Ryder Cup Predictions: Aberg To Shine, USA To End 30 Year Drought And Thomas To ‘Prove Doubters Wrong’

The Ryder Cup is almost underway, with 24 of the best from Europe and USA descending on Marco Simone Golf & Country Club for the 44th edition of the iconic team event.

Obviously, with so much hype surrounding the tournament, there is set to be drama galore, as well as a number of points secured. However, what could happen? Who might stand out and play a pivotal part in deciding the end result? Well, at Golf Monthly, we have asked our staff for their predictions on what may play out.

Given that the event starts Friday, anything can happen and these predictions will no doubt cause argument and disagreement so, if you also have an opinion on the matter, let us know via our social channels.

Neil Tappin

LUDVIG ABERG TO SHINE

Reports have claimed that Ludvig Aberg could be paired with Jon Rahm or Viktor Hovland, put simply, the World No.3 and 4. Obviously, the key to becoming a good Ryder Cup player is finding a good partner and, at the BMW PGA Championship, Hovland and Aberg were paired together for the first two days, with Hovland stating that the Swede "doesn't look scared of the moment."

Aberg is one of the in-form players in the world right now and strong in all areas. It looks like he’s going to be paired with a couple of our strongest players, so expect him to be one of the key assets within the European side.

Joel Tadman

JT TO PICK UP POINTS

I think this is going to be a closely contested battle. Much like last week’s Solheim Cup, I feel like the final score will be close and Europe are going to need to dig deep on the final day to regain the trophy. My gut tells me that USA will take a narrow lead into Sunday, with JT proving his doubters wrong by picking up at least a couple of points.

For Europe, Aberg will be the star, but Rahm and Hovland will be among the top points scorers. I sincerely hope Matt Fitzpatrick can get the monkey off his back and secure his first Ryder Cup point by the end of day one, potentially alongside the experienced Justin Rose in foursomes.

Tom Clarke

COLLIN MORIKAWA TO PLAY PIVOTAL ROLE

Team Europe should be very wary of Collin Morikawa at the Marco Simone layout. We are already aware that the rough is going to be up and that the fairways are going to narrow in the landing zone for tee shots. Therefore, accuracy from the tee is likely to be vital and, on the PGA Tour last year, Morikawa ranked second for fairways hit at 69.55% (747 hit from a possible 1,074). 

Morikawa shone in the 2021 Ryder Cup, winning three matches and halving his singles match. He is missing his partner from that week, Dustin Johnson, who of course is not picked, but there will likely be a queue of his team mates volunteering to be paired with Morikawa. Whoever gets the nod will likely be one of the strongest groupings this year.

Elliott Heath

USA TO WIN CLOSE CONTEST

While I’m sure Europe will put up a hell of a fight this week and be buoyed by the home crowd, I think Zach Johnson’s Team USA might just be too strong with their depth. 

They’ll have been inspired by Stacy Lewis’s US Solheim Cup team’s efforts in Spain last week, too, and all they have to do is match the 14-14 score line. Player-wise, I think Justin Thomas will more than justify his pick and Major winning rookies Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman will surely bring home some points.

Sam Tremlett

OPEN CHAMP TO MAKE AN IMPACT

The first player that came to my head was Harman; he holes everything, he ranked 11th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy in the 2022-23 season and being in the fairway is everything at Marco Simone.

Also, I think he had an amazing matchplay record as an amateur and at college, and I think his personality is one of a dog, he fights for everything and doesn't give up. He would be one player I wouldn't want to face at all, especially if he is paired with Scottie Scheffler or someone like that. Score-wise, I think 16-12 to the USA.

Nick Bonfield

EXPERIENCE COUNTS FOR EVERYTHING

Score-wise, I believe that Europe will edge it 15-13 and I have to say that I'm quite confident that Europe will regain the Ryder Cup. By now, we all know the Americans haven't won on this side of the Atlantic since 1993 and something that's often overlooked is their lack of experience on courses like Marco Simone. Yes, they are adept on links layouts, but most of them won't have played on courses like this week's host venue. 

What's more, Luke Donald and Dodo Molinari will have crunched the data to create a course set-up that America's team won't be overly comfortable on. How did they get on with the thick rough presented to them at Le Golf National in 2018? Not well. As for best performers, I can see Nicolai Hojgaard playing a starring role in the foursomes, and I think Tyrrell Hatton could be this year's Tommy Fleetwood.

Joe Ferguson

JUSTIN ROSE COULD BE A STANDOUT

For me, these sides are very evenly matched and I think the difference maker will be the home advantage so I am going for a 15-13 European win. One of the key factors is experience and I think Justin Rose could be a standout for Europe. He's flying very much under the radar, but his experience in this environment will be huge.

Something about how he qualified tells me that Bob Macintyre has destiny on his side too, so I am going for him to sink the winning putt! Lastly, driving is a premium this week and I can see Jordan Spieth performing below his usually high Ryder Cup standards.

Andy Wright

WORLD NO.1 TO BE THE MVP

He has been the World No. 1 for what has felt like an eternity yet people still don't seem to give Scottie Scheffler the credit he deserves. Despite his putting woes last season, he still won twice and amassed an incredible amount of top 10s. 

He's been spotted at Marco Simone working with renowned coach Phil Kenyon and his basics already look markedly better. On a course as penal as this for wayward shots, I expect him to be a thorn in Europe's side and go 4-0-0.

Sam De'Ath

CAN USA HANDLE THE EUROPE PRESSURE?

I really think this is going to be one of the closest Ryder Cups we have seen in a while. I expect the Europeans to come out firing on all cylinders and, with quite a few of the Americans, including Cantlay, Scheffler and Morikawa, having not played a Ryder Cup on European soil, it will be interesting to see how they handle the expected noise from the crowd. 

Despite lacking in form and the topic of conversation when it came to the captain’s picks, I think Justin Thomas will excel under the pressure and play a crucial role in the USA’s hopes of retaining the trophy. I do think Luke Donald’s team will ‘clutch up’ on home soil and replicate the score in Medinah of 14.5 to 13.5.

Jonny Leighfield

MCILROY V CLARK

My heart says Europe 15-13, but my head says USA by the same scoreline. This contest will ultimately be decided by who can keep their ball on the shortest grass the most, I think. The rough is verging on unplayable in some areas, so guys like Brian Harman and Collin Morikawa - players who live to find the fairway - could end up having a big say. The Europeans average almost three yards more off the tee, but the Americans find the centre cut around half a per cent more often so, in a contest which will undoubtedly be incredibly close, winning on those fine margins could be pivotal. 

Given all the talking they’ve done before the match begins, you hope both Rory McIlroy and Wyndham Clark enjoy big weeks. I would love to see them put head-to-head on Sunday for not only a Ryder Cup point but also bragging rights. I can’t see either struggling for too long, no matter what, but in a face-off between the pair there is only going to be one winner - McIlroy.

Matt Cradock

TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Both teams are arguably a lot different to what we all thought they would be 18 months ago, with the emergence of both European and American players making this a mouth-watering prospect. 

I feel the tournament will be won and lost with the rookies. The top 13 in the world are all present but, in the rookie department, Europe are slightly more youthful (22, 23, 27 & 30), whilst the USA holds the cards in terms of experience amongst their rookies (27, 29, 32 & 36). Personally, I think youth will triumph in this battle, Aberg, Hojgaard and Straka are flushers and MacIntyre has won on this course before, but the score will not be more than two points difference.