 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Farmingdale, New York |
| Established | 1927; 98 years ago |
| Course(s) | 2025:Bethpage Black Course |
| Par | 2025: 71 |
| Length | 2025: 7,426 yd (6,790 m) |
| Organized by | PGA of America, Ryder Cup Europe |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour, European Tour |
| Format | Match play |
| Prize fund | None |
| Month played | late September, early October |
| Current champion | |
 Europe | |
 2025 Ryder Cup | |
TheRyder Cup is a biennial men'sgolf competition between European and United States teams. The competition is contested every two years, with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named after the English businessmanSamuel Ryder who donated the trophy. The event is jointly administered by thePGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, the latter a joint venture of thePGA European Tour (60%), thePGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%), and the PGAs of Europe (20%).[1][2]
Initially contested between Great Britain and the United States, the first official Ryder Cup took place in the United States in1927 atWorcester Country Club inWorcester, Massachusetts. The home team won the first five contests. Still, with the competition's resumption after theSecond World War, repeated American dominance eventually led to a decision to extend the representation of "Great Britain and Ireland" to includecontinental Europe from1979. The inclusion of continental European golfers was partly prompted by the success of a new generation of Spanish golfers led bySeve Ballesteros andAntonio Garrido. In addition to players from Great Britain and Ireland, the European team has since included players fromAustria,Belgium,Denmark,France,Germany,Italy,Norway,Spain andSweden.
Since1979, Europe has won twelve times outright and retained the Cup once in a tied match, while the United States won nine times over the same period. Since 1979, Europe has won four times away on foreign soil (in1987,1995,2004 and2012),[3] whilst the United States has won twice away on foreign soil (in1981 and1993).[4][5][6][7] From 1995 to2014, Europe won eight out of ten Ryder Cups.[8][9][10]
The Ryder Cup, its alternate-year non-European counterpart (thePresidents Cup), and its women's equivalent (theSolheim Cup) remain exceptions within the world of professional sports because the competing professionals receive no prize money, despite the contests being high-profile events that bring in large amounts of money in television, sponsorship, ticketing, and merchandise revenue.[11][12] The Ryder Cup was held in odd-numbered years until 1999, but it then moved to even years in 2002 after being cancelled in 2001 due to the9/11 terrorist attacks. It moved back to odd years again in 2021, after the 2020 event was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13]
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On 27 September 1920Golf Illustrated wrote a letter to theProfessional Golfers' Association of America with a suggestion that a team of 12 to 20 American professionals be chosen to play in the 1921 Open Championship, to be financed by popular subscription.[15] At that time no American golfer had won The Open Championship. The idea was that of James D. Harnett, who worked for the magazine. The PGA of America replied positively and announced the idea in the November 1920 issue. The fund was called theBritish Open Championship Fund. By the following spring, the idea had been firmed up.[16] A team of 12 would be chosen, who would sail in time to play in a warm-up tournament at Gleneagles (theGlasgow Herald 1000 Guinea Tournament) before The Open at St. Andrews, two weeks later. The team of 12 was chosen by PGA President George Sargent and PGA Secretary Alec Pirie, with the assistance ofUSGA Vice-president Robert Gardner.[17] A team of 11 sailed from New York on theRMS Aquitania on 24 May 1921 together with James Harnett,Harry Hampton deciding at the last minute that he could not travel.[18]
The idea for a 12-a-side International Match between the American and Great Britain professionals was reported inThe Times on 17 May, withJames Douglas Edgar being reported as the probable 12th player.[19] Edgar was already in the United Kingdom. The match would be played at Gleneagles on Monday 6 June, the day before the start of the 1000 Guinea Tournament. WithJim Barnes indisposed, the match eventually became a 10-a-side contest, Edgar not being required for the American team. The match consisted of 5 foursomes in the morning and 10 singles in the afternoon, played on the King's Course. The match was won by Great Britain by 9 matches to 3, 3 matches being halved.[20]
