The Ryder Cup is not just one of the greatest golfing events, but one of the greatest sporting spectacles on the planet. The bi-annual competition sees the leading golf players from Europe face off in a team event against the United States of America.
This year’s event is hugely significant for Americans for a number of reasons. The USA team will be looking to win back-to-back Ryder Cups for the first time in 30 years. They last secured consecutive success in 1993.
This year’s event in Italy will also represent the USA’s seventh attempt to finally win on European soil, since the glory of 1993. They have lost in England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France and Spain in their previous European ventures for the competition.
USA are favourites to end 30-year winless streak in Europe
The North Americans are predicted the edge in this year’s Ryder Cup despite their poor recent record on the continent. They are the favourites to win the event in Rome this Autumn, offered at 8/13 in golf betting. The European team are far from minnows though, in the Ryder Cup odds they are offered at 6/4 to lengthen the USA’s woes in Europe.
The first-ever Ryder Cup held in Italy could well see the United States put an end to a number of unwanted records in their modern tournament history. But the quality of Europe should not be underestimated.
Europe has golfers ranked from second to fourth in the official world rankings. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland will all fight for the European cause this year.
With the European team featuring an abundance of talent, what makes the USA appear even stronger going into the Ryder Cup of 2023?
The Americans have the world’s number one
The USA team may be competing against a number of highly ranked individuals in the world rankings. However, they have the greatest player in the world according to the official rankings in Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler has already claimed the Players’ Championship this year at the expense of the likes of Norwegian Hovland. He won comfortably by five strokes over runner-up Tyrrell Hatton – who will compete for Europe in the Ryder Cup and could be fired up for revenge.
The 27-year-old American is simply the greatest golfing talent on the planet right now. In 2023, he has featured in more events than McIlroy and Rahm, yet he has maintained a higher points average per event.
Many golfers peak on certain stages, but Scheffler offers a strong level of consistency across all of the competitions he features in.
The depth of the USA team
Hosting the greatest golfer in the world is of course a huge boost for the team, but their stronger overall depth could be where the difference between the two teams is made.
Of the top 10 players in the world, six players hail from the USA and will feature in the nation’s Ryder Cup team including Patrick Cantlay and veteran Brian Harman who will make his debut in the competition.
The North Americans have half a dozen players that are genuinely top-tier which is a level of depth that Europe cannot compare to. They have three superstars in McIlroy, Rahm and Hovland, but the remainder of their roster is certainly weaker than the US.
The US are well-suited to make the Ryder Cup a successful landmark event for their nation this year. This could be the greatest chance they will get to finally end their barren spell in Europe.
