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The History of the Ryder Cup

Posted on September 10, 2018

The Ryder Cup is a three day tournament played every two years between a team of professional golfers representing the United States and Europe. The concept of the matchup between golfers from Europe against golfers from the United States first emerged in 1921. The first official playing of the Ryder Cup took place in 1927. Since then many of golf’s greatest players have had the privilege of playing on the elite teams and competing on the world stage.

Early Ryder CupThe inception of the Ryder Cup came from a suggestion in a 1920’s issue of Golf Illustrated in which they wrote a letter to the PGA of America and recommended sending a team of 12 to 20 professional American golfers to England to compete in the Open Championship. No American had won the Open Championship yet, so the PGA responded in agreement with the idea. In May 1921 a team of 11 American professional golfers travelled to Great Britain. Upon arrival a match between the Americans and a team of British golfers was proposed and a 10 man team match was set. The match took place at the King’s Course at Gleneagles.

The Great Britain team won after 5 foursome matches and 10 singles matches, beating the Americans by 9 matches to 3, with 3 matches tied. The British team was captained by George Duncan and included: Arthur Havers, Abe Mitchell, Harry Vardon, James Braid, James Ockenden, James Sherlock, J.H. Taylor, Josh Taylor and Ted Ray. For the American team it was Emmet French as captain with Bill Melhorn, Charles Hoffner, Clarence Hackney, Fred McLeod, George McLean, Jock Hutchison, Tom Kerrigan, Walter Hagen and Wilfrid Reid. While the Americans lost the matchup they did succeed in sending an American over to win the Open Championship, as Jock Hutchison would become the first professional golfer playing out of America to win the Open Championship.

1st British Ryder Cup Team

A few years later in 1926 a second unofficial match between Great Britain and the United States took place at Wentworth in Britain. A group of four Americans, chosen by Walter Hagen, played against a team of four British golfers before the Open Championship. The British team dominated the Americans with a 13 to 1 victory with Bill Mehlhorn earning America’s only point. Samuel Ryder was in attendance of the matchup and was determined that a match between America and Great Britain would happen again. Ryder was an English entrepreneur who played golf with guidance from golf professional Abe Mitchell. Ryder donated a trophy for the first Ryder Cup the following year in 1927. Atop of the golden cup is a statue to honor Abe Mitchell.

1st U.S. Ryder Cup Team

The inaugural Ryder Cup took place in 1927 in Massachusetts at the Worcester Country Club. There were formal rules drawn up by the contest and each countries PGA organization had a player selection process. The format included foursome matches, with two players on each side playing alternate shot, and single matches. The United States team was captained by the great Walter Hagen and included Gene Sarazen, Leo Diegel, Johnny Farrell, Johnny Golden, Bill Mehlhorn, Joe Turnesa and Al Watrous. Ted Ray captained the British team which included Aubrey Boomer, Archie Compston, George Duncan, George Gadd, Arthur Havers, Herbert Jolly, Fred Robson and C.A. Whitcombe. Walter Hagen led his team to victory as the United States claimed the first Ryder Cup with a 9.5 to 2.5 point victory.

The 1929 Ryder Cup was held in England at the Moortown Golf Club in the city of Leeds. George Duncan captained the British team to their first Ryder Cup victory over the United States team, captained by Walter Hagen. It’s worthy to note that since the R&A had yet to approve steel shafted clubs, they did in 1930, this Ryder Cup along with the first were played with hickory shafted clubs. The third Ryder Cup in 1931 saw the United States win the Cup again at the Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. The back and forth of the Ryder Cup continued as the British team won back the cup two years later in 1933 at the Southport and Ainsdale in England. Walter Hagen again captained the U.S. team with one of Britain’s greats J.H. Taylor captain of Team Britain. This would be Britain’s final win for the next 24 years, they wouldn’t win the cup again until 1957.

The 1935 Ryder Cup was the start of the early dominance by the United States with Hagen still at the helm as captain. Charles Whitcombe captained the Great Britain team. In 1937 the United States became the first to win the Ryder Cup back-to-back and retain the cup. Walter Hagen served as non-playing captain for the United States team and Whitcombe captained the British team again. Playing of the Ryder Cup was suspended from 1939 thru 1945 due to World War II. However although the Ryder Cup was delayed there were still exhibition matches played between top professionals from each country which were played in the spirit of the Ryder Cup competition.

