The Ryder Cup

The most prestigious team trophy in golf is the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is a biennially held tournament in which teams representing the United States and Europe compete for the prestigious trophy. The Ryder Cup was donated by British golfer and entrepreneur Samuel Ryder. The first edition of the competition was held in 1927 where the United States defeated Great Britain 9.5-2.5. The man engraved on the Ryder Cup trophy is the legendary British golfer Abe Mitchell, who also acted as Samuel Ryder's golf tutor.

The teams of US and Europe each consist of 12 players and the winner of a each match between the sides gains a point. A tie results in 0.5 points awarded to both teams. The selection of the teams is done on the basis of World Ranking, performance in the golf majors and the Prize money earned on the US PGA tour and the European tour.

America has won a staggering 25 Ryder Cups as compared to Europe's 11(including Great Britain’s wins). But in the past decade, Europe has dominated the event winning 5 of the last 6 Ryder Cups. In 2006, Welshman Ian Woosnam led Europe to a comprehensive 18.5-9.5 win over Team America. The 2008 event is scheduled to be held in Louisville, Kentucky. English legend Nick Faldo will be captaining the European side while Paul Azinger would be his American counterpart.

Incidentally Nick Faldo holds quite a few Ryder Cup records himself. He has been part of 11 Ryder Cup teams and has amassed a massive 25 Ryder Cup points over his career. Given his track record and motivational skills, USA will really find it difficult to queer the pitch. Apart from England, players from Spain, Denmark, France , Germany, Italy and Sweden have represented Europe with great distinction. Spaniard Sergio Garcia holds the record for being the youngest Ryder Cup participant.

The tournament is so well organized that the venues till 2020 have already been decided. No surprise that it is the most eagerly awaited team event on the golfing calendar.