The British team was:George Duncan (captain),James Braid,Arthur Havers,Abe Mitchell,James Ockenden,Ted Ray,James Sherlock,J.H. Taylor,Josh Taylor, andHarry Vardon. The American team was:Emmet French (captain),Clarence Hackney,Walter Hagen,Charles Hoffner,Jock Hutchison,Tom Kerrigan,George McLean,Fred McLeod,Bill Mehlhorn andWilfrid Reid. Gold medals were presented byKatharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl, to each member of the teams at the conclusion of the Glasgow Herald tournament on Saturday afternoon. The medals "had on one side crossed flags, The Union Jack and Stars and Stripes surmounted by the inscription "For Britain" or "For America" as the case may be, and on the other side "America v Britain. First international golf match at "The Glasgow Herald" tournament, Gleneagles, 6 June 1921"[21]
After the Glasgow Herald Tournament most of the American team travelled toSt Andrews to practice for The 1921 Open Championship, for which qualifying began on 20 June. However, Walter Hagen and Jock Hutchison played in a tournament atKinghorn on 14 and 15 June. Hagen had a poor first round and didn't turn up for the second day. Hutchison scored 74 and 64 and took the £50 first prize.[22] At St Andrews, Hutchison led the qualifying and then won The Open itself. So, despite losing the International Match, the American team achieved its main objective, winning the British Open.
A match between American and British amateur golfers was played atRoyal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake) in 1921, immediately before The Amateur Championship. This match was followed by the creation of theWalker Cup, which was first played in 1922.[23] However the 1921 Gleneagles match did not immediately lead to a corresponding match between the professionals.
It was common at this time for a small number of professionals to travel to compete in each other's national championship. In 1926, a larger than usual contingent of American professionals were travelling to Britain to compete in theOpen Championship, two weeks before their ownChampionship. In February it was announced thatWalter Hagen would select a team of four American professionals (including himself) to play four British professionals in a match before the Open Championship.[24] The match would be a stroke play competition with each playing the four opposing golfers over 18 holes.[25] In mid-April, it was announced that "A golf enthusiast, who name has not yet been made public" was ready to donate a cup for an annual competition.[26] Later in April it was announced thatSamuel Ryder would be presenting a trophy "for annual competition between British and American professionals." with the first match to be played on 4 and 5 June "but the details are not yet decided",[27] and then in May it was announced that the match would be a match-play competition, 8-a-side, foursomes on the first day, singles on the second.[28] Eventually, at Hagen's request, 10 players competed for each team.[29] Samuel Ryder (together with his brother James) had sponsored a number of British professional events starting in 1923.[25]
The match resulted in 13–1 victory for the British team (1 match was halved). The American point was won byBill Mehlhorn withEmmet French being all square. Medals were presented to the players by the American ambassadorAlanson B. Houghton.
The match was widely reported as being for the "Ryder Cup". HoweverGolf Illustrated for 11 June states that because of uncertainty following thegeneral strike in May, which led to uncertainty about how many Americans would be visiting Britain, Samuel Ryder had decided to withhold the cup for a year. It has also been suggested that because Walter Hagen chose the American team rather than the American PGA, that only those Americans who had travelled to Britain to play in the Open were available for selection and that it contained a number of players born outside the United States, also contributed to the feeling that the match ought to be regarded as unofficial.[25] In addition the Americans "had only just landed in England and were not yet in full practice."[30]
The British team was:Ted Ray (Captain),Aubrey Boomer,Archie Compston,George Duncan,George Gadd,Arthur Havers,Herbert Jolly,Abe Mitchell,Fred Robson andErnest Whitcombe. The American team was:Walter Hagen (Captain),Tommy Armour,Jim Barnes,Emmet French,Joe Kirkwood,Fred McLeod,Bill Mehlhorn,Joe Stein,Cyril Walker andAl Watrous. While all ten of the British players subsequently played in the Ryder Cup only three of the Americans did (Hagen, Mehlhorn and Watrous). Armour, Barnes, Kirkwood, McLeod and Walker were excluded by the policy of requiring players to be born in the USA while French and Stein were never selected.
