Golf World Champions Cup Preview, Betting Odds and Predictions
Who will lead their team to glory at the inaugural World Champions Cup?
The inaugural World Champions Cup is set to get underway at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida this week, with the world’s best legacy players converging on the Sunshine State for the debut of this new annual golf event that is sure to capture the imagination of sports fans and golf betting enthusiasts, alike.
Think Ryders Cup. But for the over 50 set!
This first-of-its-kind international team golf tournament for “seniors” will run from Dec 7-10, featuring three teams (Team USA, Team International, and Team Europe) competing in a three-day stroke play tournament.
Captaining Team USA is Jim Furyk, while captain Ernie Els leads Team International and captain Darren Clarke heads up Team Europe.
Among the game’s glitterati polishing their golf clubs for participation are household names such as Bernhard Langer, Steve Stricker, Colin Montgomerie, and Vijay Singh, to name a few.
In this column, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know. We preview this highly anticipated golfing extravaganza from concept to inception. We delve into the format and teams, weigh in on the Top 5 golfers that could lead their team to glory, analyze the current betting odds powered by BUSR sportsbook, and (dare we be so bold?) make some early predictions for your consideration.
Let’s get started….
World Champions Cup Odds To Win Outright
Golf Tournament: World Champions Cup
Location: Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida
Date: Dec 7-10
TV Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+ and ABC
Oddsmakers were quick to put the World Champions Cup tournament on their books with pre-tournament golf odds.
ODDS TO WIN THE WORLD CHAMPIONS CUP
USA +135
International +175
Europe +225
Predictably, the host nation USA emerges as the favorite at +135 to win outright. A star-studded cast spearhead by Captain Jim Furyk and home advantage has the Americans cornering the betting markets.
However, Team International nip at their heels at +175 to win outright, while Team Europe on +225 odds is the so-called underdogs of the competition despite being flush of Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup victories in 2023.
The Teams
Hall of Famers Furyk, Els, and Clarke each captain a six-man team. The teams are now confirmed and as follows:
Team USA
• Captain: Jim Furyk
• Vice-Captain: Bill Andrade
• Players: Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Justin Leonard, Brett Quigley, and David Toms.
Team International
• Captain: Ernie Els (South Africa)
• Vice-Captain: Stuart Appleby (Australia)
• Players: Vijay Singh (Fiji); Steven Alker (New Zealand); Stephen Ames (Canada); K.J. Choi (South Korea); and Retief Goosen (South Africa).
Team Europe
• Captain: Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland)
•Vice-Captain: Jesper Parnevik (Sweden)
• Players: Colin Montgomerie (Scotland); Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain); Robert Karlsson (Sweden); Alex Cejka (Germany); and Bernhard Langer (Germany).
World Champions Cup Analysis and Bold Predictions
Team USA +135
Although Team USA is favored to win this inaugural competition, they’re not a sure bet to win by any means.
Captain Furyk brings a depth of experience as a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour, which includes winning the 2008 US Open. He is also a three-time PGA Tour Champions winner, highlighted by a triumphant run at both the Open Championship 2021 Senior US Open.
Furyk has flown the flag for the USA on numerous occasions over his decorated career: seven Presidents Cups and nine Ryder Cups, including captaining the 2018 Ryder Cup team.
Steve Stricker and David Toms, two of the Top 8 Champions Tour money winners, are great additions to Team USA, underscoring the squad’s value as the pre-tournament favorites.
Stricker is No.1 on the Charles Schwab Cup money list with six victories and a whopping $3, 986, 063 to his credit. Toms is seventh in the standings with two victories and $1,910,508 in prize money.
Team International +175
Team International Captain Els is an eight-time Presidents Cup participant and a World Golf Hall of Famer. He is fourth overall on the money list with two titles and $2, 166, 383 banked.
Bettors can’t overlook Team International, especially considering the depth of talent contained within and their tempting golf betting odds to upset the USA.
