Presidents Cup predictions: Two long-shot picks for Royal Montreal

You could be forgiven for not realizing that the Presidents Cup is this weekend. The NFL and college football are now in full swing, the MLB playoffs are on the horizon and the NHL regular season is around the corner.The weather is cooler, there are leaves in the street and kids are doing homework.

Golf is pretty far from most people’s minds right now. It also doesn’t help that the past PGA Tour season left golf fans wanting more.Professional golf is at a bit of a crossroads right now, but a compelling international tournament at an iconic venue could be just what the doctor ordered for a sport that needs to recapture some momentum. At first glance, the 2024 Presidents Cup doesn’t seem likely to be all that compelling.

Team USA is a heavy favorite (-250 in three-way betting at DraftKings, -320 to lift the trophy) over the Internationals — despite the underdog having “home-course advantage” with the event taking place at Royal Montreal, the oldest golf course in North America. Those odds seem about fair when you consider how dominant the Americans have been in this event.The Stars & Stripes have won the last nine Presidents Cups and boast a 12-1-1 record overall. Furthermore, the U.S.just has a more talented team, top to bottom, than the Internationals.

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are ranked first, second and fourth, respectively, in the Official World Golf Rankings, while Hideki Matsuyama is the only player ranked inside the top 15 of the OWGR for the Internationals. Golf is a funky sport and there’s plenty of variance in this kind of setup, but it’s hard to see the Internationals flipping the script on the Americans this weekend. Laying -295 on a tournament like this isn’t my style, but I’d hardly argue against anybody who wants to throw the Americans in a parlay to lengthen the payout. That said, there are some much more exciting ways to find betting value in the prop markets.Here are my 2024 Presiden...