Let battle resume

For golf fans it doesn't get any better than the three days of the Ryder Cup. The 35th staging of this event will certainly be compulsive viewing, and anyone who enjoys competition should sit themselves down in front of the TV to watch the action. For betting purposes, the choice is simple; a US side (who undoubtedly have the best players) at odds on, or the `inferior' (on paper) European side at odds against.

There is no doubt that, in terms, of world rankings, tour wins, and Major successes the Americans have the better side. The average world ranking of the two teams is as follows; America - 18th, Europe - 39th. Such a gap is not unusual, but this has not stopped the Europeans from rising to the occasion in the past. There could be several reasons for this; the fact that the Europeans are more comfortable with the format certainly helps, but integral to the successes over the past twenty years has been their team spirit, and that could just give them the edge gain this week.

Not that the US side will not bond, it is just that there appears to be more `natural' partnership options for Bernhard Langer's team. Not only does he have the pairings that have played well in previous Cups - Westwood and Garcia are the most obvious - but there is also the possibility of keeping compatriots together, namely the five English players, the Irish (three) and the Spanish (two). Ryder Cup rookies Luke Donald and Paul Casey were a very successful pairing in the Walker Cup (similar format) during their amateur days and look a natural duo.

Recent form also bodes well for the Europeans chances. Ten of the twelve in the team have secured top ten finishes over the last four weeks, while only six of the Americans have done so in their respective tournaments. With European qualification for the team based on the results of the last twelve months, as opposed to the whole two years between events for the Americans, this has led to a noteworthy advantage, with several members of the US team playing well enough during 2003 to make the team only to struggle for form during 2004 - Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry are prime examples.

Of course home advantage counts for a lot, and the course is bound to be set up in the Americans favour, but two of the last four Ryder Cups held in America have been won by Europe. All in all, there is enough in the Europeans favour to recommend a bet at 15/8.

In our `Top Team Points Scorer' markets, a strong case can be made for Phil Mickelson (7/2) and Luke Donald (8/1). Mickelson, enjoying his best season to date, has a 70% success rate in his Ryder Cup matches on home soil, and looks sure to play all five matches at Oakland Hills. Detroit based Donald has won twice in the past six weeks, and secured seven out of eight points in two Walker Cup appearances in 1999 and 2001. A double on the two pays nearly 40/1.