Prize Money takes second place to Prestige in the Ryder Cup
as international matches between
the great professional players of
America and Great Britain are
played every two years.

When the Ryder Cup was first founded and by who is still not certain
but somewhere around 1920 and 1921 the concept of international matches between America and Great Britain
became a reality as the first informal match was played at Gleneagles, Scotland in 1921
This match resulted in a resounding win for Great Britain over America of 9 - 3
and in 1926 was followed by a worse defeat of the American team 13.5 to 1.5 rout at Wentworth.
This last unofficial game however was to have a great effect on the tournament
for Samuel Ryder, an English man, was one of the spectators and it was to make a lasting impression on him.
Over the coming year the Ryder Cup was made a permanent fixture when Samuel Ryder
donated a solid gold cup, designed by Mappin & Webb Company at a cost of £250.
Becoming official in 1927, when a match was arranged for June 3 - 4 at the Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts
the Ryder Cup presented the British golfers a problem for, with no Order of Merit available, who was to play in the British team.
This problem was solved when the challenge of selecting a team was taken up by the
British triumvirate of Harry Vardon, James Braid and James Taylor.

This historic first match was won by the United States team 9.5 - 2.5.
The American team was captained by Walter Hagen and it contained only American-born players.
The British team was captained by Ted Ray after Mitchell was taken ill with appendicitis.

The Ryder Cup matches where suspended in 1939 -1945 because of World War II.
The Americans , however, played challenge competitions in the spirit of The Matches between 1940 and 1943.
This brought together some of the greatest players and upsets of the era
including amateur Bobby Jones who led his team to a win at Detroit Golf Club in 1941.
After the war the Ryder Cup continued in its original format.
1973 saw a change in the procedure of selection by the PGA of Great Britain.
Eight players where chosen on a point system and four by invitation.
This change in procedure now allowed players to be selected from the British PGA European Tournament Division Order of Merit
thus allowing European golfers outside of the British Isles to play in the Ryder Cup team.
This decision helped to increase the competitive level of the Ryder Cup and brought players like
Severiano Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido into play.
This strategy changed the outcome of the tournament for previously the Americans had dominated the Ryder Cup
winning all the matches between 1959 and 1977 except a tied match in 1969.


The outcome of the Ryder Cup matches are given below.

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