2021 Ryder Cup Explained

Ryder Cup
Year:2021
Logowidth:160px
Dates:September 24–26, 2021
Venue:Whistling Straits, Straits Course
Location:Haven, Wisconsin
Home:USA
Away:Europe
Homecaptain:Steve Stricker
Awaycaptain:Pádraig Harrington
Homescore:19
Awayscore:9
Result:United States wins
Map:USA#USA Wisconsin
Map Relief:yes
Map Label:Whistling Straits
Coordinates:43.851°N -87.735°W

The 43rd Ryder Cup Matches were held in the United States from September 24–26, 2021, on the Straits course at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin. Europe was the holder of the Ryder Cup after its win over the United States in 2018 at Le Golf National.

The United States, fielding its youngest team in its history, regained the Ryder Cup in 2021 with a record 19–9 victory.[1] This was the largest margin of victory in a Ryder Cup since 1967. Continental Europe joined the Ryder Cup in 1979; this is Europe's heaviest defeat in Ryder Cup history.[2] Combined with its 2016 win at Hazeltine, the United States won back-to-back Ryder Cups on home soil for the first time since 1979 and 1983.[3]

Due to several tournaments, including a number of majors, shifting their schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic (including one major being canceled and one being moved to November), the Ryder Cup was originally scheduled to take place only five days after the final round of the rescheduled U.S. Open, from September 25 to 27, 2020.[4]

On July 8, 2020, the PGA of America announced the postponement of the event to September 24 to 26, 2021, because of the pandemic. The next Ryder Cup was rescheduled to 2023 and further odd years, while the Presidents Cup was also rescheduled into 2022 and further even years, resetting the annual rotation of both events to how they were scheduled before the September 11 attacks in 2001.[5]

Format

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The event took place from September 24–26, 2021 at the Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.[6] The event was played over three days, with four foursomes (alternate shots) and four fourball matches on the first day. The second day followed with the same matches, and the third day had twelve singles matches.[6] The event was played between teams of twelve representing the United States and Europe. As the hosting team, the United States captain determined which matches were played during the morning session, and which were played in the afternoon.[6]

With a total of 28 points available, 14 points were required to win the Cup, and 14 points were required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.

Team selection

United States

The United States qualification rules were announced on February 20, 2019.[7] These were amended on August 5, 2020.[8] The qualification rules are similar to those used for the 2018 Ryder Cup. The majority of the team are selected from the Ryder Cup points list, which is based on prize money won in important tournaments, with one point awarded for every $1,000 earned unless otherwise stated below. The team consists of:

The leading 15 players in the final points list after the final qualifying event, the BMW Championship, were:[10] [11]

PositionNamePoints
1Collin Morikawa (Q)18,883.82
2Dustin Johnson (Q)18,058.24
3Bryson DeChambeau (Q)17,367.91
4Brooks Koepka (Q)15,418.06
5Justin Thomas (Q)15,269.82
6Patrick Cantlay (Q)13,391.33
7Tony Finau (P)12,970.65
8Xander Schauffele (P)12,730.20
9Jordan Spieth (P)12,462.51
10Harris English (P)11,605.30
11Patrick Reed10,931.70
12Daniel Berger (P)10,906.57
13Webb Simpson9,833.89
14Scottie Scheffler (P)9,295.80
15Jason Kokrak8,345.03

Players in qualifying places (Q) are shown in green; captain's picks (P) are shown in yellow.

