Why the U.S. Should Be Favored

Smylie and Charlie had me on their show earlier this week and we talked … what else … Ryder Cup picks. One of the points I’ve been wanting to make and finally articulated somewhat well during this pod is as follows.

Is strokes gained noisy in the short term? Yes.

Does it translate to match play? No.

Does any strokes gained data mean the U.S. is going to win the Ryder Cup? In no way.

But over the course of six months or longer, it is much more difficult for strokes gained to be noisy. It discloses a fair picture of how both sides have been playing, and it tells a story that the U.S. has been significantly better!

Scottie takes the top over Rahm, Europe gets the next two spots but then the next nine are straight 🇺🇸. That isn’t nothing! If strokes gained didn’t mean anything then Scottie and Rasmus Neergard-Peterson would be evenly matched. They’re not! Nobody actually thinks this. Logically, strokes gained does mean something, and if you believe this then you should also believe that the U.S. is in a good spot going into Bethpage.