The 2022 Presidents Cup gets underway this week as a heavily favored United States team looks to keep the momentum rolling from their record-setting Ryder Cup victory last fall. Winners of eight straight Presidents Cups, the U.S. has dominated this team event and is primed to do so again led by American stalwarts Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

With each member of its team settling inside the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings, at first glance, a U.S. rout appears imminent. Yet standing in its way is a young, but dangerous, international side. Fully embracing the underdog mentality, 10-time Presidents Cup participant Adam Scott looks to lead a cast of new characters into Quail Hollow Club. Wyndham Championship winner Tom Kim, ball-striking maestro Corey Conners and two-time PGA Tour winner K.H. Lee headline international rookies hoping to aid Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im in pulling off the improbable.

With the talent, depth, and continuity all stacked against the internationals, few (if any) outside the team room are giving the visiting team a serious chance to claim victory. However, this fight will not play out on paper but rather the golf course, where we all know too well anything can happen.

With that in mind, here are our picks for the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow. Check out our breakdown of how the Presidents Cup teams stack up against one another, and our complete Presidents Cup TV schedule and coverage guide. Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

2022 Presidents Cup expert picks, predictions

United States MVP

Kyle Porter — Justin Thomas: J.T. is 12-4-3 in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups. He’s also the de facto leader (at least one of them) on the U.S. side. We know he’ll play either four or five matches, and the path to him going 4-0-0 or even 5-0-0 is there. He doesn’t need an equitable matchup to get jacked up for any team tournament, and history has shown that he’s an absolute force when he puts on the red, white and blue. Top U.S. points scorer odds: 7-1

Patrick McDonald — Tony Finau: I love the course fit for Finau, and I love that he may be paired with Collin Morikawa. Finau is only two months removed from winning back-to-back tournaments and nearly adding a third at the St. Jude Championship. He is one of the elder statesmen on this American side, and we saw at the Ryder Cup that he thrives in front of the U.S. contingent. Top U.S. points scorer odds: 9-1

Jacob Hallex — Xander Schauffele: Xander has hit new highs this season with three PGA Tour victories. We have a really good feeling he’ll be paired with Patrick Cantlay for the majority of his partner matches. It’s likely, with the four-day schedule, these two could play every session. I’m expecting him to rack up points as he comes into his own in the team format. At last year’s Ryder Cup, Schauffele was one of four players to earn three or more points for Team USA. He should go out early in Sunday singles and secure a point for the Americans. If you were looking at the betting markets, I would suggest splitting a top overall points score wager between Xander and Patrick Cantlay. Top U.S. points scorer odds: 25/4

International MVP

Kyle Porter — Tom Kim: There aren’t a lot of great options, but I’ll ride with youth in the 20-year-old Kim. He’s coming off an astounding end to his season where he won the Wyndham Championship, and his confidence will be through the roof in his first Presidents Cup. Plus, I doubt captain Trevor Immelman will throw him out against the J.T.-Spieth matchup or any of the other monstrous pairings the U.S. side can and will produce. Top international points scorer odds: 5-1

Patrick McDonald — Sungjae Im: Still only 24, Im has turned into the best player on this international team. With three runner-up finishes in his final five starts of the 2021-22 season, he is clearly in fine form and is a great fit for Quail Hollow. He will have to go in all five sessions if the internationals are to have a chance and I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs the table. Top international points scorer odds: 5-1

Jacob Hallex — Sungjae Im: We say it all the time on The First Cut Podcast, Im is a flusher of the golf ball. No longer a rookie, I hope to see him break out in the team format this year. The Korean pod for the International side looks cohesive and stacked this year with Sungjae set to be the leader. In 2019, he tied Abraham Ancer as the leading points earner for the Internationals. With Ancer out of the picture, it wouldn’t shock me to see Sungjae take the reins at Quail Hollow for Captain Immelman’s team. Top international points scorer odds: 5-1

Surprise prediction

Kyle Porter — The International team will keep singles close. Since 2007, the Internationals actually lead singles matches. This is likely due to the fact that the U.S. has often wrapped the event up early and often coasted to the finish line. Still, the Internationals have some unique firepower that, while it won’t be able to keep the foursomes and fourball matchups close, could be interesting on Sunday in singles.

Patrick McDonald — The U.S. will not win every session. The U.S. is not without its weaknesses and fourball would certainly be considered one. While improved in recent years, the Americans clearly prefer foursomes and singles; they often use those formats to claw ahead in this competition. With zero expectations, I expect the internationals to surprise and draw even with the U.S. in at least one of the sessions.