Els will lead a stacked team that features Steven Alker (No. 2 on the money list with two titles and $2, 607, 089 in prize money) and Stephen Ames (ranked fifth with four titles and $2, 130, 194 pocketed). Indeed, the Internationals arguably arrive in Florida in top form.
Team Europe +225
Although Captain Clarke, the 2011 Open Championships winner, is just No. 23 in the standings with just $958, 030 to show for his efforts, Team Europe will be motivated. Not only by its Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup victories in 2023 but by the addition of the ageless wonder Bernhard Langer.
Langer is No. 3 on the money list with two titles and $2, 240, 016 to his credit. He recently clinched his 46th PGA Tour Champions title at the 2023 Senior US Open behind a two-stroke victory over Stricker. Thus, surpassing Hale Irwin in the record books for most titles in PGA Tour Champions history.
Europe’s bid will be augmented by two more Top 10 golfers – No. 9 Alex Cejka (with one title, nine holes, and $1, 655, 683) and No. 10 Miguel Angel Jimenez ($1,562,365).
Indeed, Team Europe could prove to be the value bet for your golf picks when all is said and done.
The World Champions Cup, a Peter Jacobsen vision
The World Champions Cup is the brainchild of Peter Jacobsen, a former PGA Tour and PGA Champions Tour player, and a long-standing golf analyst for NBC as well.
The concept for an over-50 tournament first struck Jacobson in 2019, drawing inspiration from the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and Solheim Cup – the three team events that are a staple on the annual golfing calendar and a big money draw for the sport’s governing bodies, players, networks and, even, sports betting sites.
Jacobsen joined forces with his good friend Charlie Besser. Besser is the Chairman and CEO of Intersport, a well-established company with a tradition of success in creating long-running sporting events. While it took them the better part of five years to bring this visionary team tournament to golf fans around the world –in part due to the unforeseen delays brought on by the global pandemic in 2020 – golf fans can finally rejoice.
“The Intersport team has worked tirelessly to create, refine, and launch this competition, and we are excited for fans of the game to be able to experience it for years to come,” said Intersport Chairman and CEO Besser in a statement. “The World Champions Cup embodies Intersport’s core of creating events that last decades and providing one-of-a-kind experiences for fans. We’re looking forward to bringing golf’s greatest rivalries to a global stage this December.”
The PGA Tour officially announced the event in 2023. The President of the PGA Tour Miller Brady called it a “tremendous addition to the game of golf” and a unique opportunity for fans “to see the game’s greatest stars compete against one another on the global stage” in a joint press release with Intersport.
ESPN and ABC have picked up the event and sportsbooks across the board have responded in kind by rolling out golf futures odds for bettors to sink their teeth into.
In the meantime, Jacobson, a seven-time PGA Tour winner, will serve as the Chairman of the World Champions Cup. Call it a perk of being its creator.
The World Champions Cup Format
The fourth team major on the global golf calendar is the first-ever three-team tournament. By contrast, the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and Solheim Cup are two-team competitions.
The format will span singles, best ball, and scotch foursomes in the battle for the tournament trophy. Nine-hole matches will be played in the morning and afternoon with a point up for grabs for each hole won.
Prize Money
Each player on the winning team will receive $100,000 and an individual replica of the trophy.
The second-placed team will see its players receive $75,000 each whereas players on the third-placed team will each receive $50,000.
How can I watch the World Champions Cup?
ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC will alternatively air the World Champions Cup from the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida between Dec 7-10.
Dec 7-8
Thursday and Friday’s schedule of play features morning sessions of a best ball competition. That will stream live on ESPN+ from 9 am to 12 pm Eastern Time (ET).
On these same days, the afternoon session, which features a modified alternate shot format, will be aired live on ESPN from 12 pm to 4 pm ET .
Dec 9
Saturday will be a Pro-Am that will be aired on ESPN+ from 12 pm to 2 pm ET.
Dec 10
Single matches will feature on Sunday’s slate of live golf. The morning session will be televised on ESPN+ from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm ET. Then, ABC will take over for the afternoon finale of singles matches from 1 pm to 5 pm ET.