Every other year since 1927, one of the most famous sporting events in the world takes place: the Ryder Cup -hundreds of thousands of fans, twenty-four golfers, twelve per team, Europe versus the United States. From Friday, September 26, to Sunday, September 28, the Ryder Cup will take place in New York.
According to Rydercup.com, in 1926, English businessman Samuel Ryder donated a trophy to start an annual outing between British and American golfers. Ryder formalized the event, which was then played as a tournament in 1927. The first Ryder Cup was held at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. When it started, there were two teams of eight players. The Ryder Cup now spans three days instead of two, played between the United States and Britain until 1973, when Britain added Ireland. Six years later, in 1979, it became the USA versus all of Europe.
The Ryder Cup competition schedule and points are confusing to most people. On the first day of competition, there are four – two versus two matches. The first two matches are alternate shot; two players on each team take turns hitting the same ball. In the second two matches, two players play their own balls and take the best score. The same schedule repeats on day two, alternate shot in the morning and best ball in the afternoon. Day three concludes the event with twelve singles matches. Every event is played in matchplay format, which means if you have the lowest score on a hole, you go one up on the match. If you get the lowest score again, you go to two up; if you lose the hole, you go back to all square (AS), and if you lose the next hole, you go one down. The three days of the matches consist of 28 total matches, each of which is worth one point. There are no extra holes in Ryder Cup matches. Should the two sides be tied after 18 holes, each side earns a half point (rydercup.com). The first team to get fourteen and a half points wins. If there were to be a tie, fourteen to fourteen, the previous winner would retain the Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup all-time record is: United States twenty-seven versus Europe’s fifteen. The 1939 to 1945 events were cancelled due to World War II and were pushed back one year due to the 9/11 attacks and the COVID-19 outbreak. Europe has won thirteen of the last twenty with players like Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Bernhard Langer.
Bethpage, NY, is hosting the Ryder Cup on its most difficult course, The Black Course. The rosters for this year’s Ryder Cup include: for Team USA, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Russel Henley, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns. Team Europe includes: Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre, Rasmus Højgaard, Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, and Ludvig Åberg.
The United States was shocked by the young European team in Italy in 2023 and is looking to bounce back at Long Island next weekend. This tournament is full of international traditions and excitement, where rivals can become teammates and compete for the Ryder Cup. Tune in on Sunday, September 28, to see if the US can regain the 2025 Ryder Cup!
