William Hill Expects £50m in Ryder Cup Bets

Leading British bookmaker William Hill has made a bold prediction that £50 million will be bet on this year's Ryder Cup golf competition between the United States and Europe.

But the figure is certainly attainable when one considers the importance of the competition, now 84 years old.

European golf is on the rise and its best players will be hoping to wrest the trophy away from the Americans as they compete on home soil at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport in the south of Wales.

Europe is William Hill's 4/6 favorite to do exactly that, with the US 6/4 and a tie 10/1. Rory McIlroy is tipped to lead all European points scorers, with odds of 5/1, ahead of world number one Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, 6/1.

Of course, much of the focus is on Tiger Woods, as he continues to resurrect his golf career following scandals in his personal life.

William Hill is offering odds of 9/1 on Tiger and Hunter Mahan playing together at some point during the Ryder Cup, while the odds of Woods and current world number two Phil Mickelson playing together are a shorter 6/1.

Europe's Scottish non-playing captain Colin Montgomerie is also in the spotlight, with 25/1 odds on his quitting his role before the last shot of the event is struck, and 50/1 odds on him being involved in an altercation with a member of the US team.