Jacob Hallex — Max Homa shines in team debut. Golf fans have been spoiled by recent generational talents emerging early on the PGA Tour. Homa isn’t old by any stretch of the imagination; he is just a guy who has taken a more traditional route to the upper echelon of the game. He has a dogged attitude and won on this exact course for his maiden PGA Tour victory. He mentioned after his dramatic win last week that he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder. Alleged Twitter naysayers tell him he doesn’t deserve to be on the team and LIV Golf defections are the only reason he’s in Quail Hollow. I’m looking forward to seeing Max play with that dog in him even as the U.S. side remains such heavy favorites. 

Winning side

Kyle Porter — United States (20-10): This U.S. team, perhaps strangely, has something to prove. It’s not that it’s an underdog (it’s actually a heavy favorite) nor that it needs to show its bonafides at a Presidents Cup (it hasn’t lost this century) but rather that it will want to show that this year’s stars and stripes can match last year’s Ryder Cup Dream Team, which routed the Europeans at Whistling Straits. In a way, this U.S. team — with Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka absent — is competing against a former version of itself and setting the table for next year’s event in Rome, where it will again be the favorite. U.S. odds: 2/15 | Exact score odds: 12-1

Patrick McDonald — United States (17.5-12.5): It will be close early, but the U.S. advantage in skill, course fit, and continuity will ultimately give way. Riding a wave of confidence from the Ryder Cup, they roll to their ninth straight Presidents Cup. U.S. odds: 2/15 | Exact score odds: 11-1

Jacob Hallex — United States (19-11): I hope I’m wrong, but this contest by all accounts seemed to be pretty uniformly scripted by everyone in the media. I don’t see many calling for a shocking upset, and the oddsmakers don’t either. The U.S. side has great individual advantage that should shine during the singles matches and foursomes. I can easily see a scenario taking place where the Americans only need a few victories Sunday to clinch the trophy, thus leaving a spot for the Internationals to score some “garbage time” points. U.S. odds: 2/15 | Exact score odds: 11-1

Source link

You know the names by now: Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama. But what about those who have yet to make a name for themselves? In total, the 2022 Presidents Cup will feature 14 rookies with six coming for the United States side and eight being featured for the internationals.

While a pair of those Americans include Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, who were influential in the U.S. drubbing of the Europeans at the 2021 Ryder Cup, this week still marks their first experience in the Presidents Cup. Just one year ago, Scheffler was considered a borderline selection by captain Steve Stricker for Whistling Straits. The Wisconsin native’s pick proved to be a wise one as Scheffler played a key role in the competition by dethroning Jon Rahm in singles. He would later go on to become No. 1 in the OWGR, a position he still holds. 

Something similar may possibly be in store for either Davis Love III or Trevor Immelman and one of their team’s members this time around. Quail Hollow Club could prove to be a launching pad for some of the youngest stars in the game, or even a veteran, and the team environment will be conducive to big moments. 

In 2019, Abraham Ancer and Sungjae Im proved to be up to the task for the international side. Each gathered 3.5 points at Royal Melbourne and nearly led the international team to a dramatic upset victory over the Tiger Woods-led Americans. Facing heavy odds once again, the internationals will need more than a pair of their fresh faces to step up if they are expected to pull off the unthinkable.

Odds for top points scorer are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbooks

Potential unlikely heroes for United States

Tony Finau (12-1 to be top points scorer): He may be one of the oldest members of the team, and has plenty of experience having played in three prior team events, but Finau has yet been treated as an elite player. Winning twice in the late summer, the world No. 14 almost added another at the St. Jude Championship, which would have upped his career win total to five in a blink of an eye. 

He impressed in his Ryder Cup debut in 2018 at Le National, where even though the U.S. was outmatched, Finau garnered a record of 2-1-0 which included a 6&4 beatdown of Tommy Fleetwood on Sunday. Influential in Royal Melbourne and Wisconsin, the 33-year-old will serve as a key cog in Charlotte with Quail Hollow is statistically being right up his alley.

Sam Burns (12-1): A three-time winner during the 2021-22 season, Burns has fared well in team competitions before. Alongside Billy Horschel, the SEC duo finished runner-up at the Zurich Classic to U.S. teammates Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. Despite this being his first Presidents Cup, Burns hardly feels like a rookie.

Likely to be paired with Horschel, the two will be a difficult out as they can run as hot as anyone on the greens. If not paired with Horschel, his good friend Scheffler may be an ideal partner as the laidback, easygoing nature of each is ideal for the high-pressure, chaotic environment which will engulf Quail Hollow.