Europe

The European team qualification rules were announced on May 8, 2019. There was one significant change from the previous Ryder Cup, with the number of captain's picks reduced from four to three.[12] [13] Following the postponement, points were frozen from after the Qatar Masters until January 1, 2021, with the new end date and amendments to the points multipliers expected to be announced before then.[14] The team consisted of:

The leading players in the final point lists[17] [18] were:

European points list
PositionNamePoints
1Jon Rahm (Q)10,122.82
2Tommy Fleetwood (Q)6,487.92
3Tyrrell Hatton (Q)5,242.76
4Bernd Wiesberger (Q)4,918.19
5Matt Fitzpatrick (q)4,824.02
6Rory McIlroy (q)4,810.17
7Paul Casey (q)4,110.62
8Victor Perez4,022.63
9Robert MacIntyre3,696.97
10Guido Migliozzi3,599.62
11Thomas Detry3,201.54
12Viktor Hovland (q)3,057.52
13Richard Bland2,931.41
14Justin Rose2,761.87
15Shane Lowry (P)2,704.75
16Matthias Schwab2,703.03
17Lee Westwood (q)2,657.57
18Danny Willett2,498.39
19Sergio García (P)2,288.89
20Rasmus Højgaard2,263.06
21Calum Hill2,209.49
22Nicolai Højgaard2,157.80
23Ian Poulter (P)2,150.18
World points list
PositionNamePoints
1Jon Rahm (q)853.90
2Rory McIlroy (Q)466.09
3Viktor Hovland (Q)367.53
4Paul Casey (Q)323.10
5Tyrrell Hatton (q)311.33
6Matt Fitzpatrick (Q)281.66
7Tommy Fleetwood (q)259.91
8Lee Westwood (Q)258.95
9Shane Lowry (P)239.41
10Sergio García (P)206.67
11Bernd Wiesberger (q)197.46
12Victor Perez195.41
13Robert MacIntyre186.49
14Ian Poulter (P)181.48
15Guido Migliozzi176.61

Players in qualifying places (Q) are shown in green; captain's picks (P) are shown in yellow; those in italics (q) qualified through the other points list.

Teams

Captains

Both team captains were announced in early 2019; Pádraig Harrington was named as the European team captain on January 8,[19] and Wisconsin native Steve Stricker as the U.S. team captain on February 20.[20]

Vice-captains

For the U.S. team, in October 2019, Stricker announced Jim Furyk as his first vice-captain.[21] On May 11, 2020, Zach Johnson and Davis Love III were revealed as the next two vice-captains.[22] On September 1, 2021, Stricker named his final two vice-captains, Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples.[23]

For the European team, in September 2019, Harrington announced Robert Karlsson as his first vice-captain.[24] In May 2020, he accidentally revealed Luke Donald as his second vice-captain during an interview. In June 2021, Harrington announced two more of his vice-captains, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.[25] On September 15, 2021, nine days ahead of the tournament, Henrik Stenson was named as the fifth and final European vice-captain.[26]

Players

United States team
NameAgedata-sort-type="number"Points
rank
data-sort-type="number"World
ranking
data-sort-type="number"Previous
Ryder Cups
data-sort-type="number"Matchesdata-sort-type="number"Recorddata-sort-type="number"Win
percentage
24 1 3 0 Rookie
37 2 2 4 16 43.75
28 3 7 1 3 0.00
31 4 10 2 8 56.25
28 5 6 1 5 80.00
29 6 4 0 Rookie
(P)32 7 9 1 3 66.67
(P)27 8 5 0 Rookie
(P)28 9 13 3 14 57.14
(P)32 10 11 0 Rookie
(P)28 12 16 0 Rookie
(P)25 14 21 0 Rookie
The hosting United States team contained eight (of their twelve) players in the top 10 of the world rankings,[27] [28] while also containing eight players under the age of 30 and six rookies, the most in one team since 2008.[29] Based on the Official World Golf Rankings prior to the event, ten of the U.S. players were ranked ahead of Europe's second-highest-ranked player (No. 14, Viktor Hovland).[30]
Europe team
NameCountryAgedata-sort-type="number"Points rank
(European)
data-sort-type="number"Points rank
(World)
data-sort-type="number"World
ranking
data-sort-type="number"Previous
Ryder Cups
data-sort-type="number"Matchesdata-sort-type="number"Recorddata-sort-type="number"Win
percentage
26 1 1 1 1 3 33.33
30 2 7 37 1 5 80.00
29 3 5 19 1 3 33.33
35 4 11 63 0 Rookie
32 6 2 15 5 24 54.17
24 12 3 14 0 Rookie
44 7 4 24 4 12 54.17
27 5 6 27 1 2 0.00
48 17 8 35 10 44 52.27
(P) 34 15 9 41 0 Rookie
(P) 41 19 10 43 9 41 62.20
(P) 45 23 14 50 6 22 68.18

Captain's picks (P) are shown in yellow. World rankings and match records are prior to the start of the 2021 Ryder Cup.