1947 U.S. Ryder Cup Team

The seventh Ryder Cup was played at Portland Golf Club in Oregon in 1947. This Ryder Cup almost didn’t come to fruition due to Britain’s lack of funding. However it was able to proceed thanks to the generosity of Portland businessman Robert Hudson who paid for their travel to compete in the Ryder Cup. Ben Hogan was captain of the United States team and led the likes of Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret, Lew Worsham, Dutch Harrison, Porky Oliver, Lloyd Mangrum and Herman Keiser. Henry Cotton was the Great Britain captain with the team of Jimmy Adams, Fred Daly, Max Faulkner, Eric Green, Reg Horne, Sam King, Arthur Lees, Dai Rees, and Charlie Ward. The American team completely devastated the British team with an 11 to 1 point victory. For the 1949 Ryder Cup, Ben Hogan returned as captain in 1949, but due to injury was a non-playing captain. Whitcombe returned to the captain position for the British team. The United States team retained the cup with a 2 point margin.

1947 British Ryder Cup Team

1951 was Ben Hogan’s final time playing in the Ryder Cup which had Sam Snead as captain for the United States team. The Ryder Cup took place at the famous Pinehurst No. 2 course in North Carolina. Arthur Lacey was captain of the British team. The United States continued their Ryder Cup dominance winning again 9.5 to 2.5 points. The 1953 and 1955 Ryder Cup led to the United States winning their sixth and seventh consecutive Ryder Cups. The British team finally ended the United States reign at the 1957 Ryder Cup held at the Lindrick Golf Club in Rotherham, England. The 1957 English team was captained by Dai Rees who help lead the charge in defeating the United States team captained by Jack Burker Junior.

Dai Rees again was captain for Team Great Britain and faced the Sam Snead led Team United States at the 1959 Ryder Cup. Snead took the United States team to victory with an 8.5 to 3.5 point win. The 1961 Ryder Cup was notable for being the first tournament the format changed and the first appearance of Arnold Palmer playing in the cup. The format was expanded from a 12 point system to a 24 points system. The first day would feature two rounds of foursome matches, four matches in the morning and four in the afternoon. The second day would have 16 singles matches, eight in the morning and eight in the afternoon. The United States won the Ryder Cup with a 14.5 to 9.5 margin of victory.

The format for the Ryder Cup was once again altered in 1963. The format was extended to 3 days and now included eight fourball matches, with two player- teams playing best ball, being played on the first day. Day two included eight fourball matches and the final day had sixteen singles matches. Arnold Palmer captained the United States to retain the cup against Great Britain, which was captained by John Fallon, with a 23 to 9 point win. The tournament was played at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Arnold Palmer was the last playing captain in Ryder Cup history.

The United States would retain the cup again in 1965 with Byron Nelson at the helm against Harry Weetman’s British team. The 1967 United States team had Ben Hogan as a non-playing captain against the Great Britain team with non-playing captain Dai Rees. The Ryder Cup was held at the Champions Gold Club in Houston, Texas. Hogan’s U.S. Team, which included the likes of Billy Casper and Arnold Palmer, defeated the British Team with a record 23.5 to 8.5 points, which remains the largest margin of victory.

Jack Nicklaus & Tony Jacklin

Jack Nicklaus made his Ryder Cup debut in 1969 with a stellar final match. Nicklaus and Britain’s Tony Jacklin were the last match on the final day with the Cup hanging in the balance. Nicklaus and Jacklin halved the hole to end the Ryder Cup in a tie for the first time. As a result the defending United States team, with captain Sam Snead, retained the cup over the Great Britain team, with captain Eric Brown. This was also the first Ryder Cup appearance of Lee Trevino. The United States team won the 1971 Ryder Cup with a margin of 18.5 to 13.5.

The 1973 Ryder Cup saw an expansion of the Great Britain team to include golfers from Ireland. The format of play was shifted to have four foursome and four fourball matches played on both day one and two, as opposed to being played on separate days. Jack Burke, Jr. was captain of the United States team which included the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Billy Casper. The Great Britain and Ireland team was captained by Bernard Hunt which featured Tony Jacklin, Brian Huggett and Pete Oosterhuis. The United States defeated the combination team of Great Britain and Ireland by 19 to 13 points.

Arnold Palmer was captain of the 1975 U.S. Ryder Cup team who was victorious over the Bernard Hunt captained Great Britain and Ireland team. The format of the Ryder Cup was changed again in 1977 with a reduction of points and matches. There would now be four foursome matches, four fourball matches and ten single matches equating to 20 points as opposed to 32. Dow Finsterwald was captain of the United States team, which included Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Brian Huggett was the captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team, which had Brian Barnes, Nick Faldo and Tony Jacklin. The United States team would once again emerge victorious with a 12.5 to 7.5 point win.

