooks, including odds to lift the trophy, golfer to score the most points, and other Ryder Cup props. Head over to our best golf betting sites for the top spots to bet on Ryder Cup odds in your area.

Ryder Cup props bets FAQs

Pages related to this topic

Popular Content

Legal Canadian sports betting

Best Canadian betting sites Ontario sports betting
Covers 25 Years Logo Established in 1995,
Covers is the world
leader in sports
betting information.
Covers is verified safe by: Evalon Logo GPWA Logo GDPR Logo GeoTrust Logo Evalon Logo