Ryder Cup preview: Americans don't do 'underdog', it's all a big trick

Let’s get right down to it: it’s got to be America. Not that I think they are definite winners, just that I think they are the better bet for one simple reason. If they win you get more money - more than 2.4 against 1.9 for the Europeans.

Did anyone catch the biggest bet in golf history going on the Americans Thursday? Some Brit with deep pockets stands to win just over $1m if the Stars and Stripes ends on top. But he’s had to risk half of that for the privilege (gulp).

For all the arguments about who has the better matchplay form, who are the better team players, who has the greater Ryder Cup experience, we are really none the wiser about who this time around has the “X-factor” that really wins these kind of events. On that score things look as evenly poised as I can imagine and so, from a betting perspective, the Americans offer a better risk/reward ratio.

I really don’t buy this American underdog nonsense they’ve been touting. Sorry, but Yanks don’t do underdog and you can bet a year’s salary it’s part of a deliberate policy to take off the pressure and fool the opposition.

I’ve even read reports that the Americans don’t really care too much about winning the cup - after all, there’s no money in it and little glory back home if they do. I know better - I have in front of me a photograph of that notorious day they ran riot across the 17th at Brookline in a premature victory dance as a quietly fuming Jose Maria Olazabal waited to putt.

Neither are the Europeans convincing as favourites: it’s such an alien concept. And straight off I wonder if they haven’t missed a trick by putting Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington up against Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk. (I know these are blind lists but I’m sure Ian Woosnam figured who would top the American one). Call me cynical, but I’d have put my two weakest picks first in the hopes of catching these two and saving my best firepower for the remaining matches. I’m also a bit intrigued that Lee Westwood is favoured over Luke Donald.

I was worried for a while that the weather might upset my plans. It’s hard to imagine the storm raging just a few hundred miles from where I’m sweating in sunny London. But the forecasts suggest the bad weather is going to ease over the weekend, supposedly reducing the advantage to the Europeans who revel in this kind of stuff. The wind could continue to play some tricks however.

The market suggests it’s all square day one, but I’m going for the Woods and Phil Mickelson pairings to win and the Americans to get at least a half from the remaining two. The best individual bet I can see is a lay of Darren Clarke and Westwood against the Mickelson/Chris DiMarco duo, although an offer of more than 3 on David Toms and Brett Wetterich is rather tempting, especially if you can follow them in-play. Those two may well spring a surprise.

Anyway, thank goodness the phoney war is over at last. I’ve almost read myself to death about this one.

Let battle commence.