Ryder Cup

by Gregg A. Johnson ~ Last Updated:

The Ryder Cup is a golf trophy contest held every other year matching a team of players from Europe and a team of players from the United States. The name of the tournament came from Samuel Ryder who had watched the first casual match of this format and though it would be good to make the match official. He donated the first gold cup prize and they named the contest after him. The first official Ryder Cup match was played in 1927 in Massachusetts.

Each Ryder Cup team is captained by an experienced golfer. They will get to choose some of the golfers who will play on the team, but most of the team is chosen according to how well they have played since the last Ryder Cup. There is a point system that is in place and their position on the team is dependent on their points.

The matches in the Ryder cup involve various match play matches. Currently, the matches consist of eight foursome matches, eight four ball matches, and twelve singles matches. The winner of each match scores a point for their team with ½ point each for any match that is tied after 18 holes.

A foursome match is competition between two teams of two golfers. The golfers on the same team take alternate shots throughout the match with the same ball. A team takes the hole when it completes the hole with the fewest shots.

A four ball match in the Ryder Cup is also a competition between two teams of two golfers, but all four golfers play their own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots. Whichever golfer completes the hole with the lowest score wins the hole.

A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.

Many changes have been made to the Ryder Cup over the years, but it still remains one of the most exciting and competitive tournaments in the golf world. The next Ryder Cup competition will be held in 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

While teams have yet to be officially picked, we do know that the United States Ryder Cup team will be captained by Paul Azinger. Right now, it appears we'll probably see Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, and Davis Love III as team members based on their points they have accumulated.

The European Ryder Cup team will be captained by Nick Faldo. Expect to see names like Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, and Luke Donald as probably team members.

Ryder Cup In The News


 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 to Feature the Ryder Cup in June - Planet Xbox 360

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:52:00 GMT

Redwood Shores, CA - March9, 2010 - Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf, The Ryder Cup, will be featured in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11. In addition, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 will ...


 Golf doesn't get old for Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin - Los Angeles Times

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:48:00 GMT

Resplendent in Bruins blue, Corey Pavin had yet another day in the limelight Tuesday. Golfers call the Champions Tour their mulligan of life, and the 50-year-old Pavin is one of its current poster boys. But there is much more going on in Pavin's ...


 LEAD YOUR TEAM TO GLORY! TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 11 TO FEATURE RYDER CUP - Gamasutra

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:58:00 GMT

Gamers will select a team and square off to try and bring home The Ryder Cup for their squad in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 on all console platforms. The Ryder Cup is one of the last great sporting events to be founded in prestige rather than prize money ...


 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 to Feature the Ryder Cup in June - Planet Xbox 360

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:52:00 GMT

Redwood Shores, CA - March9, 2010 - Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf, The Ryder Cup, will be featured in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11. In addition, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 will ...


 Tiger Woods to feature Ryder Cup - CVG Online

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:44:00 GMT

Electronic Arts has announced that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will feature The Ryder Cup and will support Sony's new motion controller. The title's set to come out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and iPhone, with Tiger Woods representing the US team and Rory ...