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History of The Ryder Cup

The origins of The Ryder Cup competition have become a matter of debate. Some people believe that Sylvanus P. Jerman, who was the President of the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, first came up with the idea of a friendly tournament between golfers from the United States of America and Britain in 1921. Others, however, believe that it was Golf Illustrated's circulation representative, James Harnett, who thought of it in 1920.

The first informal matches were certainly played in 1921, however, and the current tournament developed from these.

Here are some key events in the history of the Ryder Cup:

1921: The first unofficial matches were played at Gleneagles in Scotland. Britain beat the USA 9 – 3. At this time, the event was held over two days, with 4 foursomes of 36-holes being held on the first day and 8 singles matches of 36-holes being held on the second day. A total of twelve points was therefore available.

1926: The second Ryder Cup was held in America. Britain beat the USA again by 13.5 points to 1.5. This was a key year in the development of the Ryder Cup as the matches were attended by Samuel Ryder, a British seed merchant with a keen interest in golf. Ryder agreed to encourage regular matches by providing a trophy. The trophy he commissioned featured the figure of a golfer on the top that represented Ryder's personal golf tutor and international golfer Abe Mitchell. It was named The Ryder Cup.

1927: The first official Ryder Cup event was held at the Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. The American team beat the British team by 9.5 – 2.5.

1939 – 1945: The Ryder Cup matches in these years were suspended due to the Second World War. However, the USA Ryder Cup Team organised charity challenge and exhibition matches during the period, meaning that interest in the event was not lost.

1961: A key year in the development of the Ryder Cup. The format was changed so that the first day consisted of eight 18-hole foursomes and the second day consisted of sixteen 18-hole singles matches. The total points available therefore increased to 24.

1963: Another significant year in the development of the format of the Ryder Cup. The 1963 Ryder Cup event saw the introduction of a third day's golf and 8 fourball matches, which increased the number of points available to 32.

1973: This was the first year in which the Ryder Cup was held in Scotland, and Britain altered its selection process to include eight players chosen due to a yearlong points section and 4 by invitation. Previously all players had only been permitted to compete by invitation.

1977: Another change to the format of the Ryder Cup competition was made in this year. The first day consisted of 5 foursomes, the second day featured five four-ball matches and the final day was made up of 10 singles matches. The total number of points available was therefore reduced to 20.

1979: This was a key event in Ryder Cup history for two reasons. Firstly, the format of the competition altered again. Days One and Two featured five foursomes and 5 four-ball matches, and ten singles matches were held on the final day. It was also a significant year because the British altered their selection process so that players from the British PGA European Tournament Division Order of Merit, including European players, could be included. The first two European players to be included on the team were Severiano Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido, both from Spain. This increased the standard of play and the competitiveness of the Ryder Cup.

2001: Another significant year in the history of the Ryder Cup event. The 2001 event was cancelled and rescheduled due to the terrorist attacks that took place in America on 11 September 2001, and as a result the Ryder Cup is now held in even-numbered years rather than in odd-numbered years.

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