Cameron Young (18-1): Of all Presidents Cup players, Young is second only to Scheffler over the last three months in strokes gained off the tee. The presumed Rookie of the Year is familiar with finishing one spot short as he captured seven podium finishes throughout his 2021-22 campaign, including the PGA Championship and The Open.

Young is an ideal fit for Quail Hollow, and his ability to rise to the occasion should serve him well. He seems to play with the ultimate chip on his shoulder, and if able to channel this quiet assassin mentality into the team setting, this could be just the beginning of a fruitful Presidents Cup career.

Potential unlikely heroes for internationals

Corey Conners (28-1): The internationals are in a hole before a tee has even been pegged into the ground. They must rely on some of their known quantities without the depth of the U.S. team, one of which is Conners. The Canadian may technically be a rookie, but his ball-striking has the potential to give the Americans headaches.

Second in driving accuracy and sixth in strokes gained approach over the last three months, Conners is one of the few players who is on par with the Americans in this department. He often struggles on and around the green, but we have seen poor putters such as Sergio Garcia thrive in this arena. Perhaps the same will go for Conners.

Taylor Pendrith (55-1): The second of the Canadians for captain Immelman, Pendrith could be a star in the making. Returning from injury in the midsummer, Pendrith notched six top-15 finishes in his last eight tournaments, including a runner-up performance to Finau at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Pendrith is supremely long off the tee — third in this field — and possesses the firepower to dismantle the American side. Similar to Conners, the putter can pose problems, but if strategically teamed with Tom Kim or Christiaan Bezuidenhout, those concerns can be squashed.

K.H. Lee (70-1): The sexiest golfer in the world has quickly become one of the best golfers in the world. Successfully defending his Byron Nelson title this past season, Lee looked Americans Spieth, Thomas and Schauffele — and even his own teammate Matsuyama — in the eyes en route to his second PGA Tour victory.

The moment is never too big for Lee; that was on display in the FedEx Cup Playoffs when he clawed his way into the Tour Championship via a T5 finish at the BMW Championship. He ranks sixth in strokes gained putting, and while the results haven’t been memorable at Quail Hollow, he has posted some strong rounds, including a 5-under 66 to kick off the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship.

Source link

A stacked American team will try to avoid a huge upset this week when it faces the Internationals in the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. Team USA has won 11 of the previous 13 editions of the biennial event, which is played opposite the Ryder Cup. The 2003 edition ended in a tie, while the Internationals won in 1998 at Royal Melbourne. That course also was the site of the most recent Presidents Cup, when the Americans stormed back in Sunday Singles, taking eight of the 12 available points for a 16-14 victory to retain the trophy. The United States team features nine players in the top 15 of the World Golf Ranking, led by No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, while Hideki Matsuyama is the top player for the Internationals at No. 16. Players from Europe are not eligible for the International team, while world No. 3 Cameron Smith also is banned after his defection to LIV Golf. That talent disparity makes the Americans the clear favorite.

The United States team is the -750 favorite in the latest 2022 President Cup odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Internationals are a +700 underdog and a tie is priced at +1800. There are numerous other wagering options from Caesars, including individual scoring, daily team performance and the final score. Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are the 15-2 favorites to lead in combined scoring, while Matsuyama and Sungjae Im are well back at 20-1 for the Internationals. Before you lock in any 2022 Presidents Cup picks, be sure you check out the expert predictions and best bets from SportsLine golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. 

He takes a measured approach to his outright selections and finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on those plays, having hit Cameron Smith (22-1) at the Tournament of Champions, Hudson Swafford (250-1) at The American Express, Joaquin Niemann (70-1) at the Genesis Invitational and Justin Thomas (66-1) live at the PGA Championship.

Now, McDonald has studied the 2022 Presidents Cup field and is locking in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can only see his Presidents Cup picks at SportsLine. 

Top 2022 Presidents Cup expert picks

Shockingly, McDonald is fading Scheffler, one of the favorites to score big this week at Quail Hollow. The expert says the Masters champ was seen playing with Sam Burns early in the week, and that pairing would be even more reason to steer clear. No matter the partner, Scheffler’s stellar season ended on a low note with his collapse Sunday at the Tour Championship. His putter was out of sorts late in the season, and he missed two cuts in his final five tournaments. If he starts slowly, the Cup rookie could spend some time on the bench this week.