Ballesteros & Garrido on the 1979 European Ryder Cup Team

The 1979 Ryder Cup marked the expansion of the Great Britain and Ireland team to include players from continental Europe. The first two Spaniards to join team Europe were Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido. The format of the tournament was changed again to once again include eight foursome matches, eight fourball matches and 12 singles matches with players limited to only one singles match. The United States team, with captain Billy Casper, defeated the European team, with captain John Jacobs, with a seventeen to eleven point win.

The 1981 Ryder Cup was Jack Nicklaus’s sixth and final appearance in which he won all four of his matches. Dave Marr was the captain of the United States team, with Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw making his debut. The European team was captained by John Jacobs and included Nick Faldo and the debut of Bernhard Langer. The United States won with 18.5 points to the Europeans 9.5 points.

Tony Jacklin & Jack Nicklaus

The following Ryder Cup saw Jack Nicklaus captain the United States team as a non-playing captain for his first time. Tony Jacklin, who rivaled Nicklaus in his debut Ryder Cup which ended in a tie, would again rival Nicklaus as non-playing captain of the European team. The competition was close with the final two matches between Jose Canizares against Lanny Wadkins and Bernard Gallacher against Tom Watson. Wadkins hit a phenomenal wedge shot on the 18th hole to halve the match for the United States team. Watson helped seal the victory for the United States after his match with Gallacher. The United States won by a point against team Europe.

Finally at the 1985 Ryder Cup the European team defeated the United States for the first time in 28 years. Tony Jacklin was non-playing captain for team Europe which had Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer. Lee Trevino was non-playing captain for the team United States which had Calvin Peete, Fuzzy Zoeller, and Tom Kite. The Europeans won with a total of 16.5 to 11.5 points. The Europeans would win and retain the Ryder Cup in 1987. Jacklin was again captain of the European team and Jack Nicklaus returned as captain of the United States team. Two years later tensions were building as the United States, captained by Raymond Floyd, sought to reclaim the cup after back to back defeats but it ended in a stalemate. A feud between Europe’s Seve Ballesteros and Paul Azinger was ignited during their singles match after Azinger challenged Ballesteros claim of his ball being scuffed and unfit for play. Azinger would win the singles match by a point. For the second time in Ryder Cup history the tournament ended in a draw and the defending European team, captained by Tony Jacklin, retained the cup.

Victorious 1985 European Ryder Cup Team

The rivalry between the United States team and the Europe team continued at the 1991 with tensions increasing between players Paul Azinger and Seve Ballesteros. The 1991 Ryder Cup was given the moniker of ‘the War on the Shore’ by American advertisers and was played at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. With intense home crowds cheering on the American team the Ryder Cup came down to a final dramatic putt. In the singles match between the United States’ Hale Irwin and Europe’s Bernhard Langer the pair went into their final hole tied. After both struggled on the hole, Langer conceded Irwin’s 18 inch putt for bogey and had to make a six foot putt to win the hole and retain the cup. Stunningly Langer missed the cup and the hole was halved. This gave Dave Stockton’s United States team a 14.5 to 13.5 point victory over Bernard Gallacher’s European team.

The 30th Ryder Cup took place at the Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England in 1993. Tom Watson was captain for the United States team and Bernard Gallacher returned as captain of the European Team. The European team held a one point lead going into the final day singles matches. However Davis Love III was able to defeat Costantino Rocca on their final hole which would secure the Ryder Cup for the United States. While past Ryder Cups had received some televised coverage in America this was the first to be broadcast live on a major network, NBC.

At the 1995 Ryder Cup Bernard Gallacher lead his European team to victory over the United States team, captained by Lanny Wadkins. The cup took place at the Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. The defeat was only the second time that the United States team lost on their home turf. The following Ryder Cup in 1997 marked the first to be played in continental Europe. It was held at the Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain. Appropriately so, Spaniard Seve Ballesteros was captain of the European team going against Tom Kite at the captain seat of the United States team. This was Tiger Woods first appearance in the Ryder Cup. The Europeans held a substantial lead going into the singles matches on the final day. The United States made a charge to close the gap but inevitably came up short. Europe’s Colin Montgomerie halved the final singles match against United States’ Scott Hoch to clinch the victory.