The 1927 competition was organized on a much more formal basis. A Ryder Cup "Deed of Trust" was drawn up formalising the rules of the contest, while each of the PGA organisations had a selection process. In Britain,Golf Illustrated launched a fund to raise £3,000 to fund professional golfers to play in theU.S. Open and the Ryder Cup. Ryder contributed £100 and, when the fund closed with a shortfall of £300, he made up the outstanding balance himself. Although not in the rules at that time, the American PGA restricted their team to those born in the United States.[31]
In early 1928 it became clear that an annual contest was not practical and so it was decided that the second contest should be in 1929 and then every two years thereafter.[25]
For the 1929 UK contest at Moortown GC, Leeds, the American PGA again restricted their team to those born in the USA but in late 1929 the Deed of Trust was revised requiring all players to be born in[33] and resident in their respective countries, as well as being members of their respective Professional Golfers' Association.[25]
The most significant change to the Ryder Cup has been the inclusion of continental European golfers since 1979. Up until1977, the matches featured teams representing the United States and Great Britain and Ireland. From 1979 players from continental Europe have been eligible to join what is now known as Team Europe. The change to include continental Europeans arose from discussion in 1977 betweenJack Nicklaus andEdward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby, who was serving as the President of theProfessional Golfers' Association; it was suggested by Nicklaus as a means to make the matches more competitive, since the Americans almost always won, often by lopsided margins.[34] From the resumption of competition in 1947 through 1977, Great Britain and Ireland had only managed one win and one tie.
The change worked, as the contests soon became much more competitive, with talented young Europeans such asSeve Ballesteros andBernhard Langer bolstering the European side. The present-day popularity of the Ryder Cup, which now generates enormous media attention, can be said to date from that change in eligibility. As of 2023, per International Golf Federation standards, golfers from fifty countries are eligible to compete for Europe at the Ryder Cup.[35]
The Ryder Cup involves variousmatch play competitions between players selected from two teams of twelve. It takes place from a Friday to a Sunday with a total of 28 matches being played, all matches being over 18 holes. On Friday and Saturday there are four fourball matches and four foursomes matches each day; a session of four matches in the morning and a session of four matches in the afternoon. On Sunday, there are 12 singles matches, when all team members play. Not all players must play on Friday and Saturday; the captain can select any eight players for each of the sessions over these two days.
The winner of each match scores a point for his team, with half a point each for any match that is tied after the 18 holes. The winning team is determined by cumulative total points. In the event of a tie (14 points each) the Ryder Cup is retained by the team who held it before the contest.
Afoursomes match is a competition between two teams of two golfers. On a particular hole the golfers on the same team take alternate shots playing the same ball. One team member tees off on all the odd-numbered holes, and the other on all the even-numbered holes. Each hole is won by the team that completes the hole in the fewest shots.
Afourball match is also a competition between two teams of two golfers, but all four golfers play their own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots. The better score of the two golfers in a team determines the team's score on a particular hole; the score of the other member of the team is not counted. Each hole is won by the team whose individual golfer has the lowest score. A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.
The format of the Ryder Cup has changed over the years. From the inaugural event until1959, the Ryder Cup was a two-day competition with 36-hole matches. In1961 the matches were changed to 18 holes each and the number of matches doubled. In1963 the event was expanded to three days, with fourball matches being played for the first time. This format remained until1977, when the number of matches was reduced to 20, but, in1979, the first year continental European players participated, the format was changed to the 28-match version in use today, with 8 foursomes/four-ball matches on the first two days and 12 singles matches on the last day.[36] Because of weather disruption the format of the2010 contest was altered and it was extended to a fourth day.
| Year | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Total points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Afternoon | Morning | Afternoon | Morning | Afternoon | ||
| 1927–59 | 4 36-hole foursomes | 8 36-hole singles | – | 12 | |||
| 1961 | 4 foursomes | 4 foursomes | 8 singles | 8 singles | – | 24 | |
| 1963–71 | 4 foursomes | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 4 fourballs | 8 singles | 8 singles | 32 |
| 1973 | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 8 singles | 8 singles | 32 |
| 1975 | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 4 fourballs | 4 foursomes | 8 singles | 8 singles | 32 |
| 1977 | 5 foursomes | 5 fourballs | 10 singles | 20 | |||
| 1979– present | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 12 singles | 28 | |
| or | or | ||||||
| 4 fourballs | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 4 foursomes | ||||
The team size was increased from 10 to 12 in1969.