On the other hand, McDonald expects Spieth to be among the Americans who play in every round. The 29-year-old has three Presidents Cup under his belt and also has played in the Ryder Cup four times. He is 16-12-4 in U.S. team matches, including 8-5-1 at the Presidents Cup. He missed the 2019 event amid his slump, but he has broken free of that and has two victories and 15 top-10 finishes (five in the top three) over the past two seasons. He wrapped up the 2021-22 season with a final-round 65 to finish 10 under (without strokes) at the Tour Championship. You can see the rest of McDonald’s best bets here.     

How to make 2022 Presidents Cup golf picks

Before this week’s international event at Quail Hollow, McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2022 Presidents Cup. They include a player who is priced at more than 20-1 to score the most points over the course of the event. This golfer has experience in this format and on this course, and his short game and putter have been rounding into solid form. You can only find out who it is, and see the rest of McDonald’s picks and best bets, at SportsLine.

So which 2022 Presidents Cup picks should you target? Where does all the betting value lie for Presidents Cup 2022? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top prop picks for the 2022 Presidents Cup, all from the expert who ended last season up 42 units on outright plays, and find out.

2022 Presidents Cup odds, teams

See full Presidents Cup 2022 picks, best bets, and predictions here. 

Team USA -650
International Team +650
Tie +1700

Team USA roster 
Scottie Scheffler
Patrick Cantlay
Xander Schauffele 
Justin Thomas
Jordan Spieth 
Collin Morikawa 
Sam Burns
Tony Finau 
Billy Horschel 
Max Homa
Cameron Young
Kevin Kisner 

International Team roster 
Adam Scott
Hideki Matsuyama
Sungjae Im
Tom Kim
Corey Conners
K.H. Lee
Mito Pereira
Sebastian Munoz
Cameron Davis
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Taylor Pendrith
Si Woo Kim

Source link

The 2022 Presidents Cup will feature 24 of the world’s best golfers competing at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. The Americans have dominated the Presidents Cup over the years, winning eight straight against the International team. Davis Love III is Team USA’s captain and he’ll field a team that features PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay. Trevor Immelman will guide the International team which features Adam Scott, who’s making his 10th Presidents Cup appearance, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im.

According to the latest 2022 Presidents Cup odds from Caesars Sportsbook, the Americans are listed as the -650 favorites (risk $650 to win $100) to repeat. The International team is listed as a +650 underdog, while a tie would return +1700. Betting on which team will win is just one way to approach this event, which will also have plenty of golf props available as play unfolds through Sunday. Before locking in your 2022 Presidents Cup picks, be sure to see the best bets and predictions from SportsLine’s Mike McClure. 

McClure built SportsLine’s proprietary golf model, which has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up over $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure’s model included J.T. Poston in its best bets to win the 2022 John Deere Classic. That bet hit at +5500, and for the entire tournament, McClure’s best bets returned almost $1,100. At the 2022 Masters, McClure’s model was all over Scottie Scheffler’s first career major championship victory heading into the weekend.

In addition, McClure’s best bets included Collin Morikawa winning outright at the 2021 Open Championship, even though he was listed as a massive 40-1 longshot. The model was also all over Jon Rahm’s (10-1) first career major championship victory at the 2021 U.S. Open. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the weekend, but the model still projected him as the winner.

This same model has also nailed a whopping eight majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now, McClure has evaluated the 2022 Presidents Cup odds and locked in his best bets. Head to SportsLine now to see the top picks and predictions for the Presidents Cup 2022. 

Top 2022 Presidents Cup predictions 

McClure’s 2022 Presidents Cup best bets include backing Justin Thomas to be Team USA’s top point scorer at +700 odds. In Team USA’s 2019 victory in Australia, Thomas finished with a 3-1-1 record, earning the most points for the American side with 3.5. He boasts a 6-2-2 overall record in Presidents Cup play and the 29-year-old played well down the stretch last season, which culminated in a top-five finish at the Tour Championship.

Thomas has had success at Quail Hollow in his career, winning his first major title at the PGA Championship in 2017. Plus, the two-time major champion finished last season ranked third in strokes gained: tee-to-green (1.589), third in putting average (1.718) and fifth in one-putt percentage (42.84%), all of which will come in handy in this team format. He’s also shot lower than 70 seven times in his career at Quail Hollow, so Thomas is a great bet at these odds to be Team USA’s top point scorer in Presidents Cup 2022 prop bets. See all of McClure’s 2022 Presidents Cup picks here.

