Ryder Cup Golf Predictions & Tips

The Ryder Cup is golf tournament between teams from Europe and the United States. The Ryder Cup occurs every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. 

The first Ryder Cup occurred in 1927 in Massachusetts between Great Britain and the United States. The Americans dominated the tournament after the Second World War, forcing the organisers to allow players from Europe to join the team from Great Britain and Ireland in 1979.

As the game of golf had traditionally been dominated by players from the United Kingdom and the United States, the emergence of successful golfers from Spain such as Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido was another reason to expand the team across Europe.

Since the team expanded from Great Britain and Ireland to Europe in 1979, Europe has won ten times and retained the Cup once in a tied match. The Americans have won eight times and are the current holders after winning in 2016 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.

The Ryder Cup is comprised of various match play competitions between the United States and Europe who have twelve players each.  There are 28 matches played in total, four fourball and four foursomes matches on Friday and Saturday with 12 singles matches played on Sunday.

A fourball match occurs between two teams of two golfers with only the better score of the two golfers in a team counted. A foursomes match is between two teams of two golfers, but with the golfers taking alternate shots playing the same ball. One team member tees off on all the odd-numbered holes, and the other on all the even-numbered holes. 

Both teams have slightly different selection processes but share a similar structure. The majority of players selected is done on performances, with a small number of players selected by the captain, known as wild cards or captain's picks.

Many of the best golfers in history have taken part in the Ryder Cup. Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson share the record for most appearances with 11 each, Faldo with the most points won with 25. Colin Montgomerie, Lee Travino, Arnold Palmer, Bernhard Langer, José María Olazábal, Seve Ballesteros, Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus to name a few.

The players that contest the Ryder Cup receive no prize money despite the tournament generating a large amount of television and sponsorship revenue. The next Ryder Cup will be at the Albatros Course in France from 28 to 30 September 2018.