There were two singles sessions (morning and afternoon) in1979, but no player played in both sessions.
Since1979, there have been 4 foursomes and 4 fourballs on each of the first two days. Currently the home captain decides before the contest starts whether the fourball or foursomes matches are played in the morning. He may choose a different order for the two days.
Since1979, a player can play a maximum of 5 matches (2 foursomes, 2 fourballs and a singles match), however from1963 to 1975 it was possible to play 6 matches (2 foursomes, 2 fourballs and 2 singles matches).
Thecaptains have always selected the players and chosen the playing order in each group of matches. When the contest involved 36-hole matches, it was usual for the captain to be one of theplayers. The USA only had two non-playing captains in this period:Walter Hagen in1937 andBen Hogan in1949 while Great Britain had non-playing captains in1933,1949,1951 and1953. With the change to 18-hole matches and the extension to three days, it became more difficult to combine the roles of captain and player andArnold Palmer in1963 was the last playing captain. The captains have always beenprofessional golfers and the only captain who never played in the Ryder Cup wasJ. H. Taylor, the 1933 British captain.
The selection process for the Ryder Cup players has varied over the years. In the early contests the teams were generally decided by a selection committee but later qualification based on performances was introduced. The current system by which most of the team is determined by performances with a small number of players selected by the captain (known as "wild cards" or "captain's picks") gradually evolved and has been used by both sides since1989.[37]
For the2014 Ryder Cup both teams had 9 players qualifying based on performances with the remaining 3 players selected by the captain. For those players gaining automatic qualification the Europeans used a system, introduced in2004, using two tables; one using prize money won in officialEuropean Tour events and a second based onWorld Ranking points gained anywhere in the world. Both tables used a 12-month qualifying period finishing at the end of August. The American system, introduced in2008, was based on prize money earned in officialPGA Tour events during the current season and prize money earned in themajor championships in the previous season. The qualifying period ended after thePGA Championship.
For the2016 Ryder Cup there were a number of changes from2014 in the American system. The number of captain's picks was increased from three to four with the selections being made later than previously, especially moving the fourth and last pick to less than a week before the Ryder Cup, right after the completion of theTour Championship. The qualifying events now included both the 2015World Golf Championships events andThe Players Championship, on top of the four major championships, but only included2016 PGA Tour events actually played in 2016, thus excluded any other event played in 2015. The qualifying period was also extended because theOlympic Games had moved the timeslot for the2016 PGA Championship which took place already at the end of July. Team Europe retained its old system of qualification and wild cards.
The 1969 Cup held atRoyal Birkdale was perhaps one of the best and most competitive contests in terms of play (18 of the 32 matches went to the last green). It was decided in its very last match, of which United States Captain Sam Snead later said "This is the greatest golf match you have ever seen in England".[38]
With the United States and Great Britain tied at15+1⁄2 each,Jack Nicklaus ledTony Jacklin by the score of 1 up as they played the 17th hole. Jacklin made a 35-foot eagle putt and when Nicklaus missed his own eagle try from 12 feet, the match was all square.
At the par-5 finishing hole, both Jacklin and Nicklaus got on the green in two. Nicklaus ran his eagle putt five feet past the hole, while Jacklin left his two feet short. Nicklaus then sank his birdie putt, and with a crowd of 8,000 people watching, picked up Jacklin's marker, conceding the putt Jacklin needed to tie the matches. As the current holders, the rules meant that the United States retained the trophy.[39][40] "I don't think you would have missed that putt", Nicklaus said to Jacklin afterwards, "but in these circumstances I would never give you the opportunity."
