History of the Ryder Cup

Samuel Ryder. Born in 1858, he was the son of a Manchester corn merchant and educated at Manchester University. In 1926 Ryder, a latecomer to amateur golf agreed to donate a solid gold cup, worth £250.

Though the first informal matches were played in 1921 at Gleneagles, Scotland,  Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts, in 1927 was the venue for the inaugural Ryder Cup. The United States Team defeated their counterparts from Great Britain in that historic first match, 9 1/2 -2 1/2. 

The first four Ryder Cups were shared two wins apiece. In those pre-European days it wasn't so much Great Britain and Ireland against the United States as the Old World against the New World. Then came The Depression and, for golfers from the Old World, a depressingly long era of finishing second. In fact, for a period of 50 years, from the early '30's to the early '80's, the Ryder Cup was more often a rout than a contest, American victories being as crushing as they were predictable.

Then it was decided that the Great Britain and Ireland side should be strengthened by including golfers from continental Europe.  Seve Ballesteros was quickly joined on the world stage by Germany's Bernhard Langer, and then by a modern day British Triumvirate of Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam. Overwhelmed at Walton Heath in 1981, Europe almost beat the United States in 1983 at the PGA National in Florida before gaining a famous victory at The Belfry in 1985. A first win on American soil followed in 1987.  It has become a truly classic match.

The Ryder Cup has been held every two years except for 2001 when it was called off due to terrorist attacks in the US, and from 1937-47 due to the Second World War. 2006 captains are Ian Woosnam for Europe and Tom Lehman for the United States.