FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Black Course at Bethpage State Park will take center stage this week, but the prevalent color walking around the 45th Ryder Cup is red.

Everywhere you turn, from grandstands to hospitality tents, there are structures teeming with bright red. The Americans are home this week, eager to win back the trophy in what has increasingly become an event where the outcome hinges on the host rotation.

Save for a wild Sunday at Medinah in 2012, the home team has won every Ryder Cup for the last 20 years. In the five editions of the biennial competition since Medinah, the road team hasn’t come within five points.

Captains and players have come and gone, but the constant for more than 10 years has been that whichever team enjoys a home-field advantage maximizes it to the hilt before celebrating on Sunday.

It’s no surprise, then, to see the Americans as clear betting favorites to win back the Ryder Cup after a resounding defeat at the hands of Luke Donald’s squad in Italy two years ago. Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook list the Americans at -155 to win in a three-way market, a price that has begun to increase as the first matches draw near, while they’re -152 in the two-way market where a 14-14 tie would result in bets being refunded. A wire-to-wire American win – where Keegan Bradley’s squad leads after each of the first two days in addition to hoisting the trophy – pays +300.

Looking at the U.S. Team, one headlined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and including four of the last five major champions, there’s no shortage of betting options in the prop and secondary markets. Let’s take a look at some of the compelling choices on an abundant board to help you narrow the focus of your card ahead of Friday’s opening matches.

What to do with Scottie Scheffler?

For the Americans, all roads lead through Scottie Scheffler – right? Maybe not. Scheffler is unquestionably a dominant force in the game right now, but that dominance has not translated to team match-play settings. He’s 2-2-3 all-time in two Ryder Cup appearances and will certainly bring out the best of whichever Euros draw his tee time – look no further than the 9-and-7 drubbing Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg handed him and Brooks Koepka in Italy.

Scheffler seems likely to pair with Russell Henley in matches across the first two days, given they played together at last year’s Presidents Cup, played together at the Procore Championship two weeks ago and have practiced closely over the first two days.

They’ll almost assuredly be a part of Friday’s morning session as the competition gets going in front of a raucous crowd, but I’m still taking a bearish position on Scheffler within the betting markets. I think there’s value in Under 2.5 Points (+120) for Scheffler, given his match play record and the notion that Keegan Bradley may give his best player a session off at some point. (Then again, I’m sure there’s still a part of Bradley that wishes he went all five matches at Medinah as the hot hand in 2012).

Scheffler’s name carries brand recognition, and his odds have become absurdly low in stroke-play formats. While he’s still cashing outright tickets in the latter, I’m not as sold that the steep line adjustments are warranted this week.

All eyes on Justin Thomas

If Scheffler isn’t the rock for the Americans, who will it be? For my money, I’m looking to the veteran in the team room: Justin Thomas, who will be making his fourth appearance. Thomas has had an oddly mismatched 2025 season: great success most weeks, including a drought-breaking win at the RBC Heritage, but significant struggles in the majors. This is an opportunity for him to close out the year on a high note, as he makes just his second Ryder Cup appearance at home.

Thomas sits on the other side of the spectrum from Scheffler in these competitions, boasting a stout 7-3-2 record including a standout performance as a rookie in Paris in 2018. He seems likely to have a high-energy pairing with either Bryson DeChambeau or Ben Griffin, two options that could both lean into the partisan crowd elements. Thomas is no stranger to this particular arena, and on a team with four rookies, I expect players like Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa to shoulder a bit more of the load in addition to the bright spotlight on Scheffler.

Based on the betting markets, I’m most bullish on Thomas out of that group: Two Points or More (+100) feels like a strong target in the O/U market, given I expect him to play at least four matches. That also opens up some options in the Top Captain’s Pick markets, where Thomas is +470 (U.S. only) and +800 (overall) in a combined market that will also include talented Ryder Cup veterans in Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.

Which rookie will shine the brightest?

There are five rookies among the 24 players teeing it up this week, but four of them reside in the American team room: Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Russell Henley and U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun. (Rasmus Højgaard was in the background in Italy as his twin brother, Nicolai, played on the team.) Despite his major credentials, Spaun feels like a deserved outsider among the four Americans as Bradley looks to find a way to best slot him. One of my favorite bets of the week is on Griffin, who I expect to shine as a cap to the best year of his career. Whether he pairs with Thomas or another talented teammate, I think Griffin plays at least three and potentially four matches on a brawny course that could accentuate his advantages off the tee. Give me Griffin 1.5 Points or More (+100) as a bet that could cash by Saturday, let alone by the time the curtain drops on what oddsmakers expect to be another win for the home team.

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