Ryder Cup: Tim Clement looks at which players are expected to deliver the most points
Wednesday 1 October 2014 23:25, UK
Europe are clear favourites to win the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles but which players are expected to produce the points? Here, we look at the top three from each team in Sky Bet's top points scorer market.
Team Europe
Rory McIlroy – 13/2 in Sky Bet's top points scorer odds
Quite simply the best player in the world, taking down McIlroy is what the USA see as the key to taking down Europe. The 25-year-old finished streets ahead of the rest in qualifying thanks to two major wins, with his Open Championship triumph completing a remarkable hat-trick of successive titles. The Northern Irishman’s application to the event has been questioned in the past after he described it as an “exhibition” prior to his 2010 debut and turned up with moments to spare for his singles match in Medinah. However, the fact that he still managed to beat Keegan Bradley says it all.
The fact that the Spaniard is fit, healthy and happy is a major boost for Europe. Garcia has raised his game time after time in the blue and yellow, winning 16, halving four and losing just eight points from his six caps. Having finished second to McIlroy at the Open and Bridgestone Invitational, he sits third in the world and, at 34, is very much a leader and is destined for future captaincy. While a first major title still eludes Garcia, he is a man Europe can very much count on to deliver.
Talking of supplying the goods, Poulter has collected the nickname of the ‘Postman’ due to his ability to deliver time after time in the Ryder Cup. His five successive birdies at Medinah will go down in not just Ryder Cup folklore, but in golfing history as one of the game's great achievements. The Englishman has endured a disappointing campaign to date, with a tied fifth-place finish at the China Open his best in 2014, slipping down to 36th in the world with three missed cuts from his last six events. However, with a record of 12 points claimed from 15 in his four caps, Poulter was a no-brainer of a wild-card and it would be unfair to suggest backing him would be a sentimental bet.
Team USA
A golf fan who has somehow failed to notice the Ryder Cup over the last decade would find themselves very confused by the fact that Fowler is the same price as Poulter. If you were to price the pair up in a match bet for the Masters then you’d be looking at around 3/1 on the Brit. The 25-year-old has been the definition of consistency this year, becoming just the third player in the game’s history to register top five finishes in all four majors. His Ryder Cup record and inexperience counters that, though, failing to win a full point in 2010 before failing to qualify in 2012.
There are various ways to read into Mickelson’s form and record. The world No 11 withdrew from the BMW Championship citing poor form and an intention to rest up and prepare for the Ryder Cup, having maintained his disappointing form from a T45 finish at the Deutshe Bank Championship. However, there are no questions over whether he can still produce his best when it counts, having finished second at the PGA Championship. With nine caps, the 44-year-old old has both the most appearances and defeats to Europe in Ryder Cup history, but his record is respectable relative to the USA’s results over that period. 14 wins, six halves and 18 loses in seven defeats from nine caps tells the tale of a man who has struggled to turn the tide all too often.
One man that knows only success from first-hand experiences with Mickelson is Bradley, with the duo winning all three of their pairings in Medinah. That record and his 2011 US PGA title justify the 28-year-old’s price rather than his PGA Tour form, failing to win a title since 2012. The world number 26 may well also have somewhat of a sour taste lingering from 2012 despite his success, having been controversially left out of the Saturday fourballs due to fatigue before going on to lose to a tardy McIIroy in the singles.
