Ryder Cup 2025 preview: Full betting guide from Bethpage Black

The 45th Ryder Cup gets underway from Bethpage Black which is a course that needs little introduction. Luke Donald’s men look to retain the trophy after a convincing 16.5-11.5 win at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome in 2023. 

Read more Ryder Cup: Prop bets, value plays and niche markets

However, the Americans crushed the Europeans with victory by a record margin the last time the Ryder Cup was played on US soil at Whistling Straits in 2021. A resounding scoreline of 19-9 might still be reverberating through the European locker room.

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When is the 2025 Ryder Cup?

The 2025 Ryder Cup takes place from Friday 26 September, to Sunday, 28 September with the Europeans looking to retain the trophy.

Where is the 2025 Ryder Cup? 

The US will host the 2025 Ryder Cup. It takes place from the dangerous Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York.

2025 Ryder Cup full week schedule 

How to watch the 2025 Ryder Cup   

You can watch the 2025 Ryder Cup on Sky Sports, stream live from the Sky Sports app or take it all in and go interactive via a dedicated Sky Sports Ryder Cup channel. The Ryder Cup opening ceremony will also be broadcast on Sky Sports on Thursday 25th September at 9pm BST.

Live build up and match coverage begins:

Friday: 9am UK Sky Sports (foursomes 12.10pm and fourballs 5pm)

Saturday: 9am UK Sky Sports (foursomes 12.10 pm and fourballs 5pm)

Sunday: 2pm UK Sky Sports (singles matches 5pm)

Team Europe 

Ryder Cup Team Europe (6/4 Betway)

Automatic Qualifiers: Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Rasmus Hojgaard.

Captain Luke Donald’s picks: Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Victor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepp Straka.

Team Europe sees just one change from its 2023 winning side and that’s Rasmus Hojgaard coming in for his twin brother, Nicolai Hojgaard.

Team USA 

Ryder Cup Team USA (4/6 Betway)

Automatic Qualifiers: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, JJ Spaun, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau.

Captain Keegan Bradley’s picks: Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young.

The US side will have four rookies debuting this year in the Ryder Cup.

Bethpage Black - Get to know the course 

Bethpage Black was opened in 1936, originally designed by A.W Tillinghast and comes equipped with an infamous sign displaying the message: “WARNING - The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers”. Bethpage is renowned as one of the toughest courses in America. 

Bethpage Black is a long and demanding parkland and heathland style mix. As of now the official yardage on the Ryder Cup site says it will play as a par 70 at 7,352 yards but that is subject to change. 

Fairways at Bethpage are typically cut tight and lined by thick fibre, trees or bearded bunkers. Several severe elevation changes complement greens that are equipped with large run offs or surrounded by deep bunkering. 

‘Strokes gained off the tee’ and ‘strokes gained around the green’ are key stats to look at this week when profiling for our Ryder Cup betting strategy.

Bethpage is Farmingdale, New York, and has hosted the 2019 PGA Championship, and US Opens in 2002 and 2009. It also played host to The Barclays playoff events in 2012 and 2016. Only 12 players have broken par across the three major championships played at Bethpage.

Key players in the 2025 Ryder Cup  

Main man for the US Scottie Scheffler leads the ‘strokes gained off the tee’ stats on the PGA Tour while Rory McIlroy sits in third place in that category. McIlroy has won 18 points for the European Ryder Cup side over the years, eighth in the all-time European points scorer list. 

He has never failed to put a point on the board in seven Ryder Cup appearances. His singles record reads four wins, 2 losses and one half. You can back Rory McIlroy at 4/1 with Betfred to be ‘top European points scorer’.

Scottie Scheffler leads the scrambling stats on the PGA Tour this year too with a clip of 68.69%. Scheffler has only appeared in two Ryder Cups and has recouped 50% of potential points.

He is undefeated in singles, with both his matches coming against European monster Jon Rahm with whom he tied in Italy and beat 4&3 at Whistling Straits. The world number one is fresh off victory at the Procore Championship and is 5/1 with Coral to be ‘top overall points scorer’.

Captain’s pick Justin Thomas is making his fourth Ryder Cup appearance, and he has won all his singles matches. Thomas could be a key cog in the American side at Bethpage. In thirteen matches over his three Ryder Cups, Thomas has won over 60% of potential points. Tyrell Hatton, Sepp Straka and McIlroy have played the victim in his singles matches. Thomas is 4/1 with Betway to be ‘top US wildcard points scorer’.

In terms of Ryder Cup betting, if you’d rather avoid the more obvious Ryder Cup picks and look for some more value in the Ryder Cup odds and markets I have a few potential bets further down the preview.

