Ryder Cup preview: Roster breakdown, betting odds for Team USA

It's Ryder Cup week!

After a two-year wait, one of golf's most historic and exciting events is set to take place at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.

The United States dominated in the last edition of the team competition, winning 19-9 at Whistling Straits. However, the Americans haven't won on European soil since 1993.

To put that in perspective, four players on this year's U.S. side - Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Sam Burns - weren't born the last time Team USA was triumphant across the pond, and Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth hadn't celebrated their first birthday.

Oddsmakers have it as a coin flip for who will win the Ryder Cup. The Americans currently sit at +105 despite their odds priced as short as -200 during the early parts of the summer. The betting market soured on Team USA, while members of the European team, who we broke down here, have been in brilliant form.

Odds to win the Ryder Cup

Let's look at the American roster hoping to end the 30-year drought this week.

Team USA

Odds via theScore Bet.

World No. 1 Scheffler is the favorite to lead the Americans in points. He should play all five sessions, and his elite ball-striking ability makes him a nightmare to play against in match play. However, Scheffler may also be the favorite to be the most disappointing performer of the week if his putter doesn't wake up for this all-important three-day stretch.

Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay share odds in both top points-scoring markets since they'll likely be teammates for every team session. They should have similar chances of winning their singles match depending on who they draw from the European side.

The same goes for Thomas and Spieth, who should be teammates for most of the week. Thomas' form is under question, but he recently finished fifth at the Fortinet Championship for his best PGA TOUR result since June.

Burns is the most appealing betting option for the American team. He'll likely play multiple sessions with his good friend Scheffler. You'll always have a good opportunity to earn points any time you partner with the top-ranked player in the world. But Burns is no slouch in match play, either. He won the WGC Match Play earlier this year.

Team USA's press conference schedule was released last week, and it's pretty clear what the initial pairings will be. They're projected as follows:

• Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele (friends)
• Jordan Spieth-Justin Thomas (friends)
• Max Homa-Collin Morikawa (university ties)
• Wyndham Clark-Rickie Fowler (university ties)
• Scottie Scheffer-Sam Burns (friends)
• Brooks Koepka-Brian Harman

The Americans' four Ryder Cup rookies are Homa, Burns, Clark, and Harman. Homa, the +170 favorite to lead USA's rookies in scoring, went 4-0-0 in the 2022 Presidents Cup. Despite playing three team sessions with Scheffler, Burns struggled and went 0-3-2 in that competition.

Clark and Harman are making their debut in the two major team competitions.

Of the six captain's picks, Koepka is the favorite to earn the most points at +270. Morikawa (+350), Spieth (+450), Thomas (+450), Fowler (+550), and Burns (+600) round out the rest of Zach Johnson's selections.

Day 1 of the Ryder Cup begins Friday at 1:30 a.m. ET with foursomes matches.