Steve Palmer's free Presidents Cup predictions & golf betting tips

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When to bet on the Presidents Cup

By 4.35pm on Thursday

Where can I watch the Presidents Cup?

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 4.30pm Thursday

Steve Palmer's Presidents Cup predictions

The Internationals to win the Presidents Cup
3pts 13-5 Coral, Ladbrokes

The Internationals to win 16-14
1pt 18-1 bet365

Sam Burns top American
1pt 9-1 general

Tom Kim top International
1pt 15-2 general

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Steve Palmer's top tip

The Internationals 13-5

The Internationals have won only one of the 14 stagings of the Presidents Cup – and they have lost the last nine meetings – but Royal Montreal can provide the stage for a famous victory. Trust Mike Weir's men to stop the rot and humble Team USA.

The favourites appear a short price given the weaknesses in their line-up. A soft US tail can be exposed by a highly motivated and methodical Internationals squad. Away captain, Jim Furyk, who has clearly been reliant on gut instinct rather than analytics when assembling his squad, may preside over a second American flop.

Furyk was a poor Ryder Cup captain in 2018, when his dream team were crushed by a 17.5-10.5 scoreline in Paris. This week is his chance of redemption but things could easily go wrong for this dour character again. Team USA are carrying plenty of mental scars from another Ryder Cup mauling last year and they could be vulnerable if they get off to a difficult start in Canada.

Furyk's leadership is further undermined by the fact that the current Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley is teeing up as a player. Will Bradley be suggesting possible Ryder Cup pairings to Furyk? The Presidents Cup has traditionally been viewed as a warm-up for the more important contest against Europe, so Bradley would be within his rights to have some input.

Furyk's wildcard picks were questionable. Rather than blood exciting young talent such as Nick Dunlap, Akshay Bhatia and Davis Thompson, the American skipper opted for Bradley and out-of-form duo Brian Harman and Max Homa. Golfing politics means that Furyk is without Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka – while Billy Horschel starred at Wentworth last Sunday – so there can be no question that this American line-up is much weaker than it could be.

Harman and Homa have been dismal lately, an uncomfortable Bradley may flop, while Russell Henley could be overwhelmed by the occasion on his USA debut. The Internationals, led by a seemingly astute captain in Weir, appear the value option.

Weir has a strong Korean core to his team, with four dependable South Koreans who can be paired together. Adam Scott, the most experienced player in the competition, may form a strong all-Aussie alliance with Jason Day. Precise duo Corey Conners and Christiaan Bezuidenhout can be used to great effect in the foursomes, while powerhouse pair Taylor Pendrith and Min Woo Lee are explosive fourballs options.

Hideki Matsuyama, a colossus this year, can be another leading light for a balanced Internationals squad. On PGA Tour statistics this season, the three best putters in the Presidents Cup are all Internationals – Mackenzie Hughes, Pendrith and Day. There should be a premium on putting this week given the slope in the greens.

And home advantage could be hugely significant. The Internationals have a Canadian captain in Canada. Weir knows how to succeed in matchplay at Royal Montreal having defeated Tiger Woods in the 2007 Presidents Cup singles there. Weir was a great Presidents Cup player who can help his charges a lot this week.

The two best performances in the Internationals' Presidents Cup history came when they had a home captain – Aussie Peter Thomson oversaw victory in Melbourne in 1998 and South African Gary Player captained the side to a draw in his homeland in 2003. Canadian golf fans are loud and proud, as they show in the Canadian Open on the PGA Tour every year, and Weir can get the galleries heavily involved.

Top International

Tom Kim 15-2

South Korean sensation Tom Kim has slowly but surely rediscovered his A-game this year. He finished fourth in the Canadian Open in June and returns to the country this week nicely rested, having not played since the FedEx St Jude Championship.

A playoff defeat to Scottie Scheffler in the Travelers Championship at the end of June further cemented the Kim comeback. He was fearless on his Presidents Cup debut two years ago, linking up with Kyoung-Hoon Lee to defeat Scheffler and Sam Burns in the Saturday foursomes, then joining forces with Si Woo Kim to beat Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in the final fourballs.

Having beaten the best America has to offer away from home, Kim can make merry in a home fixture. Namesake Si Woo seems a natural partner. 

Top American

Sam Burns 9-1

The two best American pairings will probably be Scheffler and Burns, and Cantlay and Schauffele. Scheffler will want to play with his great friend Burns – and they will be extremely motivated to improve their record together for the States. They have not done themselves justice in tandem previously and will want to showcase the union before next year's Ryder Cup.

Burns finished the PGA Tour season in fine fettle, while Scheffler ended it as the FedEx Cup champion and emphatic world number one. Burns, a bigger price than Scheffler, Cantlay and Schauffele, looks terrific value.

Correct score

The Internationals to win 16-14 18-1

A narrow victory for the Internationals – perhaps by a two-point margin – looks the best course of action in the correct-score market.

Course guide for the Presidents Cup

• Course Blue Course, Royal Montreal, L'lle-Bizard, Quebec, Canada
• Length 7,319 yards
• Par 70 – two par-fives, 12 par-fours, four par-threes
• Field Two teams of 12, which each consist of six automatic qualifiers and six captain's wild-card selections
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Xander Schauffele (2), Collin Morikawa (4), Wyndham Clark (6), Hideki Matsuyama (7)
• Format There are 30 total points available. Each player must participate in at least one of the first four sessions. The matches are contested over 18-hole matchplay. Matches that are tied after 18 holes are deemed to be a draw, with each team receiving half a point. A 15-15 tie is possible, with the Cup shared in that scenario
• Schedule for the five sessions 4.35pm Thursday Five fourballs matches; 6.05pm Friday Five foursomes matches; 12.02pm Saturday Four fourballs matches; 6.40pm Saturday Four foursomes matches; 5.02pm Sunday 12 singles matches
• When to bet By 4.35pm on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 4.30pm Thursday
• Time difference Montreal is five hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview The Blue Course at Royal Montreal is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. Dick Wilson's creation has some large greens, but reaching them is not easy on this long par-70. The course has hosted a Presidents Cup before – a 19.5-14-5 USA victory in 2007. It has also staged numerous Canadian Opens, most recently in 2014 when Tim Clark edged Jim Furyk for the title. There are lots of approach shots to elevated, heavily contoured greens. The back nine is much more difficult than the front. The first missed cut of Tiger Woods's professional career came in the 1997 Canadian Open at Royal Montreal
• Story of 2022 USA romped to a 17.5-12.5 victory at Quail Hollow, North Carolina. The States were 8-2 up after two days and 11-7 up going into the singles
• Weather forecast A wet and potentially thundery Thursday should make way for a cool but clear Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Relatively calm all week. Temperatures peaking at 20C
• Type of player suited to the challenge Accurate driving appears a key at Royal Montreal, underlined by the success of Tim Clark and Jim Furyk in the last Canadian Open at this track, but strong putting may be even more important given the size of some of these greens. Those with previous Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup experience will be more comfortable with the format
• Key attribute Touch/putting

Steve Palmer's Presidents Cup key stat

Team USA have won the last nine Presidents Cups

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