Ryder Cup history

In 1926 a casual conversation in a bar at Wentworth led to the first official Ryder Cup taking place in 2027, with English businessman Samuel Ryder donating the trophy. Initially the Ryder Cup was contested between Great Britain and America, then Ireland joined the fold. Since then, with Europe joining proceedings in 1979 we’ve seen several narratives play out. 

From the “Miracle at Medinah” to the record setting US victory at Whistling Straits in 2021, the Ryder Cup down the years has thrown up several storylines and key moments. 

The US win 14.5 to 13.5 at Brookline in 1999 was arguably the most memorable moment in Ryder Cup history as the US completed the biggest comeback in the books. It became known as the “Battle of Brookline” but was largely remembered for a US invasion of the 17th green after Justin Leonard holed a key putt from long range.

The biggest winning margin in the Ryder Cup came four years ago as Steve Stricker’s US side beat Padraig Harrington's European team 19-9 at Whistling Straits. At the K Club in 2006, Ian Woosnam's European side hammered Tom Lehman’s US team 18.5 points to 9.5 points.

Graeme McDowell holed the winning putt for an eventual one-point victory at Celtic Manor in 2010 for Europe while Thomas Bjorn’s course set up was a master stroke in France in 2018. In 2008 at Valhalla, US captain Paul Azinger was similarly impressive, masterminding a 16.5-11.5 win over old foe Nick Faldo. 

Overall, America leads the (now) Europeans 27-15 in terms of Ryder Cup wins. 

Ryder Cup 2025 odds 

The Ryder Cup winning margin has averaged 5.5 points since the turn on the century, but I expect a closer margin this time around. General Ryder Cup odds to win are USA 4/6, Europe 13/8, with the tie priced at 12/1 with Ladbrokes. 

Odds of 9/5 with Spreadex in my opinion is a great value price on a European win despite history siding with the home team. In terms of course fit and set up I can’t see any advantage for either side, no matter how the course is playing.

I think on paper the European side is better and 11 out of the 12 played together in Rome. The captain is the same and Donald already knows who gels together in terms of teams. 

The ‘handicap’ or ‘winning margin’ might be a better bet and you can get Europe by 1-3 points at 4/1 with Ladbrokes, with the +1.5 handicap for the European side available at evens with Spreadex.

Although home advantage is historically huge, you can get 11/8 at Betway on Europe to fly out of the blocks and lead after day one if you fancy the away side to start fast.

Ryder Cup top points scorers

Patrick Cantlay has won almost 70% of his potential points in the Ryder Cup and he and good friend Xander Schauffele have formed a dynamic duo in terms of pairings. Notably Cantlay finished t3 at Bethpage in the 2019 PGA Championship. 

He finished the 2025 PGA Tour season ninth in ‘strokes gained total’ and was recently second at the Tour Championship and therefore second in the FedEx Cup.

The American’s individual Ryder Cup record reads five wins, two losses and one tie. He’s won his two singles matches against Shane Lowry and Justin Rose. Back Cantlay for ‘top wildcard points scorer’ at 6/1 with Spreadex.

Tommy Fleetwood grabbed his maiden victory in the US at the Tour Championship, becoming the FedEx Cup champion. Fleetwood owns an individual match winning percentage of 58.3% in his three Ryder Cups and has seven wins to his name. Only Tony Finau has beaten him in singles.

The Liverpudlian ranks fourth in ‘strokes gained tee to green in 2025’ and sits in the top 20 in both ‘strokes gained around the green’ and ‘scrambling’, where he holes out 63.3% of the time.

In top points scorer markets, we want players that will play five matches, and Fleetwood is likely to do so. Back Fleetwood to be ‘top European points scorer’ at 11/2 with Betfred.

Speaking of players who might play four or five matches, Cameron Young is from New York, and he won the New York State Open at Bethpage Black as an amateur, which included shooting a then course record of 64. 

Young knows how to get it done around the Black course, ranking 30th in ‘strokes gained off the tee’ and the home support will be out in full for the American rookie.

Young tied for fourth in the FedEx Cup with eight top 10s amassed this season. He is currently a top 20 in the world player with his maiden PGA Tour win coming at the recent Wyndham Championship. He’s kept his form going with a top 10 finish at the Procore Championship.

Cameron Young is 11/4 with Coral and Ladbrokes for ‘top rookie points scorer’.

FIRST’s recommended Ryder Cup betting sites and welcome offers

Get the best betting welcome offers as Team USA and Team Europe prepare for battle in the 2025 Ryder Cup from New York.

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Odds correct at the time of writing.