This gesture of sportsmanship by Nicklaus caused controversy on the American side, some of whom would have preferred to force Jacklin to attempt the putt for the small chance that he might miss, which would have given the United States team an outright win. "All the boys thought it was ridiculous to give him that putt", said Sam Snead. "We went over there to win, not to be good ol' boys."
Held at The Belfry in England, the 1989 Ryder Cup saw the rising of tensions in the series. After holding the cup for more than two decades, the United States team lost both the1985 and1987 matches. At the 1989 matches, the pressure was on the United States team and its captain, Raymond Floyd. At a pre-match opening celebration, Floyd slighted the European team by introducing his United States team as "the 12 greatest players in the world."
The competition saw the beginnings of a feud betweenSeve Ballesteros andPaul Azinger. Early in their singles match, Ballesteros sought to change a scuffed ball for a new ball under Rule of Golf 5–3. Somewhat unusually, Azinger disputed whether the ball was unfit for play. A referee was called, and sided with Azinger in ruling the ball fit for play. Ballesteros reportedly said to Azinger, "Is this the way you want to play today?" The match continued in a contentious fashion, culminating in Ballesteros unusually contesting whether Azinger took a proper drop after hitting into the water on the 18th hole.
The American team's frustration grew as the matches ended in a tie, with the European team retaining the cup.
The overall tension between the teams and the feud between Ballesteros and Azinger escalated at theKiawah Island Golf Resort in 1991. At the ceremonial opening dinner, the PGA of America played two videos that were seen as less than hospitable by the European team. The first video was presented as a highlight reel of past Ryder Cups, but reportedly showed only Americans. The second video was a welcoming address by then-United States PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush in which he closed by cheering on the American side.
On the first morning of the competition, Azinger andChip Beck were paired against Ballesteros andJosé María Olazábal in a foursomes match, an alternate shot event. Azinger and Beck accused Ballesteros of gamesmanship on account of his throat clearing during Beck's shots. Later in the same match, Azinger and Beck, who were playing the same brand and make of ball but each with a slightly different model, switched their balls. While this switching was unlikely to have resulted in an advantage or to have been intentional, it was in violation of the "one ball rule" which was in effect for the competition. Under that rule, a player is prohibited from changing the type of ball he uses during the course of a match.
A few holes after the switch had occurred, Ballesteros called the Americans for the violation. Azinger, seeming to feel that his integrity was being questioned, said "I can tell you we're not trying to cheat." Ballesteros responded, "Oh no. Breaking the rules and cheating are two different things." As the violation was called too long after it had occurred, no penalty was assessed against the American pair. The constant goading between Ballesteros and Azinger intensified their respective desires to win. Out of that intensity, they and their playing partners produced what may be regarded as one of the best pairs matches in history, with the Spaniards winning 2 & 1. After the matches concluded, Ballesteros reportedly said, "The American team has 11 nice guys. And Paul Azinger."
The 1991 matches received the sobriquet "the War on the Shore" after some excitable advertising in the American media, and intense home-team cheering by the American home crowds. For his part,Corey Pavin caused controversy by sporting aDesert Storm baseball cap during the event in support of the U.S. and coalition war effort in Iraq.
The matches culminated in one of the single most dramatic putts in the history of golf. With only one match remaining to be completed, between Hale Irwin for the United States and Bernhard Langer for the Europeans, the United States team led by one point. Irwin and Langer came to the last hole tied. To win the cup, the American team needed Irwin to win or tie the match by winning or tying the hole. The Europeans could keep the cup with a win by Langer. Both players struggled on the hole, and found themselves facing a pair of putts; Langer had a six-foot, side-hill par putt, and Irwin had a generally uphill, 18-inch putt for bogey. To the surprise of his teammates, Langer conceded Irwin's bogey putt, leaving himself in a must-make position. Langer missed his putt, the match was halved, and the U.S. team took back the cup.
Players on both sides were driven to public tears by the pressure of the matches on the final day. The intense competition of the 1991 Ryder Cup is widely regarded as having elevated public interest in the series.