How to make 2022 Presidents Cup picks

McClure has analyzed the 2022 Presidents Cup format from every angle. He’s locked in a pick on which team will win and an additional 2022 President Cup prop bet that returns a huge payout over 6-1. Anyone who tails this prop bet could hit it big. You can only see them here. 

So who will win the Presidents Cup 2022? And which prop bets should you be all over? Check out the 2022 Presidents Cup odds below and then visit SportsLine to see McClure’s best bets for the Presidents Cup 2022, all from the expert who’s up over $9,500 on his golf picks since June 2020.

2022 Presidents Cup odds, teams

See full Presidents Cup 2022 picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Team USA -750
International Team +700
Tie +1800

Team USA roster 
Scottie Scheffler
Patrick Cantlay
Xander Schauffele 
Justin Thomas
Jordan Spieth 
Collin Morikawa 
Sam Burns
Tony Finau 
Billy Horschel 
Max Homa
Cameron Young
Kevin Kisner 

International Team roster 
Adam Scott
Hideki Matsuyama
Sungjae Im
Tom Kim
Corey Conners
K.H. Lee
Mito Pereira
Sebastian Munoz
Cameron Davis
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Taylor Pendrith
Si Woo Kim

Source link

There’s no question that the teams at the 2022 Presidents Cup are lopsided. It’s not necessarily accurate that the United States has the 12 best players and the international team has the 12 worst, but you could posit something close to that and not be far off.

There’s also no question that this is a problem hampering interest in this year’s event. Following an outrageously good 2019 Presidents Cup, it was not irrational to believe that future Presidents Cups were going to be a lot closer than those of the past — and perhaps even more competitive than Ryder Cups.

With the defections of international players like Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann and Louis Oosthuizen to LIV Golf, that narrative has changed quite a bit. Nowhere is that more clear than in the individual player rankings. If you’re looking at the rosters as a whole, you can squint and possibly talk yourself into a competitive week. If you look at the player rankings based on current form and past performance at team events, though, there’s absolutely no chance.

2022 Presidents Cup teams, ranked

1. Justin Thomas (U.S.): J.T. gets the narrow nod over Scottie Scheffler because of his incredible play in team events (he’s 10-2-3 in non-singles play at Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups). He knows what’s expected of him, and unlike a lot of talented athletes, he definitely wants the ball when the lights go on.

2. Scottie Scheffler (U.S.): The No. 1 player in the world deservingly received the PGA Tour Player of the Year trophy two weeks ago. Though he hasn’t won since the Masters, his ball-striking numbers have remained similar, and his level of play outside of putting has hardly dropped off at all. He’s probably ready to shoulder a massive load at U.S. team events.

3. Xander Schauffele (U.S.): No matter which way you slice it, Schauffele has been one of the top three players at this event over the last six months. He’s a menace from tee to green, and he has a 6-3-0 career record at U.S. team events, including a 4-0-0 mark in foursomes play alongside Patrick Cantlay (with whom he’ll be paired often this week).

4. Sungjae Im (international): This is maybe a stretch for Im, but I’m trying to find some hope for Trevor Immelman’s side, and Im has been playing fantastic golf. He’s second in this field in ball-striking over his last 20 rounds and nearly won the Tour Championship over Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. Nobody on either team scored more than the 3.5 points he posted in 2019 at Royal Melbourne.

5. Tony Finau (U.S.): One of the breakout stars of last year’s Ryder Cup has also been one of the best players in the world over the last six months. Finau ranks behind only Scheffler and Schauffele in ball-striking in the last six months.

6. Patrick Cantlay (U.S.): He’s been good on this course, good in match play at team events and terrific overall in the last two months. There’s a lot to like. Cantlay and Finau are the only players averaging at least 0.3 strokes gained per round across all four categories (driving, approach play, around the green and putting).

7. Max Homa (U.S.): He’s rolling in off his fifth win last week in Napa, California, into his first-ever team event where he should thrive. It helps that he’s won at Quail Hollow before and has been one of the top six players at this event over his last 20 rounds.

8. Cameron Young (U.S.): He’s been the longest player of anyone in this event over the last 12 months, and only Taylor Pendrith is close. According to Data Golf, Young gets the biggest course fit bump of any of the 24 golfers who will tee it up this week. If he’s paired with Tony Finau, it’s going to be an absolute bonanza off the tee.

9. Jordan Spieth (U.S.): He’s been showing real glimpses of his old iron-playing self, but the putter has not been magical of late (to say the least). I’m confident he’s going to play solidly, but I’m not going to scream it from the rooftops like I have at past team events because this last season was statistically the worst season of his PGA Tour career.

