What is the Ryder Cup, Origin, History? Ryder Cup Format, Rules, How it Works

The “Ryder” in Ryder Cup has nothing to do with the trucking company. It’s the surname of the man who originally conceived of the competition and donated the trophy, Samuel Ryder. An English businessman, he took up golf at age 50 and was hooked.

He began sponsoring various competitions, and in that era (the 1920s), perhaps the biggest natural rivalry was between American and British players. So the Ryder Cup was conceived to pit U.S. vs. British pros. It was first played in 1927, and matches have continued to be held every two years.

What is the Ryder Cup, history?

One of the most-watched sporting events in the world, the Ryder Cup is distinctive for inserting competitors from an individual sport into a team environment. Aside from the golf, the team dynamics and relationships have made for compelling viewing.

Amateur golfer and businessman Samuel Ryder conceived the idea of a match between British and American professionals, with the inaugural Ryder Cup played in Massachusetts in 1927.

The match was played between an American and British or British and Irish team until 1977.

After nine USA victories and one tie in 10 meetings, Jack Nicklaus wrote a letter to Lord Derby (then president of the British PGA) suggesting Britain and Ireland merge with Continental Europe to make the Ryder Cup more competitive.

Ryder Cups became far more closely fought and dramatic by the mid-Eighties, and the extravaganza we know today was born.

What is the Ryder Cup format, rules, how it works?

Most golf tournaments such as the Masters and Open Championship are strokeplay, where every shot counts and the player with the lowest score after 72 holes wins.

The Ryder Cup is matchplay, meaning players compete as individuals or pairs against their opponents rather than the course. The pair or player with the lowest score wins the hole. For example, if Europe records a four on the first hole and USA a five, Europe will go one-up. If the scores are reversed on the second, the match will go back to all-square and so forth.

The match is won when the advantage is bigger than the number of holes remaining. If it finishes all-square, the match is halved.

There are two teams of 12. On Friday, there are four fourballs matches in the morning and four foursomes matches in the afternoon. This is repeated on Saturday. It means four players from each team sit out each session, with the team captain selecting his pairs and deciding who to leave out. There can be different pairs for each format.

The only time all 24 players are on the course is Sunday’s ‘singles’ when they go head-to-head in 12 direct match-ups.

Winning a match earns your team a point, with a halved match worth half-a-point to each team.

Those proficient at maths will have realised there are 28 points on offer, so both teams are aiming for 14-and-a-half points to win the Ryder Cup. A 14-14 tie would see the holders retain the trophy

How to watch Ryder Cup: Time, TV channel, streaming

The 2025 Ryder Cup will be carried on the NBC family of networks, but a full TV schedule has not yet been confirmed. Here's what we know about where the tournament will be broadcast:

Date: Friday, Sept. 26 to Sunday, Sept. 28

Location: Black Course, Bethpage State Park (Farmingdale, New York)

TV: NBC, Golf Channel and USA Network

Steam: Peacock, Fubo (free trial to new subscribers)

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