| The Ryder Cup Essay, Research Paper
The Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is the most famous team golf event in the world. The Ryder Cup is played for biannually between the USA and the European team. The tournament was founded in 1927 by Samuel Ryder and has continued to the present day. The competition was originally held between the USA and the British teams, but then in 1973 the rules changed to allow the British team to field Irish golfers. The competition finally extended in 1979 to allow all European golfers to play for the new European team.
The competition has been contested once every two years since 1927 except during WWII.
Since 1979, the tournament has been played on 11 occasions between the USA and Europe. The inaugural tournament was played at Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts. USA were the first team to lift the trophy as they triumphed over Britain 91/2-21/2.
The Ryder Cup has been contested at 28 different venues. No course has hosted the cup more than twice. The only time the cup was not contested was during the duration of WWII.
Ryder Cup Venues
Worcester CCUSA wins -25
Moortown GC, LeedsGB/Ire/Eur wins-8
Sciote CC, Ohio
Southport and Ainsdale GC, England
Ridgewood CC
Portland GC, Oregon
Ganton GC, Scarborough
Pinehurst CC
Wentworth GC
Thunderbird CC, Palm Springs
Lindrick GC, Yorkshire
Eldorado CC, Palm Desert
Royal Lytham and St Annes GC
East Lake CC, Atlanta
Royal Birkdale GC, Southport
Champions GC, Houston
Old Warson CC, St Louis
Muirfield, Scotland
Laurel Valley GC, Ligonier
Greenbrier, Virginia
Walton Heath GC, Surrey
PGA National GC, Palm Beach Gardens
The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield
Muirfield Village GC, Ohio
The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island
Oak Hill CC, New York
Valderama GC, Sotogrande, Spain
Brookline CC, Newark
The Trophy
In 1927, Samuel Ryder presented the Ryder Cup to Great Britain’s Professional Golfers Association as the prize for an international competition between American and British professional golfers. In 1927, the Ryder Cup was valued at 250 GBP. Today it is valued at $13,900. The Ryder Cup is 17 inches tall and weighs just over four pounds. The golfer depicted on top of the trophy is Abe Mitchell, friend and private instructor of Ryder.
Rules, Format and Terminology
The Ryder Cup is played by the Rules of Golf determined by the USGA and applied by the PGA of America.
Several types of matchplay are used during the Ryder Cup , including foursomes (two man teams taking alternate shots), fourball (betterball) and singles (18 holes at matchplay). The order of play during the first two days of the competition (foursomes or fourballs) is determined through mutual agreement of both teams captains. There are a total of 28 matches .
Matchplay Guidelines
Matchplay is a game played by holes. A hole is won by the team which holes its ball in the fewer strokes. Score is kept by the number of holes up (won) and the number of holes remaining. (Example: US is 2-up with 6 holes to play). When a team is up (winning) by more holes than there are holes left to play the match is closed out and a point is awarded to the winning team. One point is awarded for each point won. If a match is tied or ?halved? through 18 holes of play, each team receives 1/2 a point. A total of 28 points are contested in Ryder Cup competition. If a match is currently tied while in competition, then it is considered all-square. A match is considered ?dormie? when one side is up by the exact number of holes that remain. A player/twosome is said to be 2-up thru 10 after winning two more holes than their opponents through 10 holes. A player/twosome is said to win the match 2-up after winning two more holes than their opponents thru 18 holes. A player/twosome is said to win 3 and 2 after winning 3 holes more than their opponents with only 2 holes left to play, assuring victory.
FAQ?s
What are Concessions?
A stroke, hole or an entire match can be conceded at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or match. Concession of a stroke, hole or match cannot be declined or withdrawn.
How many points does one team need to win the Ryder Cup?
There are a total of 28 matches. One point is awarded for each match won. The side with the most points at the conclusion of the Ryder Cup matches wins the Ryder Cup.
Can the Ryder Cup end in a tie?
If, at the conclusion of the Ryder Cup matches, the teams are tied at 14 points each, the team who last won the trophy retains the cup. To win the Ryder Cup outright, either team will need a minimum of 141/2 points.
Matchplay Formats
Foursomes (4 groups of two, two-man teams)
Foursome play is a match where two golfers compete on a team against two other golfers and each side plays one ball. The golfers play alternate shots until the hole is played out. Team members alternate playing the tee shots with one golfer hitting the tee shot on the odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting the tee shot from the even numbered holes. The team with the better score wins the hole. Should the two teams tie for best score, the hole is halved.
Fourball (4 groups of two, two-man teams)
Fourball play is a match in which each member of the two man teams play their own ball. Four balls are in play per hole with each of the 4 players recording a score on the hole. The team whose player posts the best score on that hole wins the hole. Should a team tie for the best score, the hole is halved.
Singles (12 groups of two one-man teams)
Singles is a match in which one player competes against another player. A player wins the match when he is up by more holes than there are holes remaining to play.
Pairings
Each team captain submits the order of play for his team to the appointed tournament official. The lists from each captain are matched resulting in the pairings. Please note that the players in pairings can be modified by the team captains at any time prior to the beginning of a match.
More Facts
Since 1985, when Europe won for the first time in 28 years, 224 points have been played for and Europe are ahead by just 5 points!
The USA have won the trophy 25 times while Europe have only won on 8 occasions!
The trophy had stayed in the USA for an astonishing 26 years between 1959 and 1985!
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