Ryder Cup Betting / Paul Krishnamurty / 03 October 2010 /

They have to start eventually, so Paul Krishnamurty has looked and who's hot and who's not ahead of the Ryder Cup singles matches....

Confusion still reigns at Celtic Manor as the rain buckets down. Play will not resume until noon at the earliest, and the singles are certain to carry on through until Monday. The list of singles matches will not be announced until the current third session is complete. Consequently, whereas normally I'd be running through that list for the best final day bets, all I can offer is some broader tips about which players to back, and which to lay. At least, with two Europeans in the first category, and three Americans in the second, there's barely any possibility of them drawing one another.

Three to back

Ross Fisher

For my money, Ross was the best player on the park yesterday, providing the spark needed to coax playing partner Padraig Harrington into some desperately needed form. Fisher is enjoying his Ryder Cup debut, as predicted by our own Mike Norman. Unlike most opponents, he relishes bad weather golf, and seems particularly well suited to matchplay. His singles record in this discipline is very impressive, reaching the semis on his WGC-Accenture Matchplay debut in 2009, before winning the Volvo-sponsored version later that year. I'll be backing him no matter which American he faces.

Ian Poulter

For a man who comes across as egotistical, Poulter seems to adapt well to this team event. Just as at Valhalla last time, his golf has been excellent and his on-course persona inspiring. The fans love all that fist-pumping, and his match is sure to be followed by a noisy crowd. Poulter's matchplay singles record is outstanding, winning both previous Ryder Cup singles and 18 out of 25 matches in the WGC Matchplay, of which he is the reigning champion.

Stewart Cink

Forming an excellent partnership with rookie Matt Kuchar, Cink has been one of the most impressive American performers so far, and looks one of their best chances of a final day point. His previous singles record in the Ryder Cup has been disappointing, winning only one out of four, but his wider matchplay record suggests he's getting better with age at this discipline. Cink has won 18 of his last 24 matches at the WGC Matchplay. Moreover, the former Open champ is one of the few Americans with prowess in this terrible weather.

Three to oppose

Phil Mickelson

How frustrating yesterday, to pick out Mickelson as a man to oppose and then see him draw another player on the same list. I do feel vindicated, though, because Lefty offered very little. A cold, wet British day is never likely to bring out the best in him, and there's no reason to think Sunday or Monday will be any different. For a player of his stature, Mickelson's matchplay record is ordinary. He's won three out of seven possible Ryder Cup singles points, and never reached the semi-finals of the WGC Matchplay.

Tiger Woods

Nobody could accuse Tiger Woods of being unsuited to matchplay, although he has been more vulnerable in it than strokeplay, probably due to the format's levelling tendencies. We aren't talking about the same Tiger that has dominated the last decade, though. Granted, his partnership with Steve Stricker won their first two points, but I felt Stricker was doing much the better work. By Saturday evening, as they floundered against Donald and Westwood, Tiger looked lost once again. Whoever faces Woods is likely to earn a couple of holes purely on the basis of his mistakes.

Jim Furyk

Now Furyk is a man with some matchplay pedigree, winning three-quarters of his six available points in Ryder Cup singles, although equally he has never reached the last-eight in the World Matchplay. Having won last week's Tour Championship in the rain, I suspect he will be a popular pick for punters. However, I think the weather may work against him this week. Furyk's one great weakness is a lack of power off the tee, and the longer this course gets, the more that disadvantage could tell. In matchplay, it is quite a psychological blow to be playing your second shot 30 yards behind your opponent.

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