Viktor Hovland (Norway) and Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) were the first players from their countries to qualify for a Ryder Cup team. Lee Westwood was the oldest player to represent the European team since Christy O'Connor Snr in 1973.[31]

Course

See main article: Whistling Straits.

HoleNameYardsMetresParHoleNameYardsMetresPar
1Outward Bound364333410Voyageur3613304
2Cross Country593542511Sand Box5194754
3O' Man181166312Pop Up1431313
4Glory489447413Cliff Hanger4043694
5Snake603551514Widow's Watch3963624
6Gremlin's Ear355325415Grand Strand5184744
7Shipwreck221202316Endless Bite5525055
8On the Rocks507464417Pinched Nerve2232043
9Down and Dirty446408418Dyeabolical5154714
Out3,7593,43836In3,6313,32135
Source:[32] Total 7,390 6,75971

The 11th hole was converted to a par-4 for this Ryder Cup.[33]

Event summary

Friday's matches

The opening round of four foursomes matches started at 7:05 am local time. Pairings were announced at the Opening Ceremony on Thursday.[34] The first point was won by Europe, with Jon Rahm and Sergio García winning, 3 and 1, against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. The first point for the United States was won by Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa winning, 3 and 2, against Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland. After winning the first five holes, the second American point was won by Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele by winning 5 and 3, over Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter. The final point of the session, third overall for the United States to take a 3–1 lead was won by Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger winning, 2 and 1, against Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.[35]

Results
Rahm/García 3 & 1Thomas/Spieth
Casey/Hovland 3 & 2 Johnson/Morikawa
Westwood/Fitzpatrick 2 & 1Koepka/Berger
McIlroy/Poulter 5 & 3Cantlay/Schauffele
1Session3
1Overall3

The first result of the afternoon fourball matches came in the third match, which Tony Finau and Harris English won, 4 and 3, over Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, giving Team USA an overall 4–1 lead. Team USA won the second point of the session when Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele won, 2 and 1, against Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger, giving the Americans a 5–1 lead. The second overall match and third points of the session was tied between Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, giving the United States a 5–1 lead. In the final match, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay tied their match with Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland giving the Americans 3 points to Europe's 1 point for the afternoon session. The United States ended day 1 with a 6–2 lead, the largest first-day lead for either side since the 2004 Ryder Cup.[36] [37]

Results
Casey/Wiesberger 2 & 1Johnson/Schauffele
Rahm/HattontiedDeChambeau/Scheffler
McIlroy/Lowry 4 & 3Finau/English
Fleetwood/HovlandtiedThomas/Cantlay
1Session3
2Overall6

Saturday's matches

Rahm and García won the opening foursomes match, 3 and 1, against Koepka and Berger, despite being three down after five holes. Johnson and Morikawa won six of the first nine holes on their way to winning 2 and 1 over Casey and Hatton. Spieth and Thomas won their first points of the week with a 2 up victory over Wiesberger and Hovland. Cantlay and Schauffele won their second match as partners, earning the Americans their third point of the session with a 2 and 1 victory against Westwood and Fitzpatrick. The United States team ended the Saturday morning session with a 9–3 lead.[38]

Results
Rahm/García 3 & 1Koepka/Berger
Casey/Hatton 2 & 1Johnson/Morikawa
Hovland/Wiesberger 2 up Thomas/Spieth
Westwood/Fitzpatrick 2 & 1Schauffele/Cantlay
1Session3
3Overall9

