Ryder Cup Top European: Ian Poulter

Looking at the betting to be top European points scorer I’m happy to oppose the top two in the market. Rory McIlroy has enjoyed another brilliant season but for the first time in his career he enters the Ryder Cup as the recognised leader. That is a lot of responsibility for a young man, who is still only 23-years-old.

He is likely to spend most of his time playing with his great friend Graeme McDowell, but with the latter struggling for form, it might not be the dream pairing it seems on paper. McIlroy can be opposed at 11/2 (Blue Square).

Luke Donald has a terrific Ryder Cup record but with Medinah stretching out to 7,657 yards, the course isn’t sure to suit him. After a stellar 2011, this year has been more of a struggle by his high standards. At 13/2 (Betfred) he is about the right price.

One player who seems inspired by the Ryder Cup is Ian Poulter. A controversial captain’s pick at Valhalla, he repaid Nick Faldo’s faith by scoring four points from a possible five. He followed that up with another fine performance at Celtic Manor where he was joint-top European with three points out of a possible four.

Averaging 28.39 putts per round this season, he is the leading putter on the European side. Allied with his fiercely competitive nature he looks excellent value at 8/1 (Betfred) to be top European.