Ryder Cup Betting Zone / Steven Rawlings / 02 October 2010 /

Monty's men fight back with a vengeance but it can all change....

The surprise story from the first set of fourballs was the defeat of Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington by Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton. Pod was truly awful and Colin Montgomerie's decision to choose him over Paul Casey and Justin Rose was again questioned. But even if Pod had been firing on all cylinders they'd have still struggled to contain the US young guns.

Jeff Overton won the majority of their holes but Bubba provided the humour. When asked after the win whether they'd asked to play together the congenial left-hander replied "No. I don't even like him, look at him, he's ugly!"

As a US backer, I was delighted to see members of the team so relaxed and I'm starting to see why fellow columnist Dan Geraghty's such a massive Bubba fan.

The Americans led after the opening fourballs by 2 ½ to 1 ½, which I hoped was a good omen, but there was no time to start dreaming. Play would continue very soon after the second session pairings were announced - I had to get a shift on.

The first bet I struck was on Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan to beat the Molinari brothers at [2.66]. Hunter was one of my picks to be Top American Scorer and I'd fancied Zach to do well too, so I was always going to like that pairing.

Although the Italians started nervously and were two down with seven to play, they rallied well and drew level on the 16th. But then Zach Johnson made a lengthy putt on the 17th to seize the imitative back, before going on to birdie the last. It was a winning wager and a bit of a relief.

I also backed Jim Furyk and Rickie Fowler against Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer. I can't say I was confident but [3.20] was simply too big and although the pair managed a half that was the most they were ever going to get. They were behind for the entire match after losing the 2nd and only drew level on the last hole.

I couldn't quite see why Matt Kuchar and Stewart Cink were as big as they were playing the Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, given that they'd almost beaten them in the first session - [2.78] looked more than fair.

In a tie that swung one way then the other and eventually in favour of the Americans, I don't think I'm being too harsh when I say that McIlroy was responsible for the loss. He missed a tiddler on the penultimate hole, after Cink had made an absolute bomb for birdie and then he completely flunked his crucial approach shot on the final hole. As it transpired it looks like his frail finish was a real turning point - Europe haven't looked back since!

I'd forgotten just how much this contest ebbed and flowed and how unbelievably fast the momentum shifts. At 1.30pm the Americans briefly went favourites before drifting back out. Then at 3.09pm they went odds on for the first time. At the end of the second session, they led 6 - 4 and were trading at around [1.85] - I toyed with laying my stakes back but decided not to bother. That now looks like a bad call.

My only session three wager is on Zach and Hunter again, this time against G-Mac and Rory, but it looks a lost cause already - they're three down through seven.

I always find it hard to back against the team I've backed to win the event in the individual matches but I was very tempted by the Molinari brothers in session three's fourballs at over [2.5], but I just felt that the momentum their opponents Cink and Kuchar might have, coming off their last-gasp win against G-Mac and Rory might just negate the value, so I left them alone. Another bad call it seems as the Italians currently lead, as do, quite incredibly, ALL the European pairings.

When dusk fell and play stopped the leaderboard was awash with blue and Captain Monty may not sleep brilliantly but he'll wake up smiling. Currently trading at [1.49], Team Europe are firmly in the driving seat and unlikely as it seems I've just got to hope they somehow crash.

I shall go to bed early tonight with fingers crossed, not just for an American resurgence but also for a relatively dry day tomorrow. The forecasts still not great but we can but hope. To run into Monday would be a real shame.

Play resumes again first thing in the morning and I'll be back around lunchtime with a live blog once the singles get underway.

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