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The Ryder Cup

22 – 29 September 2006

The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup golf tournament consists of three days of golf matches played between an American team and a European team, both of which are made up of top golfers. Previous Ryder Cup winners have included famous names such as Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Tony Jacklin and Tiger Woods. It is one of the most well known events in the golfing calendar and attracts a large number of bets.

The 36th Ryder Cup is due to be held on 22 – 29 September 2006 on The Palmer Course at The K Club, Straffan, County Kildare in Ireland.

There is no prize money at stake but the teams play for The Ryder Cup itself. Each match is worth one point, and the team with the highest number of points at the end of the three days wins, or if the event is tied then the current holders of The Ryder Cup retain the trophy.

Qualifying for The Ryder Cup

Each of the teams consists of twelve golfers together with the Team Captain. Qualification is based on the individual golfer's performance in various other tournaments.

Qualification for Team Europe depends on a player's position in either the Ryder World Cup Points List or The Ryder Cup European Points List.

The Ryder World Cup Points List consists of the number of Official World Golf Ranking Points that a golfer, who is a member of the European Tour, has won in any tournaments within specific dates before the Ryder Cup. For the 2006 Ryder Cup, the tournaments must have taken place between 01 September 2005 and 03 September 2006. The leading five players in The Ryder World Cup Points List on August 28 2006 will qualify for the Ryder Cup Team.

The Ryder Cup European Points List shows the points earned by European Tour Members from all official events, within specific dates before The Ryder Cup, in which points count towards The European Tour Order of Merit. For the 2006 Ryder Cup the events must have taken place between 01 September 2005 and 03 September 2006. The leading five players in the Ryder European Points List on 03 September 2006 (who have not already qualified through another method) will be eligible to compete in The Ryder Cup.

The Team Captain is responsible for choosing an additional two players to complete the European Ryder Cup Team. The 2006 Team Europe Captain is Ian Woosnam.

Qualification for Team USA depends on a golfer's performance in set events co-sponsored by The PGA of America prior to the Ryder Cup. Points are awarded to golfers who finish within the top ten positions in these events, and the ten golfers with the highest number of points qualify for Team USA. The further two places are awarded to golfers selected by the team captain. The 2006 Team USA Captain is Tom Lehman.

Format of the Ryder Cup

The current format of the Ryder Cup has been in place since 1979. The first two days consist of 4 fourball matches and 4 foursome matches. The third day consists of 12 singles matches. Each match is worth one point to the winner, meaning that there are 28 points to be awarded in total.

For more information about the types of matches played during the Ryder Cup, visit out Types of Golf Match page.

The Ryder Cup – Previous Winners

From the first official Ryder Cup until 1977, the tournament was dominated by Team USA, who won 18 out of the 22 events held during that period. The British team won three events and the 1969 Ryder Cup was a tie.

However, since the rules were changed in 1979 to allow European players to enter, the competition has heated up. Of the 13 events held since then, Team USA has won six, Team Europe has won six, and there has been one tie.

The results of the last five Ryder Cups were:

Year Result

2004 Team Europe beat Team USA (18.5 – 9.5)

2002 Team Europe beat Team USA (15.5 – 12.5)

1999 Team USA beat Team Europe (14.5 – 13.5)

1997 Team Europe beat Team USA (14.5 – 13.5)

1996 Team Europe beat Team USA (14.5 – 13.5)

Betting on the Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup provides numerous betting opportunities, and is one of the most popular golf events for gamblers. You can simply bet on which team will win, or you can bet on other outcomes, such as which player will be the top points scorer, the outcomes of individual matches and the winning margins for a team or player.

If you are betting on an individual player, then the main tip is to look at their recent form in other tournaments. Betting on foursomes and four-ball matches is even more of a challenge, as much depends on the players chosen for each pairing and how well they will work together in the match.

Some bookmakers also offer you the chance to bet on which players will qualify well in advance of the event itself, so although the Ryder Cup is only held on alternate years, this doesn't mean you need to wait in order to bet on it. For the latest odds on the 2006 Ryder Cup from a range of bookmakers and betting exchanges, visit our Latest Odds section.

The Ryder Cup is only one of many events in the golfing calendar. Check out other golf events!

If you are new to betting and want to place a bet on the Ryder Cup be sure to check out our Golf - How To Bet section for some betting hints and tips.

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