10. Sam Burns (U.S.): Burns cooled a bit at the end of last season and has not been a great ball-striker over the last few months. However, he seems perfectly constructed for match play at Quail Hollow (long, great iron player who putts well) and should thrive in his pod alongside Scheffler, Billy Horschel and Kevin Kisner.

11. Hideki Matsuyama (international): The 2021 Masters champion is playing his fifth Presidents Cup. He has the second-best strokes-gained number at Quail Hollow of everyone at this event behind only Thomas and just ahead of Spieth and Billy Horschel.

12. Adam Scott (international): Closed out last season with two top fives in his last four starts. However, his overall match play record at the Presidents Cup is 16-22-6, which is not great considering most of that came in the middle of the prime of his career. He also continues to insist on dressing most like a dad of anyone at this event.

13. Collin Morikawa (U.S.): How scary is it that the U.S. has a two-time major winner this low? The internationals don’t have a single multiple-time major winner on their squad, and the U.S. can roll out somebody who did that last year as their 10th-best player.

14. Corey Conners (international): How is this Conners’ first Presidents Cup?! He’s an immense ball-striker (fifth in the field in his last 20 rounds), but the short game might hold him back from winning many matches and could especially be a problem in alternate shot.

15. Tom Kim (international): Maybe the biggest difference between floor and ceiling of anybody in the field. Kim is an outstanding iron player (best in the field over his last 20 rounds), and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win two or three matches against against players who outmatch him off the tee (which is most of them).

16. Billy Horschel (U.S.): An up and down year for Horschel, who both won Memorial but also didn’t finish in the top 20 on the PGA Tour after that through the Tour Championship. Quail Hollow is not a great fit for him statistically, but I also wouldn’t want to face him in match play at any point.

17. Cameron Davis (international): Consider me intrigued here. He’s one of the four or five longest players in the field and one of the few international players who has the firepower to keep with most of the U.S. guys off the tee. He also ended this most recent PGA Tour season with five top 20s in his last six starts. He’ll likely prove to be a nice captain’s pick by Immelman.

18. Taylor Pendrith (international): Along with Davis, he was clearly picked because of his length, but he’s also been hitting his irons quite well and had six top 15s in his last seven PGA Tour starts last season (T67 at last week’s Fortinet Championship).

19. Si Woo Kim (international): His putting has been scary bad recently, but you know the talent is in there to take on anybody the U.S. can throw at him. Always an unknown at events like this, but who could forget him going full “shhhhh” at the 2017 Presidents Cup with his team down two touchdowns on Sunday. 

20. Mito Pereira (international): The near-PGA Championship winner has had a strong season, but he didn’t have a single top 40 over his last six events and doesn’t bring a lot of ball-striking momentum into Quail Hollow.

21. Kevin Kisner (U.S.): He’s been the worst ball-striker in the field over the last 12 months, and a lot of that is due to the fact that he’s the shortest player off the tee by a fairly healthy margin (although Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Tom Kim are close). Kisner might in fact clean up in match play like he does at the WGC event, but on paper, he’s not a great fit for this golf course.

22. K.H. Lee (international): He posted one top 10 after his win at the AT&T Byron Nelson earlier this year.

23. Sebastian Munoz (international): He posted zero top 10s after his T3 at the AT&T Byron Nelson earlier this year.

24. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (international): He’s one of just two golfers in the event that has a negative strokes-gained ball-striking number over his last 20 rounds (Kisner is the other). That’s not going to go well at Quail Hollow.

Source link

Presidents Cup week is here, and while it doesn’t hold the excitement everyone thought it would after the United States narrowly eclipsed the international team in Australia three years ago, team golf at the highest level is always a thrill.

The heavily favored U.S. side seems poised to rout Trevor Immelman’s International squad, but the projection of a rout is something that has often led to some of the greatest moments in sports history. Davis Love III is leading the stars and stripes into a true David vs. Goliath situation this week in Charlotte. The level of play on both sides is inequitable, but there are still plenty of storylines to pay attention to this week at Quail Hollow Golf Club.

This event also represents a reprieve from the long, (sometimes) slow slog of individual stroke play that we get throughout the year. Even in a massive victory back in 2017 at Liberty National Golf Club, the days were still compelling. We got to see future U.S. stars, a variety of pairings on both sides and the types of exhilarating celebrations match play golf often offers up.

Let’s take a look at a few narratives that could develop this week at Quail Hollow and break down what we’ll be watching over the remainder of what should be an awesome week of golf.

