The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a biennial showdown between the top players in the PGA Tour and the European PGA Tour. The Ryder Cup is co-sanctioned by both tours, and acts as the unofficial golf championship between Europe and the United States.

The match play format of the Ryder Cup pits players from two teams of twelve against one another in a series of match play contests. The winner of each match scores a point for their team, while matches tied after 18 holes are rewarded with ½ a point for both players.

The Ryder Cup is contested over a period of 3 days in September, with the tournament starting on a Friday and finishing on a Sunday. The hosting of the tournament alternates between European and North American golf courses.

Ryder Cup History

The initial Ryder Cup was not officially sanctioned by any of golf’s governing bodies and took place at Gleneagles, Scotland in 1921. The British won the first tournament, and a rematch was organised to take place five years later.

The first official Ryder Cup took place in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts, after British entrepreneur turned golfer, Samuel Ryder, suggested that the tournament should be organised on a regular basis. Ryder agreed to both organise the tournament and to provide a suitable prize, immediately commissioning the creation of the gold trophy which bears his name and the likeness of his golfing mentor, Abe Mitchell.

For almost a century the Ryder Cup was held on odd numbered years, before the tournament schedule was changed to take place on even numbered years, due to the cancellation of the 2001 Ryder Cup in the aftermath of 9/11.

The Ryder Cup is notorious for the gamesmanship that takes place during matches. Several Ryder Cups have been plagued by controversy and accusations of cheating by both sides, and European players routinely label the behaviour of American audience galleries as ‘disgusting’.

Ryder Cup Betting

The Ryder Cup is one of the biggest events in golf, and is regarded by many as more prestigious than the Majors. Only the finest players participate, which fuels public interest in the event. The Ryder Cup inspires some great golf betting specials, and punters are able to access Ryder Cup ante-post betting markets starting in January of each Ryder Cup year.

Ladbrokes £10 Free Bet
Ladbrokes offers all new punters a £10 free bet.

• Open an account with Ladbrokes Bookmakers
• Place a bet of £10 or more
• Ladbrokes will give you a free bet of upto £10

Ladbrokes Free Ryder Cup Bet Ladbrokes Review

Ryder Cup Winners

The USA team dominated the Ryder Cup for much of its early history, which featured British rather than European teams. The British won only 2 Ryder Cups between 1927 and 1983, shared the 1969 Ryder Cup, and lost 21 times to the Americans.

The Ryder Cup reached a watershed in 1985, when the British Ryder Cup team began recruiting top ranked players from other European Nations. The influx of top European players significantly increased the quality and competitiveness of the Ryder Cup, and the European team has dominated the United States team ever since, winning 7 of the last 11 Ryder Cup tournaments.