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It’s time for the Ryder Cup! The defending Champs, aka – The European Team, is set to take on Team USA in Wisconsin at Whistling Straits. The match comes a year late as the last Ryder Cup was played in 2018 but 2020 was skipped due to COVID 19. Now, it’s time to tee things up at an event that gets American golf fans as excited as NFL fans are for the Super Bowl!
What makes the Ryder Cup different from a normal tournament – aside from two teams being battling it out – is the format. Skip the traditional stroke play event with a cut and go with paired play and some rounds that look very similar to weekend beer league events. More on the format below! But first – some quick history.
The Ryder Cup brings together two teams of the best players representing both Europe and the United States. It’s a bi-annual event that dates to the early 1920s. The general structure of the event, as we know it today, was officially kicked off in 1927 when rules governing the tournament were drawn up. Since then a few things have been tweaked – but it’s essentially the same battle.
So, where did the name “Ryder” come from? The Ryder Cup is named after English businessman and avid golfer Samuel Ryder. Why? Because he’s the gentleman who donated the cup trophy!
2021 Ryder Cup Format
Here’s how the Ryder Cup works. Toss out everything you know about a traditional PGA Tour event like the Masters or PGA Championship. First, the Ryder Cup has three days of play instead of four and there is no cut-line… because there is no traditional stroke play with a cut after two days.
There are three different formats contested between players selected from the two teams. Points are awarded as the three days progress. There are eight foursome matches and eight fourball matches as well as 12 singles matches. The winner of each match scores a point for their team.
A team score of 14 points for the defending championship team (in this case Europe) means they retain the Cup. If the challenger team (Team USA) hits 14.5 points then they win. Single matches are very straightforward – but here’s how the other two formats work.
Foursome match: Two golfers from each team. The golfers on the same team take alternate shots with the same ball. The team that completes the hole with the least number of strokes wins the hole.
Fourball match: Two teams of two golfers representing Europe and the USA, but in this case, all four golfers play their ball during the entire round. A hole is won by the team with the individual golfer has the lowest score.
2021 Ryder Cup Outright Winner Odds
There has been some talk about eliminating any chances for a tie – but nobody can figure out how to do that without making waves. So, in case of a tie – the win goes to the defending winner. Here are the odds to win the Ryder Cup outright according to Intertops. More odds for top-scorer by each team are listed below.
USA -189
Europe +185
Tie +1200
Team USA Members
Here’s a look at the members representing the United States. The first six players qualified for the event (via point rankings) with the remaining six players added to the team via Captain’s Pick. These are the American players who qualified automatically:
Collin Morikawa
Dustin Johnson
Bryson DeChambeau
Brooks Koepka
Justin Thomas
Patrick Cantlay
Captain’s Picks
Tony Finau
Xander Schauffele
Jordan Spieth
Harris English
Scottie Scheffler
Daniel Berger
Captain: Steve Stricker is the captain. Vice-captains are Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, and Fred Couples.
European Team Members
Here’s a look at the members representing the European Team. The first eight players qualified for the event with the remaining three players added to the team via Captain’s Pick.
Jon Rahm
Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton
Bernd Wiesberger
Rory McIlroy
Viktor Hovland
Paul Casey
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Lee Westwood
Captains Picks
Shane Lowry
Sergio García
Ian Poulter
Captains: Pádraig Harrington is the Captain. Vice captains are Robert Karlsson, Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, and Henrik Stenson.
Ryder Cup Top American Point Scorers Odds
Justin Thomas +600, Dustin Johnson +750, Jordan Spieth +750, Patrick Cantlay +750, Xander Schauffele +750, Bryson DeChambeau +800, Brooks Koepka +900, Collin Morikawa +900, Tony Finau +1000, Scottie Scheffler +1200, Daniel Berger +1400, Harris English +1600.
Ryder Cup Top European Point Scorers Odds
Jon Rahm +350, Rory McIlroy +500, Viktor Hovland +750, Tommy Fleetwood +750, Sergio Garcia +1000, Paul Casey +1000, Shane Lowry +1000, Tyrrell Hatton +1100, Ian Poulter +1200, Matt Fitzpatrick +1400, Lee Westwood +2000, Bernd Wiesberger +2000.
2021 Ryder Cup Preview, Tee Times and TV Schedule
Course: Whistling Straits – Mosel, Wisconsin
It seems as European players play well on European-style courses it’s because they do. Try to picture targeted, windy golf Like you would see during the Open Championship also known as the British Open. This year the Ryder Cup is in the USA which would make you think that a course with a distinctly American feel would be chosen.
Something like Augusta, or Pebble Beach. Nope… the Ryder Cup will be played in the USA on a course that looks like it is affiliated with the Royal and Ancient.
Whistling Straits in Mosel, Wisconsin was designed to look like a British or Irish course with little or no trees on the grounds. Targeted golf against a windy shoreline of Lake Michigan. The course will demand well-placed tee shots and plenty of scramble-type golf approaching the greens. A player with a hot putter could make all the difference this week. And that’s been the case with several Ryder Cup competitions in the past.
Designers: Pete and Alice Dye
Established: 1998
Par: 72
Length: 7,790
Ryder Cup Viewing Guide – all times ET
The Ryder Cup is being broadcast on NBC and the Golf Channel.
Friday, September 24
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Golf Channel
Saturday, September 25
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Golf Channel
Sunday, September 26
7 to 8 a.m. on the Golf Channel and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on NBC.
Live streaming is available on RyderCup.com, Peacock, and the Ryder Cup App.
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