The 1999 Ryder Cup held atThe Country Club inBrookline, Massachusetts, caused great controversy. A remarkable comeback by the American team helped propel the U.S. to a 141⁄2–131⁄2 victory after trailing 10–6 at the start of the final day. The U.S. defeated Europe 81⁄2–31⁄2 in the singles matches to seal the first American victory since1993.[41]
The competition turned on the 17th hole of a match between AmericanJustin Leonard and SpaniardJosé María Olazábal. With the match all square, Leonard needed to earn at least a half-point to seal an American victory. After Olazábal's second shot left him with a 22-foot putt on the par-4, Leonard hit his shot within 10 feet of the hole and then watched it roll away from the cup, leaving him with a 45-foot putt for birdie. Leonard had made putts of 25 and 35 feet earlier in the round. Leonard holed the putt, and a wild celebration followed with other U.S. players, their wives, and a few fans running onto the green. The putt did not guarantee a half-point for Leonard since Olazábal could still hole his putt and win the last hole. However, Olazábal missed his putt, and the American team celebrated once again, although the second celebration was more reserved than the first one.
There was considerable bad blood after the event, with some of the European players complaining about the behavior of the American galleries throughout the match.Sam Torrance branded it "disgusting", while European captainMark James referred to it as a "bear pit" in a book recounting the event.[42] There were also reports that a spectator spat at James' wife.[43]Payne Stewart had conceded his singles match toColin Montgomerie with both players level and on the last green in 2 shots as a response to the abuse Montgomerie had received throughout the match.[44]
Following the 1999 Ryder Cup, many members of the U.S. team apologised for their behavior, and there were numerous attempts by both teams to calm the increasing nationalism of the event.[45][46]
The 39th Ryder Cup was held at theMedinah Country Club inMedinah, Illinois. Under captainJosé María Olazábal of Spain; the Europeans were down 10–4 after 14 matches, with two four-ball matches still on the course and 12 singles matches to be played the next day. At the end of day two,Ian Poulter made five birdies on the final five holes to give him andRory McIlroy the point overJason Dufner andZach Johnson. Despite being down 10–6 going into the final day Europe came back to win by14+1⁄2 points to13+1⁄2.[47] Out of the 12 points available on the final day Europe won8+1⁄2 points with the U.S. winning only3+1⁄2 points. In terms of points this feat matched the Americans' 1999 comeback at Brookline Country Club.
Martin Kaymer struck the putt that retained the cup for Europe. The putt was almost identical in length to the one that fellow GermanBernhard Langer missed at the1991 Ryder Cup.Francesco Molinari secured the final half-point to win the Ryder Cup outright by winning the 18th hole to halve his match againstTiger Woods.Ian Poulter of the European team finished this Ryder Cup with a perfect 4–0 record.
The event is often referred to as the "Meltdown at Medinah" in the United States or the "Miracle at Medinah" in Europe.
The 1939 Ryder Cup was planned for 18–19 November atPonte Vedra Country Club inJacksonville, Florida;Walter Hagen was chosen as non-playing captain of the U.S. team. The competition was cancelled shortly after the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September. It would have been the first Ryder Cup to be held in Florida; the competition was not held there until 1983.
In early April 1939, theBritish P.G.A. chose a selection committee of six and selectedHenry Cotton as captain.[48] In August, eight players were named in the team: Cotton,Jimmy Adams,Dick Burton,Sam King,Alf Padgham,Dai Rees,Charles Whitcombe, andReg Whitcombe.[49] Charles Whitcombe immediately withdrew from the team,[50] not wishing to travel to the United States. With seven selected, three places were left to be filled. War was declared on 3 September and the British P.G.A. immediately cancelled the match: "The P.G.A. announce that the Ryder Cup match for this year has been cancelled by the state of war prevailing in this country. The P.G.A. of the United States is being informed."[51][52]
The Ryder Cup was not played in these scheduled years due toWorld War II; by the fall of 1945, many members of the British team were still in the military.[53] After a decade-long absence, it resumed in November 1947 at thePortland Golf Club inPortland, Oregon.
