Ryder Cup History
The Ryder Cup was first played in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts, with an American team including Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen winning 9 1/2 - 2 1/2 against eight Brits. Named after the sponsor, Samuel Ryder, the competition would be played biennially between the UK and the US, featuring singles and doubles match play golf. The present format includes eight foursomes, eight fourballs and twelve singles matches, with one point earned for victory in each.
Great Britain won the Cup at Moortown in Leeds in 1929, and after four editions both sides had two wins, but from 1935 onwards the Americans dominated; only losing once until 1985. The Great Britain team had expanded to include Ireland in 1973, and with the emergence of several golfers from mainland Europe, combined with American dominance, the GB & Ireland team became a European team in 1979. Spanish sensation Seve Ballesteros helped to revive interest in the competition, and together with three compatriots, a German and seven Brits they finally broke the American strangehold at the Belfry in 1985.
The inclusion of the whole continent has given Europe the upper hand in recent years, but the competition has proven fierce and occasionally spilled over into bad blood. Jack Nicklaus's display of sportsmanship in 1969, when he gave Tony Jacklin a missable putt on the 18th to ensure the match would be tied was not received well by all members of his team. Accusations of gamesmanship and cheating became commonplace and during the 1991 'War on the Shore' at Kiawah Island and 1999 'Battle of Brookline' the atmosphere was largely hostile. A concerted effort in recent years to reclaim the spirit of the show has resulted in the modern competition; hotly contested, but aware of the maxim "it's only a game".
