Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in an event officially called the Ryder Cup Matches by teams from Europe and the United States. The Ryder Cup was first competed for in 1927, with the US competing against Great Britain. After nearly 40 years of US dominance (Britain won only once between 1935 and 1973) it was extended to Britain and Ireland in 1973 and then Europe in 1979, which made the Cup considerably more competitive. Currently, the Ryder Cup Matches are jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour.

Controversial Ryder Cups

TODO : The War On The Shore

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The 1999 Ryder Cup featured a remarkable comeback by the Americans. Down 10-6 after the first two days of play, they went 8-3-1 in singles play to take the title. The competition turned on the 17th hole of a match between American Justin Leonard and Spaniard José María Olazábal. Leonard holed a 45-foot putt to go dormie-1, assuring at least a half point and a U.S. victory (the Americans needed 14.5 points to gain the cup due to the Europeans' 1997 victory at Valderrama). A wild celebration ensued, with players and spectators spilling out onto the green, and across the line of the putt that Olazábal had to halve the hole. There was considerable bad blood after the match and some of the European players complained about the American galleries. (In an episode of its The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... series, ESPN Classic examined why the U.S. team cannot be blamed for the celebration.)

Related Topics:
Justin Leonard - José María Olazábal - Valderrama - The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... - ESPN Classic

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The competition from 1939 to 1945 were cancelled due to World War II. The 2001 match was delayed for a year following the September 11 attacks. At the same time, it was decided to hold the Ryder Cup in even-numbered years instead of the past schedule of odd-numbered years. The most recent Ryder Cup was won by Europe with Scotsman Colin Montgomerie sinking the winning putt.

Related Topics:
World War II - September 11 attacks - Colin Montgomerie

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