Huge victories and holes-in-one! The best Ryder Cup records
Take a look at some of the best stats in Ryder Cup history
Many of the best players to pick up a golf club have played in the Ryder Cup.
Team Europe and the American team have faced off since 1979 with a British team previously picking up the mantle.
The Ryder Cup matches are played across three days of play for the prestigious Ryder Cup trophy, with Abe Mitchell standing proudly atop the golden item.
It features a unique format of foursomes matches, fourball matches and singles matches. It is the pinnacle for professional golfers to participate.
From the first one at Worcester Country Club to Royal Birkdale Golf Club where the famous concession happened and most recently, Marco Simone Golf Club.
We have the best records of players and teams in the famous tournament’s history right here:
Ryder Cup records:
Team records
United States matches won: 501 (251 singles, 145 foursomes, 105 fourballs)
Europe matches won: 396 (184 singles, 122 foursomes, 90 fourballs)
Matches halved: 143 (71 singles, 30 foursomes, 42 fourballs)
United States points won: 572.5 (286 1/2 singles, 160 foursomes, 126 fourballs)
Europe points won: 467.5 (219 1/2 singles, 137 foursomes, 111 fourballs)
Ryder Cup records: Holes-in-one
Europe
1973 – Peter Butler (16th – Muirfield)
1993 – Nick Faldo (14th – The Belfry)
1995 – Constantino Rocca (6th – Oak Hill)
1995 – Howard Clark (11th – Oak Hill)
2006 – Paul Casey (14th – The K Club)
USA
2006 – Scott Verplank (14th – The K Club)
Largest margin of victory
Matches were played over 36-hole matches until 1959.
Europe
10&8 – George Duncan beat Walter Hagen (1929, singles)
9&8 – Abe Mitchell beat Olin Dutra (1933, singles)
9&7 – Fred Daly beat Ted Kroll (1953, singles)
USA
10&9 – Walter Hagen & Denny Shute beat George Duncan & Arthur Havers (1931, foursomes)
10&9 – Ed Oliver & Lew Worsham beat Henry Cotton & Arthur Lees (1947, foursomes)
9&8 – Leo Diegel beat Abe Mitchell (1929, singles)
9&8 – Paul Runyan & Horton Smith beat Bill Cox & Ted Jarman (1935, foursomes)
From 1961 onwards matches were played over 18 holes.
Europe
9&7 – Ludvig Aberg & Viktor Hovland beat Scottie Scheffler & Brooks Koepka (2023, foursomes)
7&5 – Jose Maria Canizares & Jose Rivero beat Tom Kite & Calvin Peete (1985, foursomes)
7&5 – Ian Woosnam & Bernhard Langer beat Paul Azinger & Payne Stewart (1993, foursomes)
USA
8&7 – Tom Kite beat Howard Clark (1989, singles)
8&7 – Fred Couples beat Ian Woosnam (1997, singles)
Also: Who was Samuel Ryder?
Youngest players to compete
Europe
19 years, 258 days – Sergio Garcia (1999)
20 years, 59 days – Nick Faldo (1977)
20 years, 216 days – Paul Way (1983)
20 years, 221 days – Bernard Gallacher (1969)
20 years, 249 days – Ken Brown (1977)
USA
20 years, 339 days – Horton Smith (1929)
21 years, 61 days – Jordan Spieth (2014)
21 years, 270 days – Tiger Woods (1997)
21 years, 292 days – Rickie Fowler (2010)
23 years, 35 days – Horton Smith (1931)
Oldest players
Europe
50 years, 67 days – Ted Ray (1927)
48 years, 273 days – Christy O’Connor Snr (1973)
48 years, 196 days – Dai Rees (1961)
48 years, 153 days – Lee Westwood (2021)
47 years, 283 days – George Duncan (1931)
USA
51 years, 20 days – Raymond Floyd (1993)
50 years, 290 days – Jay Haas (2004)
49 years, 23 days – Raymond Floyd (1991)
48 years, 104 days – Phil Mickelson (2018)
48 years, 95 days – Fred Funk (2004)
Captains
Youngest Ryder Cup captain – 34 years, 31 days – Arnold Palmer (1963)
Oldest Ryder Cup Captain – 65 years, 22 days – Tom Watson (2014)
Now read: European Ryder Cup records
This is the history of the Ryder Cup in a nutshell! Who was your favourite player? Tell us on X!
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
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