In the afternoon fourball matches, Lowry and Hatton both earned their first full point of the week with a 1 up victory over Finau and English. Rahm and García continued their dominance as a pairing, earning their third point as partners with a 2 and 1 win against Koepka and Spieth. The third match of the day was all square through 13 holes but the American pairing of Scheffler and DeChambeau won the next four holes for a 3 and 1 victory against Fleetwood and Hovland. The final match of the day saw Johnson and Morikawa earn their third overall point as a pairing with a 4 and 3 victory against Poulter and McIlroy. With the session shared 2–2, the United States team maintained its six-point lead. The 11–5 lead was the largest lead through two days of a Ryder Cup since 1975.[39] [40]

Results
Lowry/Hatton 1 upFinau/English
Rahm/García 2 & 1Koepka/Spieth
Fleetwood/Hovland 3 & 1Scheffler/DeChambeau
Poulter/McIlroy 4 & 3Johnson/Morikawa
2Session2
5Overall11

Sunday's matches

Team Europe won the opening singles match of the day when McIlroy defeated Schauffele, 3 and 2, however the United States team went on to win six of the next eight matches to regain the Ryder Cup. Scheffler birdied five of the first six holes and ultimately defeated the previously unbeaten Rahm, 4 and 3; Cantlay remained unbeaten for the week with a 4 and 2 victory over Lowry; and DeChambeau, having eagled the opening hole after driving the green, never trailed in his 3 and 2 win over García to take the team to 14 points. The cup winning point came when Morikawa and Hovland tied their match, bringing the overall score to 14–6.[41]

In the remaining matches, Koepka defeated Wiesberger, 2 and 1; Thomas won five of the first nine holes in defeating Tyrrell Hatton, 4 and 3; Johnson made 8 birdies in his 1 up victory against Casey, going a record tying 5–0–0 on the week; team Europe earned two full points when Poulter won, 3 and 2, against Finau and Westwood won the 18th hole for a 1 up victory over English; Spieth and Fleetwood tied their match. Finally, Berger secured a 1 up victory over Fitzpatrick to give the United States team a record 19 points.[42]

The United States went 7–3–2 in singles matches to defeat Europe 19–9. This was the largest margin of victory in a Ryder Cup since the United States beat Great Britain and Ireland by 10 points in 1975 (in a format in which 32 rather than 28 match points were decided).[43]

ResultsTimetable
Rory McIlroy 3 & 2Xander Schauffele1st: 6–11
Shane Lowry 4 & 2Patrick Cantlay3rd: 6–13
Jon Rahm 4 & 3Scottie Scheffler2nd: 6–12
Sergio García 3 & 2Bryson DeChambeau4th: 6–14
Viktor HovlandtiedCollin Morikawa5th: 6–14
Paul Casey 1 upDustin Johnson8th: 6–17
Bernd Wiesberger 2 & 1Brooks Koepka6th: 6–15
Ian Poulter 3 & 2 Tony Finau9th: 7–17
Tyrrell Hatton 4 & 3Justin Thomas7th: 6–16
Lee Westwood 1 upHarris English10th: 8–17
Tommy FleetwoodtiedJordan Spieth11th: 9–18
Matt Fitzpatrick 1 upDaniel Berger12th: 9–19
4Session8
9Overall19

Source:[44]

Individual player records

Each entry refers to the win–loss–tie record of the player.[45] [46]

United States

Player Points Matches Overall Singles Foursomes Fourballs
2 3 2–1–0 1–0–0 1–1–0 0–0–0
3.5 4 3–0–1 1–0–0 2–0–0 0–0–1
2.5 3 2–0–1 1–0–0 0–0–0 1–0–1
1 3 1–2–0 0–1–0 0–0–0 1–1–0
1 3 1–2–0 0–1–0 0–0–0 1–1–0
5 5 5–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 2–0–0
2 4 2–2–0 1–0–0 1–1–0 0–1–0
3.5 4 3–0–1 0–0–1 2–0–0 1–0–0
3 4 3–1–0 0–1–0 2–0–0 1–0–0
2.5 3 2–0–1 1–0–0 0–0–0 1–0–1
1.5 4 1–2–1 0–0–1 1–1–0 0–1–0
2.5 4 2–1–1 1–0–0 1–1–0 0–0–1

