Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY Sports
The United States won the 43rd Ryder Cup at the conclusion of this weekend’s matchup with Europe.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team celebrated with a decisive 19-9 win over their rivals from across the pond.
Team USA didn’t lose a session for the first time in 44 years, and the 19-9 final score broke the record for the largest margin in the tournament by a half point.
The win was especially exciting for the U.S. team as their six rookies (Daniel Berger, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, and Patrick Cantlay) all had impressive performances.
The result has given the Americans hope for a change in tide after a long stretch of wins on the European side, which had taken home the Ryder Cup nine times in the last 12 tournaments.
Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Steve Stricker and other players contributed to team USA’s domination on the course.
Meanwhile, golfers like Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Bernd Wiesberger, and Rory McIlroy struggled to find their footing, leading to the worst loss for the European team in Ryder Cup history.
With so much hype around the strong U.S. win this weekend, it has golf fans interested in learning more about the Ryder Cup and its role in professional golf.
Ryder Cup history
In the early 20th century, American and British golfers were often invited to participate in each other’s national championships.
As these friendly but competitive events became more common, the idea for a more formal tournament between the two countries gained traction.
In 1927, the first official Ryder Cup was held with a team of golfers from the United States competing against a team of players from Great Britain and Ireland.
Since its inception, the Ryder Cup has been held every two years, with some exceptions stemming from cancellations due to World War II, the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
When did the Ryder Cup begin including other European players?
In 1979, the Ryder Cup made a significant change by including continental European players on the British team, which from then on became known as Team Europe.
The change came following several decades of dominance by the U.S. In the 40 years leading up to that point, the British had won the Ryder Cup only once.
After the change permitted players from all over continental Europe to participate, the tournament became far more competitive.
Since 1979, Team USA has won nine times, the European team has won eleven times, and there has been one tie.
What course is the Ryder Cup played on?
The venue for the Ryder Cup changes for each event. Course locations alternate between Europe and the U.S. for each tournament.
This year’s tournament took place at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin.
The next Ryder Cup is scheduled to take place at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy.
Who is the Ryder Cup named after?
In 1926, an English businessman named Samuel Ryder commissioned a trophy for the Ryder Cup.
Ryder had become an avid golf fan in his later years; in fact, he had never played golf until he was in his 50s.
For his contribution to the tournament, the Ryder Cup was named in his honor.
Ryder Cup tournament format
The team format of the Ryder Cup makes it particularly fun for golf fans to watch.
The format includes different styles of match play, which means matches take place between only the opponents involved rather than the full field of players in the competition.
How do they play the Ryder Cup?
The Ryder Cup takes place over three days and includes the following:
- 1 four-match session of foursomes
- 1 four-match session of four-ball
- 12 singles matches
The four-ball and foursomes take place on days one and two of the tournament, while singles matches are played on day three.
What is a foursome in golf?
Foursomes is a two-on-two match. For the Ryder Cup, two Americans play against two Europeans.
There are two balls in play on each hole, with each team getting a ball.
Within each team, the players take turns taking shots to advance the ball toward the green. For this reason, this style of match play is sometimes called “alternate shot.”
The team with the lowest score wins the hole.
What is four-ball in golf?
Four-ball is another type of two-on-two match. In the Ryder Cup, this includes two Americans and two Europeans.
There are four balls in play on each hole. Each player gets their own ball.
The player with the lowest score wins the hole for their team.
What is a singles match in golf?
A singles match is a classic one-on-one match consisting of 18 holes. For the Ryder Cup, one American plays one European in each singles match.
Every participant in the Ryder Cup plays in a singles match. The opponent they’re matched up with is based on the order of players blindly chosen by the team captains.
The player with the lowest score for each singles match wins the hole for their team.
How are players selected for the Ryder Cup?
There are 12 players per team, with one golfer on each selected to be the captain.
For Team USA, the top six players in the points rankings are automatically placed on the Ryder Cup roster. The team captains selects six more players.
For Team Europe, the top four players in the standings for the European Points List and the top five players from the World Points List make the team along with three selections from the team captain.
How does scoring work in Ryder Cup?
The winner of each Ryder Cup match receives one point for their team.
If the score is tied at the end, the point for the hole is halved between the two teams.
There is a total of 28 points awarded in the Ryder Cup. Once a team has collected 14 1/2 points, they are the winner.
If there is a 14-14 tie, the winner from the previous Ryder Cup retains the trophy.
What is a conceded putt in golf?
One difference between match play and stroke play is that a golfer can choose to concede a stroke instead of completing each hole. This typically happens on a putt.
When a player concedes a stroke, their opponent can pick up their ball and simply take the total score they would have received on the next stroke.
A famous example of this occurred at the 1969 Ryder Cup when Jack Nicklaus conceded a two-foot putt to Tony Jacklin, resulting in the first-ever tie for the tournament. The U.S. retained the trophy from their win in the previous Ryder Cup.
What does the winner of Ryder Cup get?
In addition to the honor of representing their country, the winners of the tournament are awarded a replica of the Ryder Cup.
Ryder bequeathed the original cup to the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, which still owns it today.
The original cup is 17 inches tall and 9 inches across at the handles. It’s made out of gold and weighs four pounds.
The figure on top of the trophy depicts Abe Mitchell, one of the top British golfers from the 1920s who also happened to be Samuel Ryder’s golf instructor and close friend.
Is there money in Ryder Cup?
Some fans are surprised to learn that there is no money awarded to the winners of the Ryder Cup.
Reportedly, the PGA of America gives each of the players on Team USA $200,000 to be distributed to various charities.
Team Europe’s captain traditionally gives each player on their team a gift, which is paid for from a Ryder Cup fund. In 2018, for example, each player got a personalized Rolex watch.
Will there be a Ryder Cup in 2022?
No. The next Ryder Cup will be played in 2023.
Originally, the Ryder Cup took place on odd-numbered years.
That changed after September 11th, when 2001’s tournament was postponed to 2002. Since then, the competition has been held on even-numbered years.
But after the 2020 event was postponed to 2021, the Ryder Cup of Europe, PGA of America, and PGA Tour announced that competitions would resume in odd-numbered years after the 2021 tournament.
Ryder Cup FAQs
How many Ryder Cups has the U.S. won?
The U.S. has won 27 times since the tournament was founded in 1927.
How many Ryder Cups has Europe won?
The European team has secured 14 victories in Ryder Cup tournament history.
That number includes wins from before 1979, when players from continental Europe were included on the team.
Who was the first team to win the Ryder Cup?
The first Ryder Cup was won by Team USA, led by captain Walter Hagen.
Who has played in the most Ryder Cups?
Phil Michelson holds the record for the most Ryder Cup appearances.
He played in the tournament 12 times from 1995 through 2018.
Who has scored the most Ryder Cup points overall?
Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia has the record for the most points overall, with a total of 28 1/2.
Who has scored the most Ryder Cup points in a single tournament?
There are a number of golfers who have tied for the most points in one Ryder Cup: five.
That list includes:
- Peter Aliss
- Tony Lema
- Arnold Palmer
- Gardner Dickinson
- Tony Jacklin
- Jack Nicklaus
- Larry Nelson
- Francesco Molinari
- Dustin Johnson