The competition, scheduled for 28–30 September atThe Belfry's Brabazon Course, was postponed a year because of theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks. "The PGA of America has informed the European Ryder Cup Board that the scope of the last Tuesday's tragedy is so overwhelming that it would not be possible for the United States Ryder Cup team and officials to attend the match this month."[54] The manager ofPhil Mickelson andMark Calcavecchia had earlier announced that the two players would not travel to Europe. Other American players were said to be concerned about attending the event. It was played in2002 at the original venue with the same teams that had been selected to play a year earlier. The display boards at The Belfry still read "The 2001 Ryder Cup", and U.S. captainCurtis Strange deliberately referred to his team as "The 2001 Ryder Cup Team" in his speech at the closing ceremony.
It was later decided to hold the subsequent Ryder Cup in2004 (rather than 2003) and thereafter in even-numbered years. This change also affected the men'sPresidents Cup andSeve Trophy and women'sSolheim Cup competitions, as each switched from even to odd years.
In July 2020, the Ryder Cup, scheduled to be held atWhistling Straits in Wisconsin, was postponed for a year due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[55] As a consequence, all future editions of the Ryder Cup are again taking place in odd-numbered years from 2021, as was the case up to 1999. As a consequence, the Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup competitions reverted to even-numbered years from 2022 and 2024 respectively, as were the case up to 2000 and 2002, respectively.[56]
| Team | From | To | Matches | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States | 1927 | 2023 | 44 | 27 | 15 | 2 | 61.36% |
 Great Britain / Great Britain & Ireland | 1927 | 1977 | 22 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 13.64% |
| Europe | 1979 | 2023 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 54.55% |
| Great Britain, Ireland & Europe | 1927 | 2023 | 44 | 15 | 27 | 2 | 34.09% |
Up to date as of 2023 Ryder Cup
Although the team was referred to as "Great Britain" up to 1971, a number of golfers from theRepublic of Ireland,Northern Ireland,Guernsey andJersey had played for Great Britain before that date. In 1973, the official team name was changed to "Great Britain and Ireland,” but this was simply a change of name to reflect the fact that golfers from Ireland had played in the "Great Britain" Ryder Cup team sinceHarry Bradshaw in1953, whileNorthern Irish players had competed sinceFred Daly in1947.
The team in place of the original "Great Britain" team has been referred to as "Europe" since1979, when players from continental Europe were included. Since then, the "United States" team has won 9 matches and the "Europe" team has won 12 matches, while retaining the Ryder Cup once with a tie.
 |
Reference : 2014 Media Guide;[59] Ryder Cup website[60]
| Year | Edition | Hosts | Course | Location | Dates | Last hosted | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 45th |  United States | Bethpage Black Course,Bethpage State Park | Farmingdale, New York, United States | September 25–28 | n/a | [61] |
| 2027 | 46th | Europe | Adare Manor | Adare,County Limerick, Ireland | n/a | [61] | |
| 2029 | 47th | United States | Hazeltine National Golf Club | Chaska, Minnesota, United States | 2016 | [61] | |
| 2031 | 48th | Europe | Not yet awarded | ||||
| 2033 | 49th | United States | Olympic Club, Lake Course | San Francisco,California, United States | n/a | [61] | |
| 2035 | 50th | Europe | Not yet awarded | ||||
| 2037 | 51st | United States | Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | Bethesda, Maryland, United States | n/a | [61] |
In 2001, thePGA European Tour decided to put out the Ryder Cup hosting rights from2018 through 2030 to a competitive bid process throughout Europe.[62]
The Ryder Cup matches were always covered by theBBC, whether in Britain or in the United States, even prior to the British team's merger with Europe. But in the 1970s ITV gained the rights to the Ryder Cup showing the1973,1975 (in the US), and1977 cups. ITV had the1979 rights (hosted in the US, and the first with a European team) but the1979 Cup ended up not being televised in the UK due to the1979 ITV strike. In 1981 theBBC regained the rights, covering the1981,1983,1985,1987,1989,1991 and1993 cups. In the 1990s,Sky Sports became heavily involved in the Ryder Cup, and has been the exclusive live broadcaster of the event since1995, including temporarily rebranding their Sky Sports Golf channel as 'Sky Sports Ryder Cup' for the tournament weekend (since 2014).[63] The BBC still screens edited highlights each night, and has done so since1997.