1. Over by Saturday? We know the first few days of golf will be a blast because the first few days of Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups are always fun, no matter the matchup or score. You always get insane hole-outs, weird, golf-y celebrations and interesting pairings that may or may not foreshadow the future of either team. In 2017, however, the U.S. led 14.5-3.5 after the Saturday matches, and the entire event was completely over going into singles play. That’s a rarity, even when teams are mismatched like this; team competitions are normally close until the last few hours of the week. Hopefully this one will be, but the threat of a boat race exists here in a way that it has not in most recent team competitions (specifically the Ryder Cup last year at Whistling Straits).

2.  Who’s not there: Normally at team events, we discuss who got snubbed by one of the captains. Instead, this year is about who snubbed themselves. No LIV Golf League players are permitted at the Presidents Cup, which means that international team stars like Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen will be watching from home and possibly texting with LIV Golf colleagues Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, all of whom were Team USA pillars over the last five years. While this should not (and will not) be the primary talking point of the week, it’s another way LIV has permeated into every crevice of the golf world, including one of the handful of sacred team weeks that we have every year.

3. Course fit: One of the big talking points going into this week is that even with the international team at full strength, the U.S. advantage at a long, brawny track like Quail Hollow would be too much for them to overcome. One reason they nearly broke a now-24-year winless streak at Royal Melbourne is because the golf course played away from the advantages of the U.S. team (length) and into the hands of a crafty, feisty international team. Of the top nine golfers historically at Quail Hollow who are also in this event, seven are Americans. Furthermore, of the top 10 best fits for this course in the event this week, eight are Americans. It’s difficult to envision either the course or the way it’s set up as anything other than an advantage for Love’s team.

4. Rookie ringers (on both sides): I’m more intrigued than normal to watch the first-timers this time around. On the U.S. side, Sam Burns, Max Homa, Billy Horschel and Cameron Young are all interesting not only as players but also potential future U.S. anchors (especially in the case of Burns, Homa and Young). Burns, Homa and Horschel are all fairly animated competitors that I expect to thrive in a team environment. For the International Team, they’ll lean on eight rookies, but the most compelling are 20-year-old Tom Kim, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Cam Davis; the latter two were selected because they can match some of the firepower on the U.S. side. If those four play to their relatively high ceilings, the internationals could be a little plucky.

5. U.S. leaders: Want to feel old? Jordan Spieth is the most experienced U.S. player … by three events (Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup). Even with the LIV players in the mix, Spieth and Justin Thomas would have likely been the heart and soul of this U.S. squad, but it’s unquestionably true now with D.J., Koepka and DeChambeau out of the picture. Phil Mickelson talked about Spieth as the future guy for the U.S., and it has turned out to be true. It will be especially true this week without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson around as assistant captains. J.T. and Spieth are an interesting duo. The latter a chest-thumping monster who is 10-2-3 in team sessions at these team events, and the former a calm, confident presence in the press tent and, presumably, the locker room for players who aren’t much younger than him. They should be who we thought Mickelson and Woods were going to be for the next 10 years of U.S. team golf.

6.  Top Scheff: I joked that the best player in the world and Jon Rahm were playing the singles match of the Ryder Cup last year, and this year it turned out to not be a joke as Scheffler rose to the top spot in the OWGR after four wins early in the year. He was perhaps a bit of a surprise hero last year at his first U.S. team event as he went 2-0-1, but he’ll sneak up on nobody this year. My question is whether he can lead from out in front as one of the Americans with the biggest targets on his back.

7. Foursomes advantage: The big problem for the international team — other than the fact that it has three players ranked in the top 25 of the OWGR and the U.S. has 12 — is that it has been unable to compete in foursomes at this event over the last two decades. The stat below is jarring. The internationals have actually outperformed the U.S. team in singles play and tied them in fourballs over the last 15 years, but have been absolutely torched in foursomes. That’s something to keep an eye on going into the week.

8. U.S. pairings: I care way too much about the in-the-weeds minutia on the U.S. side of things, and I think we’re probably going to get some pairings this week that we’ve either already seen at the Ryder Cup or will see again next year in Rome. Here are the pods for the first two days of practice rounds for the U.S.

Burns-Scheffler is an obvious pairing. So are J.T.-Spieth and Cantlay-Schauffele. Finau is so pliable from a personality standpoint that you could plug him in with any of the three guys in his pod and it could make sense. Kisner and Horschel are pretty interesting, and though they’re not necessarily off the charts statistically at Quail Hollow, they would be a nightmare to go up against. Morikawa-Homa is a ball-striking extravaganza. I cannot wait to see how these play out.