Payne Stewart at the 1999 Ryder Cup

In 1999 the United States, with captain Ben Crenshaw, would make an astounding charge on the final day to overcome their deficit and win the Ryder Cup. The European team, with captain Mark James, was ahead going into the final day with a 10 to 6 lead. Controversy over unsportsmanlike conduct tainted the victory and created tension between the teams. On the 17th hole during the final singles match between American Justin Leonard and Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal the United States could potentially seal their victory if Leonard made his putt. Leonard made his putt and the United States team players rushed the green in celebration before Olazabal had an opportunity to putt in his ball. Olazabal missed his putt which would give Leonard the half point needed for the United States team. The members of the United States team later apologized for their premature celebration on the 17th green. This was the last golfing event that Payne Stewart would participate in before his life was tragically ended by a plane crash.

The 2001 Ryder Cup was scheduled to take place September 28 – 30, but due to the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States play was agreed to be postponed for a year. In 2002 the 34th Ryder Cup took place at the Brabazon Course at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England. Sam Torrance was captain of the European team while Curtis Strange was captain for the United States team. The Europeans charge started after Phillip Price beat Phil Mickelson, leaving the Europeans only a half point away from victory. The half point was scored by Paul McGinley against Jim Furyk after he sank a 10 foot putt for par. The victory was especially sweet for captain Sam Torrence who had helped win the Ryder Cup at the same course 17 years earlier as a player.

The 2004 Ryder Cup was a record win for the European team with captain Hal Sutton. The Europeans defeated the United States team, with captain Bernhard Langer, by 18.5 to 9.5 points. It’s the largest margin of victory for the European team and worst defeat for the United States team on home turf. The following Ryder Cup in 2006 would see a repeat outcome as the Europeans dominated and retained the cup with another 18.5 to 9.5 win. This marked the first time team Europe won the cup three consecutive times. Ian Woosnam was captain of the European team and the United States had Tom Lehman.

The Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky was home to the 2008 Ryder Cup. Nick Faldo was captain for the European team and Paul Azinger was captain for the United States team. The United States team led the competition throughout the entire tournament. The United States team sealed their victory after winning the majority of singles matches on the final day. Jim Furyk clinched the Ryder Cup for the United States with his win over Miguel Angel Jimenez.

The 2010 Ryder Cup saw European captain Colin Montgomerie lead his team to victory and regaining the cup over the United States team with captain Corey Pavin. The United States made a surge on the final day with the fate of the cup coming down to the final match. Europe’s Graeme McDowell inevitably defeated the United States’ Hunter Mahan with a score of 3 and 1. The final score was Europe 14.5 points to United States 13.5 points.

2014 Ryder Cup winning European Team

The 2012 Ryder Cup was dubbed the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ by the European media because of the tremendous comeback made by the European team. The Europeans, with captain Jose Maria Olazabal, were down 10 to 6 going into the final day of single matches. The United States team, with captain Davis Love III, were outmatched in the individual matches as Europe took 8.5 of the 12 points that final day. Martin Kaymer sunk his putt which retained the cup for the Europeans, as it tied the points. It was Francesco Maolinari who earned the Europeans the outright victory after halving his match with Tiger Woods. Ian Poulter was pivotal in the win as he won all his matches to go 4-0. The Europeans won the cup with a 14.5 to 13.5 point lead.

The 40th Ryder Cup in 2014 took place in Scotland at the PGA Centenary Course at the Gleneagles Hotel. Paul McGinley was captain of the defending European team while Tom Watson was captain of the United States team. The Europeans were able to three-peat at the Ryder Cup for a second time after defeating the United States team. Europe’s Jamie Donaldson hit an amazing shot on the 15th hole against Keegan Bradley which helped secure the point needed to retain the cup. The European team won with a score of 16.5 to 11.5 points.

In 2016, the United States team claimed their first victory since 2008 at the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazetline National Golf Club in Minnesota. The United States team was captained by Davis Love III with vice-captains Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods. Darren Clarke took the helm as captain of the European team with his vice-captains of Thomas Bjørn, Pádraig Harrington, and Paul Lawrie. The 2016 Ryder Cup held much excitement and many close matches. Perhaps the most notable match was the individual match between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed, which Reed won and earned the nickname “Captain America.” The deciding factor which lead to the U.S. win was Ryan Moore defeating Lee Westwood 1up on the final hole, which secured the 14.5 points needed to claim victory. The final score was U.S. 17 points over Europe’s 11 points.

Categories: Golf History, Legends of Golf

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