Quick Notes On The Ryder Cup

Who Will Win the Tournament?

The rest of the world may be going World Cup crazy, but America never really does well when it comes to going against European teams in soccer. As always, there are big hopes for teams all across the world, but America didn’t even qualify this year. There are sports at which we excel much more. If you want to bet on which team will win the game, let alone the tournament, and your hopes are on America, it’s probably best to steer clear of soccer. Forget soccer. Other sporting teams have more chance and more success. Take golf for example; when you mix together all of the best American players it’s much more likely that you will be supporting a winning team. There are all sorts of golfing events around the globe, such as the Travelers Championships and the Open de France.

The Ryder Cup

One of the most well-known team tournaments on the golfing calendar is the Ryder Cup. This popular golfing tournament has been around for over 40 years, and this year will see the 42^nd edition of the tournament. The tournaments will be held over the three days, from the 28^th to 30^th September. It is being held in France, at the Albatros Course of Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, which is a suburb in the southwest of Paris.

For those not familiar, the Ryder Cup is a team event as opposed to an individual event. It is a match play event, and every match is worth a point. The tournament is split into three separate days:

• Friday (day one) there are four foursome (alternate shot) matches and four fourball (better ball) matches.
• Saturday (day two) there are four foursome matches and four fourball matches.
• Sunday (day three) there are twelve single matches.

In all, there are a total of twenty-eight points available. To win the cup you need fourteen and a half points and to retain the championships if you are the current holder, you need fourteen points.

History of the Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup was first contested back in June 1927 at Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts, when it was originally just between USA and Great Britain. However, unfortunately The USA won by 9.5 points to 2.5 points. The winning did not stop there and the USA continued to dominate the tournament. Even after the return of the tournament after WW2, the Americans continued to dominate, so the GB team extended its reach to Ireland. In 1979 it expanded even further until it became Team USA v Team Europe.

Since the inclusion of Europe, there has been much more success, with Europe having won the tournament ten times overall and retained it once in a tie, whereas America has had only eight wins over this time. The European team now consists of players from England, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. However, despite the fact that the numbers are better for Europe, it is the USA who is currently the holders of the title and is looking to defend the championships in 2018.

The Ryder Cup 2018

Ryder Cup 2018 is definitely one of the most eagerly awaited evens on this year’s golfing events calendar. Europe is looking to get back the crown from the USA, but can we do it? The team captain for Europe this year is Thomas Bjorn, who was declared the team captain back in 2016. He was chosen by a panel of five men, including the three most recent Ryder Club Captains – Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Jose Maria Olazabal. He has chosen Robert Karlsson as his first Vice-Captain alongside Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Lee Westwood as four more Vice-Captains. The European team looks strong and confidence is growing as it comes closer to the date when they will face USA Captain Jim Furyk and his Vice Captain’s Davis Love III, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods.

So what if America didn’t make World Cup 2018 because we have great golfing success. Whether you bet on victory in the Ryder Cup winner or even whether Brooks Koepka can keep winning the US Open, your money is better on the golfing boys.