21
RYDER CUP
When?
September, every other year.
Future Locations:
2010—Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales
2012-Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois
2014-Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Perth & Kinross, Scotland
2016-Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minnesota
2018-TBA, in Europe
2020-Whistling Straits, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Significance:
Many golfing aficionados claim the Ryder Cup is one of the last sporting events about prestige and not money. While the origin of the event is the subject of dispute, no one can deny that golf history is made in some form every two years. Golfing teams from the United States and Europe meet at various places throughout the globe for the Ryder Cup, a tournament sanctioned by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour. In the current format, players selected from two teams of twelve engage in match play over three days. Those matches include:
Eight foursome matches: Two teams of two golfers each take alternate shots with the same ball.
Eight fourball matches: Two teams with two golfers where everyone plays their own ball.
Twelve singles matches: Standard competition between two golfers.
Winners score points for their team with half-points assigned for any match tied after eighteen holes. Players are paired up by the team captain, who submits the order of play to an official of the tournament. Pairings are final when the match starts; modifications are only allowed if a player becomes sick or injured.
The United States has dominated the Ryder Cup since its inception in 1927. By 1979, that domination prompted a change to expand the British-Irish alliance and allow players from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Spain. Matches became more competitive and Team Europe began winning their fair share of Ryder Cups, including a “hat trick of sorts” in 2002, 2004, and 2006. The U.S. reclaimed the title in 2008.
Who attends?
Golf fans who like to watch their country or continent team up and take on some of the world’s best golf courses for charity.
History
Seed merchant Samuel Ryder was not a young man when he decided that he wanted to play golf. To learn the fundamentals, he hired Abe Mitchell as his private tutor and paid him £1,000 annually for six days a week of work. Mitchell taught Ryder the basics of driving, pitching, and putting. By the age of fifty-one, Ryder was a member of the Verulam Golf Club in St. Albans and boasted a handicap of six. One year later, in 1921, he was captain of the golf club. He returned to that capacity in 1926 and 1927. Quite a meteoric rise for a middle-aged golfer.
While informal tournaments were played in the years prior to the tournament’s inception, the Ryder Cup was born in 1927. Samuel Ryder donated a gold trophy and paid £5 to each member of the winning team. A Ryder Cup has been held every two years since that time. There were interruptions in 1939 and 1945 for World War II. The matches in 2001 were delayed one year due to the events of 9/11. From that point on, the Ryder Cup would be played on even-numbered years.
Walter Hagen, considered by many to be one of the greatest golfers of all time, captained the first U.S. Ryder Cup Team. On his team were Leo Diegel, Johnny Farrell, Johnny Golden, Bill Mehlhorn, Gene Sarazen, Joe Turnesa, and Al Watrous. The alternates were Mike Brady and Al Espinosa.
Abe Mitchell was scheduled to head up the first British PGA team, but suffered a bout of appendicitis that took him out of the competition. Ted Ray captained a team composed of Aubrey Boomer, Archie Compston, George Duncan, George Gadd, Arthur Havers, Herbert Jolly, Fred Robson, and C. A. (Charles) Whitcombe.
Notable Athletes:
Fred Funk
Jim Furyk
Phil Mickelson
Jack Nicklaus
Arnold Palmer
Tiger Woods
Nick Faldo
Sergio Garcia
Records:
Most appearances: Nick Faldo, 11, 1977-1997
Most points: Nick Faldo, 25, 1977-1997
Youngest player: Sergio Garcia, 19 years and 258 days, 1999
Oldest player: Raymond Floyd, 51 years and 20 days, 1993
Ryder Cup, Holes-in-one:
Peter Butler, 1973, Muirfield
Nick Faldo, 1993, The Belfry Constantino
Rocca, 1995, Oak Hill
Howard Clark, 1995, Oak Hill
Paul Casey, 2006, K Club
Scott Verplank, 2006, K Club
Traditions:
The Ryder Cup
Originally commissioned for £250 by Samuel A. Ryder, the Ryder Cup weighs four pounds, stands seventeen inches high, and measures nine inches from handle to handle. Ryder presented the self-named trophy to the Professional Golfer’s Association of Great Britain as a prize to the winner of a competition between British and American golfers. The image of Ryder’s gardener, friend, and instructor Abe Mitchell stands atop the trophy.
Things to know before you go:
Ace: A hole-in-one.
Front nine: The first half of a round of golf.
Back nine: The second half of a round of golf.
Fore: A warning cry to other players that your ball is headed in their direction.
Par: A certain number of shots needed to hole your ball depending on the hole’s distance and difficulty.
Birdie: One under par.
Eagle: Two under par.
Albatross: Three under par.
Bogey: One over par. Double and triple bogeys are self-explanatory.
Tickets:
For the organizers of the Ryder Cup, the crowd is more about quality viewing than the quantity of the people attending. While it is one of the most popular events in sports, a limited number of tickets are sold to the public because of the format of this spirited international event. Demand always exceeds availability. Your best bet here is the secondary market.
The PGA of America sells tickets via a random draw. Odds of landing tickets are not high but it’s worth a shot. For an application, call 1-800-PGA-GOLF.
For secondary ticket access, consider:
GoTickets, Inc.
2345 Waukegan Road, Suite 140
Bannockburn, IL 60015-1552
Toll-Free: 1-800-775-1617
Fax: (919) 481-9101
E-mail: sales@gotickets.com
www.gotickets.comTravel Packages:
If you are going to travel to this event, I would recommend using a reliable company to work with you on making the necessary arrangements. The suppliers listed in this book have solid references and are by far the most trusted in the business. Below are some of the organizations to try for this Top 100 Must See Sporting Event.
Premiere Corporate Events
14 Penn Plaza, Suite 925
New York, NY 10122
Phone: (212) 695-9480
Fax: (212) 564-8098
Toll-Free: 1-877-621-5243
E-mail: requests@tseworld.com
www.tseworld.comwww.pcevents.comPremiere Sports Travel
201 Shannon Oaks Circle, Suite 205
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: (919) 481-9511
Fax: (919) 481-1337
Toll-Free: 1-800-924-9993
E-mail: sales@sportstravel.com
www.sportstravel.comNotable Quote:
“Very proud. Very proud. Apart from my marriage and the birth of my children, without a doubt this is the proudest moment of my life.”—SAM TORRANCE, European Team Captain on his team’s victory
Relevant Websites: