Every two years, teams of professional golfers representing the United States and Europe face off in a competition, with the winner getting awarded the Ryder Cup.
The event alternates between venues hosted by each team and began in 1927 as a friendly match pitting players from the United States and Great Britain. Still, the latter was expanded to include Ireland in 1953 and then the entire continent of Europe in 1979.
From its inception through 1983, the United States won or retained the Ryder Cup in all but three of the competitions, but that all changed in 1985 when Europe won at The Belfry in Warwickshire, England, to begin a run of 11 wins for Europe in the next 15 contests, including six out of seven from 2002 to 2014.
The Ryder Cup has become characterized by raucous home galleries and tense competition on the golf course. The Ryder Cup comprises 28 matches played in three different formats, with each team made up of 12 players, with the competition providing plenty of opportunity for Golf futures Odds.
Over the first two days, there are four matches of foursomes and the same number of four-ball competitions each day, with four players from each team sitting out each session.
The final day of the competition involves the singles matches, with every player on both teams in action in individual match play contests. There are no extra holes in all three formats, with ties after 18 holes of play resulting in a half-point being awarded for each team.
With all of those matches, there are many Golf futures odds offered as well as many different wagers for the Ryder Cup.
Formats
The foursomes format involves two-man teams who alternate hitting shots until one of the players holes out on the green, with the team recording a single score for each hole.
One player on the team tees off on all of the odd-number holes while the other hits off the tee on the even ones, so the alternating of shots doesn’t necessarily extend from hole to hole.
The team with the lowest score on a hole is awarded a win, while the team that wins the most holes is awarded the match and collects a point for their side.
Matches end if one of the teams accumulates enough holes that make it impossible for the other one to possibly catch up, which is the same for all three formats.
There are also two-man teams in four-ball matches, but all four players in the group play their own ball and record their own score on every hole. Whichever team has the player with the lowest score on the hole collects a win, and once again, like in foursomes, the team that wins the most holes collects a victory in the match.
The singles matches involve individuals, and with every player in action, the pairings created by the captains can profoundly impact the outcome of the Ryder Cup.
Total strokes are not considered, just the number it takes to complete each hole, with the golfer who has the lowest score winning it and the one who wins the most holes collecting a point for their side.
The side with the most points at the end of the competition wins the Ryder Cup, with at least 14 ½ points needed for a victory. If the teams tie with 14 points each, the side that is in possession of the Cup retains it until the next competition two years later.
