The Ryder cup is a golf tournament that takes place every other year between teams from Europe and the United States of America. It’s name derives from Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur and golf fan, who donated the trophy in the first biannual competition between the two sides.

The first tournament was held in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was a landslide in favour of the United States who won by 9.5 – 2.5 points. Samuel was unable to be present as he was suffering from ill health at the time.
The Cup was originally a competition between the U.S.A and Great Britain but this changed in 1979 when the rest of Europe joined the team. This was good news for the British team as the States were supremely dominant for the forty years prior to Europe’s inclusion.

The Format of the Ryder Cup

Ryder cup matches employ a number of different match play competitions. Two teams of twelve golfers fight out eight four-ball matches, twelve single matches, and eight foursome matches with the winner of each match earning a point for their team. In the event of a draw, each team in the match is awarded half a point.
Results

Prior to World War 2, The Ryder Cup saw Great Britain and the USA quite evenly matched although the States had the edge archiving a 4-2 record over the small island’s team. The competition was absent from the sporting calendar between 1937 and 1947 due to the Second World War.

Post war Ryder Cup matches saw the states in incredibly dominant form with Great Britain achieving just one win between 1947 and 1977. It is one of the most one sided records in the history of world sports and is a testament to the quality of golfing talent that USA have produced over the years.

Since the rest of Europe was incorporated into the cup in, America has not found things to be such a stroll in the park. Europe has won a seven Ryder Cup titles, as have the states, and in 1989 there was a tie, allowing Europe to retain the cup.
The most recent Ryder Cup was the 2008 event that was held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The United States were the victors with an unexpected score of 16.5-11.5.

It was widely thought that Europe would win, as America’s prior record was poor and they fielded a team with little match play experience. The bookies took a heavy loss following this result.

The overall record shows the United States ahead:

Team Wins Losses Ties
United States 25 10 2
Europe 7 7 1
GB and NI 0 3 0
GB 3 15 1

Records and Facts

Nick Faldo not only holds the record for most appearances in the cup (11), he is also the top points scorer in its history with 25.
The youngest golfer ever to play in the Ryder Cup is Sergio Garcia, who at the tender age of 19 made his debut. On the flip side, the oldest player is Raymond Floyd who was 51 when he competed his final appearance.
In its old format, team USA won thirteen consecutive Ryder Cups from 1959 straight through to 1983.