Europe

Player Points Matches Overall Singles Foursomes Fourballs
0 4 0–4–0 0–1–0 0–2–0 0–1–0
0 3 0–3–0 0–1–0 0–2–0 0–0–0
1 3 0–1–2 0–0–1 0–0–0 0–1–1
3 4 3–1–0 0–1–0 2–0–0 1–0–0
1.5 4 1–2–1 0–1–0 0–1–0 1–0–1
1 5 0–3–2 0–0–1 0–2–0 0–1–1
1 3 1–2–0 0–1–0 0–0–0 1–1–0
1 4 1–3–0 1–0–0 0–1–0 0–2–0
1 3 1–2–0 1–0–0 0–1–0 0–1–0
3.5 5 3–1–1 0–1–0 2–0–0 1–0–1
1 3 1–2–0 1–0–0 0–2–0 0–0–0
0 3 0–3–0 0–1–0 0–1–0 0–1–0

Media

The 2021 Ryder Cup was televised in the United States by Golf Channel, NBC and on NBC streaming site Peacock. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the event was broadcast by Sky Sports; the broadcaster re-branded its Sky Sports Golf channel as Sky Sports Ryder Cup for the week of the event. Both owned by Comcast, both the Golf Channel and Sky Sports held joint broadcasts, particularly during their morning buildup shows for each day. Highlights were also shown on BBC in the UK each night.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Americans win back Ryder Cup with a record margin of victory . 2021-09-27 . USA Today . Associated Press . September 26, 2021.
  2. News: Stafford . Ali . 2021-09-27 . Ryder Cup 2020: Europe humiliated as Team USA cruise to history-making victory at Whistling Straits . 2021-09-27 . CNBC.
  3. News: 2021 Ryder Cup results, scores, standings: United States dominates Europe for biggest win in modern history . 2021-09-27 . CBS Sports.
  4. Masters moves to November, U.S. Open to September, Ryder Cup is on: Golf's governing bodies release new 2020 schedule . Beal . Joel . April 6, 2020 . . April 9, 2020.
  5. News: Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits postponed to 2021, Presidents Cup to 2022 amid coronavirus pandemic . CBS Sports . Kyle . Porter . July 8, 2020 . July 8, 2020.
  6. Web site: Everything you need to know about the 2020 Ryder Cup . March 4, 2018 . Ryder Cup.
  7. Web site: How players will qualify for the 2020 U.S. Ryder Cup team . PGA of America . February 20, 2019.
  8. Web site: Selection Criteria Revised for U.S. Ryder Cup Team . PGA Tour . August 5, 2020 . August 6, 2020.
  9. Web site: How players will qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team . August 5, 2020 . Ryder Cup.
  10. Web site: U.S. Team Rankings . Ryder Cup . September 8, 2021.
  11. Web site: Ryder Cup Points . PGA Tour . September 8, 2021.
  12. News: Ryder Cup 2020: Padraig Harrington to cut wildcard picks from four to three . May 8, 2019 . BBC Sport.
  13. Web site: Europe Ryder Cup 2020 qualification process confirmed . European Tour . May 8, 2019.
  14. News: European Ryder Cup team freezes qualifying until start of 2021 . July 8, 2020 . Golf Channel . Ryan . Lavner . August 6, 2020.
  15. Web site: 2020 Ryder Cup Eligibility. September 4, 2019 . Ryder Cup.
  16. Web site: Ryder Cup: Justin Rose misses out as Shane Lowry, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia named as captain's picks . September 12, 2021 . Sky Sports.
  17. Web site: European Team Rankings: Europe Points . Ryder Cup . September 13, 2021.
  18. Web site: European Team Rankings: World Points . Ryder Cup . September 13, 2021.
  19. News: Padraig Harrington: Europe name Irishman as 2020 Ryder Cup captain . January 8, 2019 . BBC Sport.
  20. News: Ryder Cup: Steve Stricker named US captain for 2020 against Europe . February 20, 2019 . BBC Sport.
