This weekend is a significant one in a number of sporting calendars, but few more so than in golf. The five women’s golf majors have been played, but the highlight of the season takes place this weekend. The biennial Solheim Cup pits Europe against the USA, and Europe will be looking to extend their run of consecutive victories to three as the tournament goes to Germany for the first time. In the USA the race to FedEx Cup glory is almost over, and the players that have made the cut travel to the BMW Championship, the penultimate playoff, in search of vital points. Jason Day leads the way but his contemporaries at the top of the world rankings, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, are also in the mix as the huge jackpot on offer looms ever nearer.
The Davis Cup too is reaching its conclusion with the semi-finals. While Belgium take on Argentina in the first semi, the spotlight is on Andy Murray and Great Britain as they take on Australia as a fierce sporting rivalry manifests itself out on the court. One event that has fully reached its climax is domestic cricket’s One Day Cup, and Gloucestershire’s reward for reaching the final is a tie against Kumar Sangakkara and Surrey as the two counties battle to win the final domestic title of the year. Who will join Lancashire and Yorkshire as this year’s victorious counties? This question and many more do not have obvious answers, but often with good odds on offer from the likes of Sky Bet and Totesport, both of whom are featured here, they are worth answering.
- BMW Championship – Jason Day to win (15/2 at Totesport)
- Solheim Cup – Europe to win (7/4 at Sky Bet)
- Davis Cup, Great Britain v Australia – Great Britain to win (8/13 at Sky Bet)
- Gloucestershire v Surrey – Surrey to win (4/6 at Totesport)
BMW Championship – 17th-20th September
The FedEx Cup is half-completed, and going into the third playoff event only 70 players remain, with 55 cut from the tournament. 40 more will leave after the BMW Championship this weekend, with the top 30 battling it out for the $10m jackpot. This week’s contest at Lake Forest, Illinois, will see a frantic scrap to secure a place in the season-ending Tour Championship as well as the race to the top. In line to collect the winner’s purse at this stage is PGA Championship winner Jason Day, who was victorious in the first playoff, The Barclays. Deutsche Bank champion Rickie Fowler is third in the overall standings with Jordan Spieth, who missed the cut in both of the playoffs, sandwiched between them.
There will be a number of contenders for the BMW Championship – Henrik Stenson finished second in the first two playoffs and will feel he is in a good position to go a step further, while big-driving Bubba Watson also has the capability to win any tournament. It is difficult to rule out McIlroy and Spieth this year of course. But it is Day who is bookies’ favourite, and for good reason. The Australian is in red-hot form, and when Day is confident not many can stand in his way. Totesport’s offer of 15/2 on Day winning in Illinois is in fact a generous price.
- Jason Day to win – 15/2 at Totesport
Solheim Cup – 18th-20th September
The highlight of women’s golf for many, rather than any of the five majors, is the Solheim Cup. The biennial battle between Europe and the USA attracts most of the world’s best golfers for three days of scintillating foursomes, fourballs and matchplay action. Only three of the world’s top ten feature in the Solheim Cup this year but both teams will be desperate to display their talent in Golf Club St. Leon-Rot in Baden-Württemberg. Only one rookie, the USA’s Alison Lee, features this year in a field packed with experience. 27 years separate the youngest player, English prodigy Charley Hull, and 46 year-old veteran Catriona Matthew, but Carin Koch has a team of experienced Solheim Cup campaigners to call upon in Germany.
Europe have won the last two Solheim Cup meetings, beating the USA 15-13 in 2011 before an 18-10 triumph two years ago in Colorado. The USA have strengthened since then, with Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis featuring in the world’s top 10, but Europe have experience and home advantage on their side. Sky Bet have Europe at 7/4 to win, and even ignoring the sense of European pride it seems like the sensible option. Europe have never won three Solheim Cups in a row – that being said, they had never won two consecutively before 2013. Records are there to be broken.
- Europe to win – 7/4 at Sky Bet
Great Britain v Australia – 18th-20th September
Twelve have fallen, and just four remain. Seven of the eight seeded sides in the Davis Cup World Group have fallen before the penultimate hurdle, and only fifth seed Argentina remain. They take on a Belgium side that defeated second seed Switzerland and eighth seed Canada en route to the semi-final. In the other semi, Great Britain take on Australia. Inspired by the Murray brothers, Britain have beaten seventh seed USA and top seed France already, and now Andy and Jamie have an Australia side led by veteran Leyton Hewitt in their sights.
Andy Murray may be carrying the side in the singles as Kyle Edmund, may struggle against Bernard Tomic or Thanasi Kokkinakis. It is in the doubles, where the Murray brothers take on Hewitt and Sam Groth, where the game will be decided. If Murray wins his two singles games, as he is expected to do, the doubles will see Great Britain into the final. As Jamie Murray finds himself in excellent form, reaching the US Open Men’s Doubles final, the Davis Cup is timed perfectly for Great Britain. They are the bookies’ favourites to win outright, and Sky Bet have Britain at 8/13 to beat the Australians here.
- Great Britain to win – 8/13 at Sky Bet
Gloucestershire v Surrey – 19th September
The two teams that topped Group A in the Royal London One Day Cup meet again in the final at Lord’s, as Surrey take on Gloucestershire. It was the former that won the group, beating the latter by 12 runs in the final round of group fixtures to finish first. Powered by Kumar Sangakkara and Jason Roy, Surrey are capable of outscoring any side, but Gloucestershire lost just eight wickets in two knockout games, six of which were in the quarter-final win over Hampshire, and look tough to skittle out. Michael Klinger scored a mesmeric 137 not out in Gloucestershire’s semi-final victory over Yorkshire, and he will lead the line for the West Country county again at Lord’s. One of these sides will write their name into history and join Durham as the only winners of the revamped one day competition.
There is a reason Surrey won Group A, with just the one defeat to Somerset and one abandoned match blotting their copybook. Graham Ford’s side have looked dominant in each of their wins and with the likes of Sangakkara it is hard to bet against them. Surrey’s quest for a first title since winning the Second Division of the County Championship nine years ago looks to be coming to an end, and Totesport are offering 4/6 on them ending that barren streak with a famous Lord’s victory this weekend.
- Surrey to win – 4/6 at Totesport