Ryder Cup Spread Betting Preview

It's traditionally very hard to win away from home in the Ryder Cup, although the European team managed to in 1995. Whether you agree with the bookies that Team USA will emerge victorious, or fancy Team Europe to keep hold of the Cup, it can be hard to find any real value if you want a decent punt.This is where spread betting comes into its own, as it allows you to bet with or against a team or player. Before giving you details of some of the spreads markets you can bet on, as well as the massive free bet offers available from Sporting Index, we spoke to the Senior Golf Market Maker at Sporting for a bit of insight ahead of the competition.Oakland Hills - a Trader's Tips"American captain Hal Sutton has been promising to stir things up to try and foster a strong team spirit. He admires what Seve has done in the past, and although he's wary of a repeat of the rowdy scenes from Brookline in '99, Sutton realises that a strong team spirit can be a key factor in winning. On the European side, Langer is of course renowned for his meticulous play and planning, so Team Europe will be run with typical German precision. It remains to be seen whether he can motivate the players as effectively as Ballesteros, but with Haeggman, Bjorn and Forsbrand assisting that should not be a big issue. The more important issue is who he pairs together, and his strategy going into the singles on the last day."I must admit I was surprised that Sutton chose to include Jay Haas in his team. Although Haas can certainly hit the ball straight, he has little Ryder Cup experience, didn't play well in the President's Cup last year and doesn't inspire me. Fred Funk is also an interesting choice. He's not the most popular among the rest of the squad, and although he's had some good results recently he is not a strong match - or team - player. Any European player drawn against either of these two will feel confident."Looking at the Europeans, Ian Poulter hasn't been in spectacular form recently, and missed the cut by 8 shots last weekend at the German Masters. Personally, I will be betting against him this weekend - his lack of experience, combined with a hot-headed reputation will make it hard for him. He'll miss his natural partner, Justin Rose, who would normally help him absorb the pressure. Similarly, Paul McGinley has not impressed recently, but this could just be the result of the sheer number of tournaments he has taken part in - some fatigue is inevitable. These are, however, only relatively minor gripes."Team USA clearly have the two strongest players in Woods and Mickelson, which is why they are the favourites to emerge victorious on Sunday. Both of these are sure to play in all the foursome and four-ball matches, and the USA are always strong at the singles. For Europe, Harrington is the strongest player, but not quite in the same class as Woods or Mickelson - Langer's team will rely on their more consistent squad to carry them through."As for the venue, Oakland Hills is an old-style American course, with large, undulating slick greens and relatively long rough, probably up to about 10cm. It will certainly play well for the accurate hitters and good putters, so will suit the American style more than the Europeans - but not by a significant amount. The current outlook also suggests that weather will not be a major factor for the players."We're backing Team USA to win because of the home advantage, but you cannot ignore the depth in the European squad and there is value to be found by backing Langer's men. For the match betting, I expect to see a lot of sharp punters monitoring individual players' form over the first two days, and then betting against the poorer players in the singles on Sunday."For anyone interested in a tip, I like the look of Luke Donald. He's showing the best form out of all the European players, and is very well suited to this type of course - which is why Langer picked him. I expect him to be paired with Monty, which will provide a good mixture of youth and experience. Donald's style is similar to that of Montgomerie's two previous partners, Lawrie and Langer, and he has got to be worth backing."Top European Points ScorerSporting Index offer a huge range of markets to bet on, and one of the most popular is the Top Points Scorer for each team.This market is run on an Index, which awards points to each player depending on where he finishes. For the Top European Points Scorer, the points are:1st = 50 points2nd = 30 points3rd = 20 points4th = 10 pointsOther = 0 pointsAt the time of writing, the spreads for the top players in this market are:Garcia 13 to 16 pointsClarke 12 to 15 pointsHarrington 12 to 15 pointsJimenez 10 to 13 pointsDonald 10 to 13 pointsWestwood 9 to 12 pointsMontgomerie 9 to 12 pointsIf you wanted to back Garcia to be the Top European Points Scorer, then you would "Buy" (bet high) at 16 points, for a stake of say £5 per point. If you're right and he takes the glory by getting the most points for the team, then he'd be awarded 50 points on this index. You would then win (50 - 16) x £5 = 34 x £5 = £170.Even if he finished as the second highest scorer, you'd still be a winner as he would be awarded 30 points, and you would get (30 - 16) x £5 = 14 x £5 = £70. However, if he came in fourth place, then you would lose (16 - 10) x £5 = 6 x £5 = £30 etc.Free Ryder Cup BetThe above is just one example of the huge range of markets available from Sporting Index, many of which are updated live in-running. If you open an account now, they are offering a choice of free bets, including:2 free £100 per Goal Football BetsOrFree £10 per Position Golf BetOr£100 free CashbackAll clients can also take advantage of the Ryder Cup special:Place four or more match bets on the Ryder Cup fourballs or foursomes on Friday or Saturday, and Sporting will give you a free bet (to your average stake) on any match on Sunday.So what are you waiting for? For full details of the above offers, and to open your account, click here http://ict.sportingindex.com/scripts/ict.dll?click?takearisk_sp0