  21. Web site: Steve Stricker selected as the 2020 US Ryder Cup Captain . February 20, 2019 . Ryder Cup . October 5, 2019.
  22. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker names Zach Johnson, Davis Love III as 2020 vice captains . Golfweek . Steve . DiMeglio . May 11, 2020.
  23. Web site: September 1, 2021 . Ryan . Lavner . Steve Stricker Names Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples as U.S. Ryder Cup Assistants . September 2, 2021 . Golf Channel.
  24. News: Ryder Cup 2020: Robert Karlsson named as one of Europe's vice-captains . September 18, 2019 . BBC Sport.
  25. News: Ryder Cup: Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer named as European vice-captains . June 23, 2021 . BBC Sport.
  26. News: Ryder Cup: Henrik Stenson named Europe's fifth and final vice-captain . BBC Sport . September 15, 2021 . September 15, 2021.
  27. News: Keating . Steve . 2021-09-23 . U.S. play Ryder Cup for country, Europe for something more . Reuters . 2021-09-27.
  28. News: Reid . Alasdair . America's gilded generation still have 'unfinished business' . The Times . 2021-09-27.
  29. News: 2021-09-27 . Team USA's Ryder Cup Win Is The Start Of A Dominant Period Of Success . 2021-09-27 . The Sportsman.
  30. Web site: Five burning questions for the Ryder Cup . 2021-09-27 . PGA Tour.
  31. Web site: Ryder Cup 2021: Europe trio Lee Westwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Bernd Wiesberger secure automatic qualification . September 12, 2021 . Sky Sports.
  32. Web site: Whistling Straits . Ryder Cup . October 3, 2021.
  33. Web site: Brown . Kevin . Ryder Cup 2020: Whistling Straits hole-by-hole course guide . Today's Golfer . September 24, 2021 . 2 October 2021.
  34. News: Captains Announce Pairings For Friday Morning Foursomes . September 23, 2021 . PGA of America . September 23, 2021.
  35. News: U.S. Takes Early 3–1 Lead at 43rd Ryder Cup . September 24, 2021 . PGA of America . September 24, 2021.
  36. News: U.S. Wins Four-Balls To Build Commanding 6–2 Lead . September 24, 2021 . PGA of America . September 24, 2021.
  37. News: Ryder Cup: Europe left with mountain to climb as USA dominate first day . 25 September 2021 . The Guardian . Ewan . Murray . 28 September 2021.
  38. News: Ryder Cup: US extend lead over Europe at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin . Peter . Scrivener . September 25, 2021 . BBC Sport.
  39. News: Harig . Bob . United States takes 11–5 lead, 3½ points away from winning Ryder Cup . ESPN . September 25, 2021 . September 26, 2021.
  40. News: Petulant Brooks Koepka causes Ryder Cup storm as Europe hopes fade . 26 September 2021 . The Guardian . Ewan . Murray . 28 September 2021.
  41. News: Ryder Cup: US beat Europe to regain trophy at Whistling Straits . 27 September 2021 . BBC Sport . Peter . Scrivener . 28 September 2021.
  42. News: Ryder Cup: Team USA romp to victory as McIlroy's tournament ends in tears . 27 September 2021 . The Guardian . Ewan . Murray . 28 September 2021.
  43. News: Schlabach . Mark . How it happened: The United States wins the Ryder Cup . ESPN . September 26, 2021 . September 26, 2021.
  44. Web site: Ryder Cup scores . ESPN . September 24, 2021.
  45. News: Individual player records for European Ryder Cup team . Golf Channel . September 26, 2021.
  46. News: Individual player records for victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team . Golf Channel . September 26, 2021.