In the United States,[64] the Ryder Cup was first televised live at the1983 matches in Florida, withABC Sports covering just the final four holes of the singles matches. A highlight package of the1985 singles matches was produced byESPN, but no live coverage aired from England. In 1987, with the matches back in the United States, ABC covered both weekend days, but only in the late afternoon.
In 1989,USA Network began a long association with the Ryder Cup by televising all three days live from England, the first live coverage of a Ryder Cup from Europe. This led to a one-year deal for the1991 matches in South Carolina to be carried byNBC[65] live on the weekend, with USA Network continuing to provide live coverage of the first day. All five sessions were broadcast for the first time. The success of the1991 matches led to a contract extension with USA and NBC through1997, marking a turning point in the competition's popularity. For the European matches, the first two days were taped and aired on delay in the U.S. Another extension with USA and NBC covering the1999–2003 (later moved to2004) competitions increased the number of hours of coverage to include the entire first day and most of the second day. Tape delay was still employed for competitions from Europe.
The Ryder Cup's increased success led to a landmark contract with NBC (which had recently bought USA Network) to air the2006–14 competitions on USA and NBC. It called for a record increase in coverage hours, with the second day now having near-complete coverage. Tape delay was last used for the2006 event in Ireland. In2006, ESPN was sub-licensed rights to Friday coverage, as part of a larger transaction between NBC and Disney that also resulted in ABC Sports personalityAl Michaels moving to NBC to join their then-upcomingSunday-night NFL games, ESPN gaining expanded access to highlights from events whose rights are owned by NBC, and Disney acquiring the rights to the cartoon characterOswald the Lucky Rabbit (who was created byWalt Disney in 1927 for a series of animated shorts distributed byUniversal Pictures).[66]
In 2013, NBC reached a deal to extend its rights to the Ryder Cup andSenior PGA Championship through 2030, with Friday coverage of the Ryder Cup being assumed byGolf Channel.[67][68]
For 2018, Golf Channel and NBC had a combined total of 30.5 hours of coverage; Golf Channel had 13.5 hours, and NBC had 17 hours. Ninety minutes of Golf Channel and NBC's time overlapped, amounting to a net total of 29 hours of real time coverage.
For 2021, Golf Channel and NBC had a combined total of 28 hours of coverage; Golf Channel had 12 hours, and NBC had 16 hours. All broadcasts were also shown onPeacock, along with the websites and mobile apps of bothNBC Sports and the Ryder Cup.[69][70]
If one of the golfers is injured and cannot play his singles match, the opposing captain can select one player from his team that he would like to not compete. The nominated player is then matched up against the injured player and the match recorded as a half. There is one stipulation – each captain must place the name of their nominated player in an envelope prior to the start of the matches. The "envelope rule", as it has known, has come into play three times since 1979, including most recently in 1993 when Europe'sSam Torrance suffered a sore left foot.Lanny Wadkins offered to be the player that American captain Tom Watson placed in the envelope, and their match was recorded as halved.[74][75]
Teams have also used the competition to pay tribute to recently deceased legends:
ThePresidents Cup is similar to the Ryder Cup, except that the competing sides are a U.S. side and an International side from the rest of the world consisting of players who are ineligible for the Ryder Cup. It is held in years when there is no Ryder Cup.
Other important team golf events between U.S. and either Europe or Great Britain and Ireland include:
According to [Ryder Cup Europe director Richard] Hills, the European Tour controls 60 percent of the event [in Europe], with the PGA of Great Britain and the PGA of Europe each holding 20 percent.
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