9. What does U.S. future look like after optimistic Whistling Straits? I wrote about the U.S. Dream Team that invaded Lake Michigan this time a year ago. In that moment, the future looked indelible as the red, white and blue looked unbeatable. However, nearly half that team is gone (either to LIV or to injury), and in their place steps some question marks. This year’s Presidents Cup won’t determine what the future of U.S. team golf looks like, but it might actually be more representative of what the next five years will look like than last year’s Ryder Cup did. It would be surprising if that resulted in a more optimistic outlook given the talent on that team and what has been lost, but it could result in a similarly unified group that moves into the future of Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups against the best players from the rest of the world.

Source link

The 2022 Presidents Cup will feature 24 of the world’s best golfers competing at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Presidents Cup began in 1994, and the Americans have won 11 of the 13 events. These biennial matches between the U.S. and the International team have proven to be one-sided for the Americans, but we’ve seen some thrilling finishes in recent years. In fact, Team USA has won the Presidents Cup by two points or less in two of the last three events. 

Davis Love III is Team USA’s captain and he’ll field a team that features PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay. The International team features Adam Scott, who’s making his 10th Presidents Cup appearance, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im. According to the latests 2022 Presidents Cup odds from Caesars Sportsbook, the Americans are listed as the -650 favorites (risk $650 to win $100) to repeat. The International team is listed as a +650 underdog, while a tie would return +1700. Before locking in your 2022 Presidents Cup picks, be sure to see the best bets and predictions from SportsLine’s Mike McClure. 

McClure built SportsLine’s proprietary golf model, which has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up over $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure’s model included J.T. Poston in its best bets to win the 2022 John Deere Classic. That bet hit at +5500, and for the entire tournament, McClure’s best bets returned almost $1,100. At the 2022 Masters, McClure’s model was all over Scottie Scheffler’s first career major championship victory heading into the weekend.

In addition, McClure’s best bets included Collin Morikawa winning outright at the 2021 Open Championship, even though he was listed as a massive 40-1 longshot. The model was also all over Jon Rahm’s (10-1) first career major championship victory at the 2021 U.S. Open. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the weekend, but the model still projected him as the winner.

This same model has also nailed a whopping eight majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now, McClure has evaluated the 2022 Presidents Cup odds and locked in his best bets. Head to SportsLine now to see the top picks and predictions for the Presidents Cup 2022. 

Top 2022 Presidents Cup predictions 

McClure’s 2022 Presidents Cup best bets include backing Justin Thomas to be the USA’s top point scorer at +700 odds. Thomas brings a wealth of experience to Team USA as he’s set to play in his third Presidents Cup. In Team USA’s 2019 victory in Australia, Thomas finished with a 3-1-1 record, earning the most points for the American side with 3.5. 

He boasts a 6-2-2 overall record in Presidents Cup play and the 29-year-old played well down the stretch last season, which culminated in a top-five finish at the Tour Championship. In addition, Thomas has had success at Quail Hollow in his career, winning his first major title at the PGA Championship in 2017. McClure expects Thomas’ familiarity with the course and format will help him finish as Team USA’s top scorer.  See all of McClure’s 2022 Presidents Cup picks here.

How to make 2022 Presidents Cup picks

McClure has analyzed the 2022 Presidents Cup format from every angle. He’s locked in a pick on which team will win and an additional 2022 President Cup prop bet that returns a huge payout over 6-1. Anyone who tails this prop bet could hit it big. You can only see them here. 

So who will win the Presidents Cup 2022? And which prop bets should you be all over? Check out the 2022 Presidents Cup odds below and then visit SportsLine to see McClure’s best bets for the Presidents Cup 2022, all from the expert who’s up over $9,500 on his golf picks since June 2020.

2022 Presidents Cup odds, teams

See full Presidents Cup 2022 picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Team USA -650
International Team +650
Tie +1700

Team USA roster 
Scottie Scheffler
Patrick Cantlay
Xander Schauffele 
Justin Thomas
Jordan Spieth 
Collin Morikawa 
Sam Burns
Tony Finau 
Billy Horschel 
Max Homa
Cameron Young
Kevin Kisner 

International Team roster 
Adam Scott
Hideki Matsuyama
Sungjae Im
Tom Kim
Corey Conners
K.H. Lee
Mito Pereira
Sebastian Munoz
Cameron Davis
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Taylor Pendrith
Si Woo Kim

Source link