The Ryder Cup is a golf tournament played every two years between professional male golfers from the USA and Europe (originally Britain).
English businessman Samuel Ryder (1859-1936) built up a prosperous business in St Albans, mainly through selling penny packets of garden seeds. Ryder, who had started playing golf at the age of 50, suggested the idea of a regular international competition between teams of British and American golfers.
The first official Ryder Cup was held in Worcester, Massachusetts on June 3–4, 1927. (Two unofficial matches between British and American teams, had been played in Scotland in 1921 and in England in 1926, both won by the British).
Appendicitis kept Ryder's coach, British professional golfer Abe Mitchell, out of first Ryder Cup, and the United States team beat Britain 9 1/2 to 2 1/2.
The cup was donated by Ryder. Made of 14-karat gold on a wooden base, the trophy stands 16 inches (41 centimeters) high and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms). The figure at the top of the cup is modeled on Abe Mitchell.
The trophy was manufactured by Mappin & Webb and cost nearly £300.
The first Ryder Cup tournament had nine golfers per team. The number rose to 10 in 1929 and 12 in 1969.
When he returned from the 1967 Ryder Cup, Jack Nicklaus confessed to his wife Barbara that having to play 36 holes in one day had worn him out. He went on a diet and lost so much weight The Golden Bear had to buy a new golfing wardrobe.
In 1973 the official title of the British Team was changed from "Great Britain" to "Great Britain and Ireland". 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 the 1977 tournament, United States beat Britain and Ireland 12½ -7½. This was the last Ryder Cup to feature a side exclusively from the British Isles.
The U.S. opponents in the next Ryder Cup, held in 1979 at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, were drawn from all of Europe. 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. The U.S.-Europe format has continued ever since.
English businessman Samuel Ryder (1859-1936) built up a prosperous business in St Albans, mainly through selling penny packets of garden seeds. Ryder, who had started playing golf at the age of 50, suggested the idea of a regular international competition between teams of British and American golfers.
The first official Ryder Cup was held in Worcester, Massachusetts on June 3–4, 1927. (Two unofficial matches between British and American teams, had been played in Scotland in 1921 and in England in 1926, both won by the British).
Appendicitis kept Ryder's coach, British professional golfer Abe Mitchell, out of first Ryder Cup, and the United States team beat Britain 9 1/2 to 2 1/2.
The cup was donated by Ryder. Made of 14-karat gold on a wooden base, the trophy stands 16 inches (41 centimeters) high and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms). The figure at the top of the cup is modeled on Abe Mitchell.
The trophy was manufactured by Mappin & Webb and cost nearly £300.
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| The Ryder Cup on display in 2008. |
The first Ryder Cup tournament had nine golfers per team. The number rose to 10 in 1929 and 12 in 1969.
When he returned from the 1967 Ryder Cup, Jack Nicklaus confessed to his wife Barbara that having to play 36 holes in one day had worn him out. He went on a diet and lost so much weight The Golden Bear had to buy a new golfing wardrobe.
In 1973 the official title of the British Team was changed from "Great Britain" to "Great Britain and Ireland". 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 the 1977 tournament, United States beat Britain and Ireland 12½ -7½. This was the last Ryder Cup to feature a side exclusively from the British Isles.
The U.S. opponents in the next Ryder Cup, held in 1979 at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, were drawn from all of Europe. 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. The U.S.-Europe format has continued ever since.
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| German golfer Bernhard Langer at 1991 Ryder Cup |
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