GOLF-RYDER CUP

Ryder Cup

Team-based men's golf competition between European and American professionals

The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. 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 businessman Samuel Ryder who donated the trophy. The event is jointly administered by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, the latter a joint venture of the PGA European Tour (60%), the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%), and the PGAs of Europe (20%).^[1][2]

Originally contested between Great Britain and the United States, the first official Ryder Cup took place in the United States in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts. The home team won the first five contests, but with the competition's resumption after the Second World War, repeated American dominance eventually led to a decision to extend the representation of "Great Britain and Ireland" to include continental Europe from 1979. The inclusion of continental European golfers was partly prompted by the success of a new generation of Spanish golfers, led by Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido. In 1973 the official title of the British Team had been changed from "Great Britain" to "Great Britain and Ireland", but this was simply a change of name to reflect the fact that golfers from the Republic of Ireland had been playing in the Great Britain Ryder Cup team since 1953, while Northern Irish players had competed since 1947. In addition to players from Great Britain and Ireland, the European team has since included players from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

Since 1979, Europe has won twelve times outright and retained the Cup once in a tied match, whilst the United States won nine times over the same period. Since 1979, Europe has won four times away on foreign soil (in 1987, 1995, 2004 and 2012),^[3] whilst the United States has won twice away on foreign soil (in 1981 and 1993).^[4][5][6][7] From 1995 to 2014, Europe won eight out of ten Ryder Cups.^[8][9][10]

The Ryder Cup, its alternate-year non-European counterpart (the Presidents Cup), and its women's equivalent (the Solheim 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 2021 Ryder Cup was held on the Straits course at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin, from 24 to 26 September 2021. The United States defeated Europe 19–9, to clinch the largest margin of victory in the modern history of the event (since the inclusion of Continental Europe in 1979).^[13][14][15]

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 the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It moved back to odd years again in 2021, after the 2020 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16]

1. ^ "PGA's of Europe". letsgetgolfing.com. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
2. ^ Harig, Bob (23 September 2014). "At Ryder Cup, follow the money". ESPN. Retrieved 24 September 2014. 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.
3. ^ "How many times has Europe won The Ryder Cup?". Ryder Cup. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
4. ^ Woodard, Adam (25 September 2018). "Ryder Cup: Five things you didn't know". USA Today. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
5. ^ DiMeglio, Steve (26 September 2018). "Americans haven't won Ryder Cup on foreign soil in 25 years". USA Today. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
6. ^ "Looking back at the 1993 Ryder Cup, the last time the USA won on foreign soil". Ryder Cup. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
7. ^ Lavner, Ryan (26 September 2021). "Captain America: Steve Stricker unleashes his U.S. superhumans, who deliver marvelous Ryder Cup performance". Golf Channel. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
8. ^ "History". Ryder Cup. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
9. ^ "Ryder Cup 2014: Europe's winning masterclass". The Scotsman. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
10. ^ Gillis, Richard (18 September 2015). "Ryder Cup's Team USA seek formula for return to winning ways golf". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
11. ^ "OK, so what's it worth?". golftoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
12. ^ "Do Solheim Cup players get paid prize money?". thegolfnewsnet.com. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
13. ^ "Americans win back Ryder Cup with a record margin of victory". USA Today. Associated Press. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
14. ^ Garcia, Catherine (26 September 2021). "U.S. wins Ryder Cup by largest margin of victory in recent history". The Week. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
15. ^ "2021 Ryder Cup results, scores, standings: United States dominates Europe for biggest win in modern history". CBS Sports. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
16. ^ Porter, Kyle (8 July 2020). "Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits postponed to 2021, Presidents Cup to 2022 amid coronavirus pandemic". CBS Sports. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

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