The Ryder Cup Essay (677 words)

The Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is the most famous team golf event in the world. The Ryder Cup is played for biannually between the USA and the European team. The tournament was founded in 1927 by Samuel Ryder and has continued to the present day. The competition was originally held between the USA and the British teams, but then in 1973 the rules changed to allow the British team to field Irish golfers. The competition finally extended in 1979 to allow all European golfers to play for the new European team. The competition has been contested once every two years since 1927 except during WWII. Since 1979, the tournament has been played on 11 occasions between the USA and Europe. The inaugural tournament was played at Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts. USA were the first team to lift the trophy as they triumphed over Britain 91/2-21/2. The Ryder Cup has been contested at 28 different venues. No course has hosted the cup more than twice. The only time the cup was not contested was during the duration of WWII. Ryder Cup Venues Worcester CC USA wins -25 Moortown GC, Leeds GB/Ire/Eur wins-8 Sciote CC, Ohio Southport and Ainsdale GC, England Ridgewood CC Portland GC, Oregon Ganton GC, Scarborough Pinehurst CC Wentworth GC Thunderbird CC, Palm Springs Lindrick GC, Yorkshire Eldorado CC, Palm Desert Royal Lytham and St Annes GC East Lake CC, Atlanta Royal Birkdale GC, Southport Champions GC, Houston Old Warson CC, St Louis Muirfield, Scotland Laurel Valley GC, Ligonier Greenbrier, Virginia Walton Heath GC, Surrey PGA National GC, Palm Beach Gardens The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield Muirfield Village GC, Ohio The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Oak Hill CC, New York Valderama GC, Sotogrande, Spain Brookline CC, Newark The Trophy In 1927, Samuel Ryder presented the Ryder Cup to Great Britain’s Professional Golfers Association as the prize for an international competition between American and British professional golfers. In 1927, the Ryder Cup was valued at 250 GBP. Today it is valued at $13,900. The Ryder Cup is 17 inches tall and weighs just over four pounds. The golfer depicted on top of the trophy is Abe Mitchell, friend and private instructor of Ryder. Rules, Format and Terminology The Ryder Cup is played by the Rules of Golf determined by the USGA and applied by the PGA of America. Several types of matchplay are used during the Ryder Cup , including foursomes (two man teams taking alternate shots), fourball (betterball) and singles (18 holes at matchplay). The order of play during the first two days of the competition (foursomes or fourballs) is determined through mutual agreement of both teams captains. There are a total of 28 matches . Matchplay Guidelines Matchplay is a game played by holes. A hole is won by the team which holes its ball in the fewer strokes. Score is kept by the number of holes up (won) and the number of holes remaining. (Example: US is 2-up with 6 holes to play). When a team is up (winning) by more holes than there are holes left to play the match is closed out and a point is awarded to the winning team. One point is awarded for each point won. If a match is tied or halved through 18 holes of play, each team receives 1/2 a point. A total of 28 points are contested in Ryder Cup competition. If a match is currently tied while in competition, then it is considered all-square. A match is considered dormie when one side is up by the exact number of holes that remain. A player/twosome is said to be 2-up thru 10 after winning two more holes than their opponents through 10 holes. A player/twosome is said to win the match 2-up after winning two more holes than their opponents thru 18 holes. A player/twosome is said to win 3 and 2 after winning 3 holes more than their opponents with only 2 holes left to play, assuring victory. FAQs What are Concessions? A stroke, hole or an entire match can be conceded at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or match. Concession of a stroke, hole or match cannot be declined