Copa Ryder (SPA-ENG)

Ryder Cup

Starting tomorrow, September 26th, and for three consecutive days, the extraordinary team golf competition between the USA and Europe, known as the Ryder Cup, will be held on the links of the beautiful and difficult Bethpage State Park (Black) course located in Farmingdale, New York, United States of America.

This traditional competition is usually held every two years and began long ago, in 1927, when, due to the great success of the sport, mainly in England, Ireland, and the United States, it was decided to hold a match between teams from those countries. The British, as a single team, would face off against North American players, who by then had begun to dominate the sport.

By 1979, the rules changed, and the British team expanded to all of Europe; important players from other nations on the Old Continent were included, likely in an attempt to partially curb the North American superiority.

In the first match played in 1927, the trophy for the winning team was donated by an enthusiastic and passionate amateur golfer, an English businessman named Samuel Ryder, whose name the tournament adopted forever, unaware that it would become a symbol of the healthy competition and sportsmanship that the sport of golf has always embodied.

This cup is played in a match play format, that is, on points. Each individual or group match awards a point to the team the players represent. In the event of a tie, the point is shared between both teams. The team with the highest number of points at the end of the scheduled matches wins. The final match was decided in favor of Europe by a score of 16.5 to 11.5.

To date, 44 editions have been played, with the United States clearly dominating with 27 wins against 15 for Great Britain/Europe, and two draws in 1969 and 1989. Since the beginning of the new century, the trend has shifted, with Europe achieving a vast majority of victories, winning eight matches against only three for the Americans.

Each team has a captain who, in the previous year, could play, and in fact, the rules allow for this possibility. However, recently, captains have preferred to focus on their many and varied obligations and duties, and therefore, have declined the possibility of playing double duty. That is precisely what happened in this new edition, which begins tomorrow. The captain of the North American team, Keegan Bradley, declined the opportunity to play, even though his ranking allowed it, to dedicate himself exclusively to the role of captain, for which he was appointed the previous year.

Speaking of captains, one of their main roles is to select the players who will make up the team. Some are determined by the annual PGA rankings, while others are chosen by the team based on various criteria such as experience, current form, and other factors.

The European team is captained by veteran and experienced player Luke Donald, and its key players include world number 2 Rory McIlroy, Rasmus Hojgaard (R), Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, and Matthew Fitzpatrick, among others. The case of Rahm, currently number 73 in the world rankings, is a clear example of the captain's choice. The Spaniard is not going through a good moment and has not been in the spotlight for some time, but his experience, drive, and contagious enthusiasm are well known. He also relies on the youth and the good form of Rasmus Hojgaard, who is making his debut in these competitions.

On the North American side, the team is made up of world number one Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, and Russell Henley, among others.

The opening ceremony took place yesterday, with a large crowd already excited for the competition. Today will be the day for the announcement of the individual and couples matches, and tomorrow the show begins.

This tournament is the most important team competition in the world of golf. It is followed by the Presidents Cup, which is similar, although in this case, the USA team faces another team made up of players from all over the world. That will be next year since it alternates with the Ryder Cup, because, as I always say, golf never stops. I will report on their decision in the coming days.