What is a fourball?

Ever asked yourself ‘what is a fourball?’ If the answer is no then don’t worry, we have you covered.

Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota is preparing to welcome the best players in Europe and the United States for the 2016 Ryder Cup, the biggest and greatest team event in world golf.

There will be millions of people tuning in to see the action and some are unlikely to be avid golf followers.

For those who might be scratching their heads when the commentators keeping talking about a fourball, here is what it means.

What is a fourball?

A fourball involves two teams of two players competing directly against each other. Each golfer plays their own ball throughout the round but only the score of the partner who records the lowest amount of strokes on each hole is counted. This is why it is sometimes referred to as fourball betterball.

So if you score a six on a par 4 (double bogey) and your partner records a five (bogey), then only your teammate’s score will count. You compete with the other team hole-by-hole, so if someone on the opposite team scored a four (par) in that scenario, they would gain a point for that hole. If both teams’ lowest score on a hole is equal than the hole is halved.

A fourball match takes place over 18 holes – with one point or half-a-point in the event of a draw on offer each hole – until a team has either won or the game is halved.