Who are the best singles players in Ryder Cup history?

Singles match play is just the best, isn’t it?

At any level and any golf course, it’s the equaliser of all formats. Making a birdie or a bogey is meaningless – the only question that remains when the ball’s in the cup is: Did I win the hole?

Regardless of the score in the Ryder Cup heading into the third and final day, which features 12 singles matches between Europe and America, intrigue rises from the first tee like the sun in the morning.

I wanted to discover the best singles players since the European team was formed in 1979. Which players conquered the challenge of their one-on-one duels since the Ryder Cup really got interesting with the introduction of the continent?

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Best Ryder Cup singles records

For those who saw my first Ryder Cup stats piece, courtesy of Match Play World, the Europeans dominated the foursomes points-per-match standings since 1999. Still, this particular leaderboard reads in the United States’ favour, having played a minimum of five singles matches.

Fans won’t be shocked to see Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie’s impressive singles records. In both cases, they didn’t win majors but their legacy will forever be cemented in the Ryder Cup.

Poulter never lost a singles match and Webb Simpson was the only player to squeeze a half from him at Gleneagles in 2014. This edition was one of Poulter’s more disappointing Ryder Cup displays, scoring only one point in three matches.

Montgomerie never lost a singles match either, picking up two halves along the way against Mark Calcavecchia in 1991 and Scott Hoch in 1997. Hoch must’ve been sick of the sight of the Scot in 2002 when he was comprehensively beaten 5&4 at the Belfry.

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But where Poulter and Montgomerie were a thorn in America’s side, Tom Kite was also a spikey annoyance to the Europeans. He never lost a singles match and inflicted a drubbing on Howard Clark in 1989 – a record 8&7 victory for the US.

That was the only singles match Clark lost. Dustin Johnson only lost one singles match too, to Poulter in 2018 in France. This was another great example of how match play neutralises form. Johnson was the World No.1 and had won three times on the PGA Tour that year, whereas Poulter wasn’t ranked in the top 30.

Padraig Harrington and Jim Furyk were the last players to have a record of at least 50% points per match having played at least five singles matches. It’s interesting that Sergio Garcia, who isn’t in the table but is the event’s record points-scorer, scored just 4.5 points in 10 singles matches.

There’s no doubt if stroke play was the Ryder Cup format, Tiger Woods would’ve scored more than five points in eight matches, albeit this is still a good record. His biggest win was a 4&3 victory against Francesco Molinari but coincidentally, he faced the Italian two years later in Medinah and infamously granted his opponent a putt which meant Europe retained the trophy outright, instead of a 14-14 draw to complete the mammoth comeback.

Honourable mentions should go to Chip Beck, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed and Tom Lehman who, so far, have each played in three Ryder Cups and scored maximum points in the singles. Brooks Koepka is also unbeaten in four Ryder singles matches, and each of Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald and Paul Azinger scored three points in their four singles matches.

Match Play World originated from the desire to form a better solution to a common problem with match play events in golf. The Match Play Matrix format means every player plays every round, but the winner is still the last player undefeated.

“The Matrix is something I came up with to solve the problems of match play at the professional level. When you watched the old Dell Match Play, the first few rounds were terrific when there were lots of games on the course,” Martin Hopley of Match Play World said.

“But when it got to the final, there were only two players to watch. Whilst the match might be exciting, it was pretty slow television.“

While creating this unique format, Match Play World developed the Match Play World Golf Rankings for players dating back to 1927 when the first Ryder Cup was held. From the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Solheim Cup and WGC Match Play to the old EurAsia Cup and the new LIV Golf Team Championship, every match play event is covered. View the Match Play World Golf Rankings here. 

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