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10 Interesting Facts About The Ryder Cup

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10 Interesting Facts About The Ryder Cup

Photo by @rydercupusa

The history of the inaugural Ryder Cup is something that never ceases to fascinate me, dominance of the tournament has switched hands so many times between the two teams and a number of phenomenal golfers have come and gone. In this article I will tell the tale of one of sport’s most celebrated competitions.

The first real international golf match wasn’t contested between Great Britain and the U.S; it was contested between the French and the U.S. The event was such a success that a return fixture was scheduled for seven months later at Versailles, when a team of four French professionals comprehensively defeated an U.S. team, 6-0.

In my opinion, this is when the concept of an international team event was born. In 1921 a match between the U.S and Great Britain was promoted by the circulator manager of Golf Illustrated. The match took place at Gleneagles, Scotland as a follow up act to the Glasgow Heralds 1000 Guineas tournament. The first match wasn’t very successful, but interest was certainly generated.

Around the same time, Samuel Ryder, a British entrepreneur ran a number of golf tournaments for British professionals with the aim of promoting his seed company. After suffering from health problems, fresh air and regular exercise was the doctor’s recommendation to Ryder, which inspired him to take up golf. After become infatuated for the sport, Ryder hired golfing legend Abe Mitchell to teach him the tricks of the trade.  Ryder was a huge fan of Mitchell and was present at an unofficial match in 1926 that saw Great Britain defeat the U.S.

After long discussions with Mitchell and other professionals, a regular competition between the two nations was suggested. Ryder offered to donate a cup to the competition, his offer was duly accepted and in 1927, the first official Ryder cup was played.

Matches between the two golfing giants were relatively even until after the second world war when the US domination came to the fore. This prompted the decision to change the British & Irish team to Europe in 1973. The change allowed a new generation of talented Spanish golfers such as Antonio Garrido and Severiano to play in the event. Since then the European team has featured players from France, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Sweden.

10 Ryder Cup Facts

  1. The official Ryder Cup trophy is 17 inches tall, nine inches wide and weighs four pounds.
  2. The trophy was modeled to resemble British golfing great Abe Mitchell.
  3. Between the years of 1935 and 1985, Europe only won the Ryder Cup once.
  4. In 1977, Englishman Peter Dawson was the first left hander to play in the Ryder Cup.
  5. Sir Nick Faldo holds the record for most match wins with 23 victories.
  6. America won the first Ryder Cup tournament, which was hosted by Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts.
  7. There have only been six holes-in ones in the history of the Ryder Cup, just one of these was by an American.
  8. The youngest player to play in the Ryder Cup was Sergio Garcia in 1999; he made his debut at the tender age of just 19.
  9. In 1993 at the age of 51, Raymond Floyd became the oldest player to make a Ryder Cup debut.
  10. With 11 Ryder Cup competitions under his belt, Nick Faldo has appeared in more Ryder Cup competitions that any other golfer.

(Cover Photo Credit)

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