The Presidents Cup heads to the Southeast for the first time as the Americans ready to host the International Team at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The United States has a stranglehold on this event, sporting an 11-1-1 record with eight wins in a row on its resume. They are also 7-0-0- on home soil. Having said all that, it’s easy to see why they currently sit at -700 favorites on the betting board.
The world is well aware of the talent gap between these two teams. So much so, that the odds are shifted a little too far in the direction of the Americans, in my opinion. So, where do we find value on the betting board? There are a couple of spots that catch my eye.
Top Rookie Points Scorer: Corey Conners +1200
I think Team USA is easily the team to beat, so why am I trotting out an International Team rookie as my first play? My thought process here is that with the American side being so loaded, they have the liberty of resting their players more. During the 2019 edition there were only three Americans that played all five matches while five from the International squad were continually tapped. That was during a tight match in Australia so if the Americans get up early, it becomes even easier to rest the stars.
That leaves me with eight International rookies to choose from and Conners is the one that stands out. He has the most total strokes gained ball-striking over the last four years, of anyone playing in the event this week. That steady striking will likely pop off the page when the analytics team is piecing together pairings. The putter is always a huge wildcard but that’s a risk I’m willing to take for a 12/1 shot in the top rookie market.
Team to Lead After Day One: Team USA -250
The opening session is five matches of foursomes. That is a format that the Americans have dominated over the years (83.5 US to 49.5 INTL). The United States is not thinking they can coast to an easy win this week so I think they come out firing on Thursday and set the tone with 3 or 4 early points.
Top International Captain’s Picks Point Scorer: Taylor Pendrith +400
This is a somewhat correlated play with the Conners pick above. If Conners does well this week, then his fellow Canadian and best man will likely be along for the ride at some point. It’s to be noted that Conners is paired with Sungjae Im on day one and Pendrith is with Mito Pereira. Pendrith was picked up by Captain Immelman due to his length off the tee and overall course fit at Quail Hollow. It would be silly to waste that course fit by sitting him on the bench all week.
