The Ryder Cup (officially the Ryder Cup Matches) is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is also the name of the trophy, after the person who donated it, Samuel Ryder. The Ryder Cup, and its counterpart the Presidents Cup, are unique in the world of golf, and possibly professional sports, since despite being high-profile events that bring in tens of millions of dollars in TV and sponsorship revenue^[1] the players receive no prize money and compete purely for the victory.^[2]

The competition began following an exhibition match in 1926 between a team comprising American professionals against a similar one drawn from the British PGA on the East Course, Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, UK. The first competition took place in 1927 at the Worcester Country Club, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Early matches between the two sides were fairly even, but after the Second World War, repeated US dominance^[3] led to a decision to extend the representation of the British and Irish^[4] team to include continental Europe in 1979. This change was partly prompted by the success of a new generation of Spanish golfers of the time, including Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido, who, in 1979, became the first Spaniards to play in the event. Since then, Team Europe has included players from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.

Following this change, the event has enjoyed more competitive matches, with Europe winning eight times outright and retaining the Cup once by tying, and with seven American wins over this period.

The venues alternate between the US and Europe. With the exception of Spain in 1997 and Ireland in 2006, all European tournaments have been held in the UK.

In recent tournaments the European team has held the upper hand, winning six out of the last eight Ryder Cups including four of the last five.

Format[link]

The Ryder Cup Matches involve various match play competitions between players selected from two teams of twelve. Currently, the matches consist of eight foursomes matches, eight fourball matches and 12 singles matches. The winner of each match scores a point for their team, with ½ a point each for any match that is tied after 18 holes.

A foursomes match is a competition between two teams of two golfers. The golfers on the same team take alternate shots throughout the match, with the same ball. Each hole is won by the team that completes the hole in the fewest shots. A fourball match is also a competition between two teams of two golfers, but all four golfers play their own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots, and each hole is won by the team whose individual golfer has the lowest score. A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.

The matches take place over three days, Friday to Sunday, a total of 28 matches. On Friday, there are four fourball matches in the morning (or afternoon) and four foursomes matches in the morning (or afternoon). On Saturday, the same schedule repeats. On Sunday, there are 12 singles matches, when all team members play. Not all players must play on Friday and Saturday; the captain can select any eight players for each of the four rounds of play over these two days. The winning team is determined by cumulative total points. Under Ryder Cup rules, the defending champion team from the previous matches only needs to halve the cumulative point totals (14) to retain the Cup, while the opposing team must win it outright (14½ or more).

The format has changed over the years. From the inaugural event through 1959, the Ryder Cup was a two-day competition, with four 36-hole foursomes matches on the first day and eight 36-hole singles matches on the second day, for a total of 12 points. In 1961, the matches were changed to 18 holes each, but the number of matches was doubled, resulting in a total of 24 points. In 1963, the event was expanded to three days, with eight fourball matches being added on the middle day to make a total of 32 points. This format remained until 1977, when the number of matches was reduced to 20: five foursomes matches on the first day, five fourball matches on the second day, and ten singles matches on the final day. In 1979, the first year continental European players participated, the format was changed to the 28-match version in use today, with eight foursomes/four-ball matches on the first two days and 12 singles matches on the last day.^[5]

In 2008, the format for the event changed versus the previous three Ryder Cup Matches. For the first time since 1999, the opening matches of a Ryder Cup featured the foursome (alternate-shot) format. U.S. captain Paul Azinger, hoping to give his team an early advantage in Kentucky, announced the change on January 30, 2008 at the PGA Tour's FBR Open in Phoenix.

Alternate shot, or foursomes, had been used in the first sessions every year since 1981 until European captain Seve Ballesteros opened with better ball (fourballs) in 1997 at Valderrama. U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw switched back to alternate shot in 1999 at Brookline, but the next three Ryder Cup matches started with better ball.^[6] The competition in 2008 however returned to the foursomes format, but was reverted again to fourballs in 2010.

In the 2010 competition, the format was changed significantly after inclement weather cost the competition over 7 hours of play during the weekend. Initially, on the Friday (1 October), the fourballs competition began, but was suspended after around 2 hours due to torrential rain that caused the course to be waterlogged. The delay continued from around 9:30 to around 17:00, when play resumed, but was again suspended at around 19:00 due to fading light after sunset. The decision was taken to change the format completely, to try and prevent a Monday finish to the Ryder Cup for the first time. Thus, on the Saturday, the opening fourballs finished before 6 foursome matches began (involving all 24 players, a unique event in a single Ryder Cup foursomes contest). These matches were completed on the Saturday, upon which the last two foursomes and the four remaining fourballs began. Again, sunset caused play to be suspended after the lead match had just finished the 9th hole. It was hoped that these matches could be completed on Sunday, followed by the 12 singles matches, but further heavy rain on Sunday morning caused play to start at 13:30, leaving insufficient time to complete the Ryder Cup. With the weather forecast for the Monday (4 October) being good, the decision was taken to complete the foursomes and fourballs competitions on Sunday and play the whole singles contest on Monday.

Team selections[link]

Team Europe[link]

The European team qualification rules for 2012 have changed since 2010. The European Points List now takes precedence over the World Points List, while the captain's picks have been reduced from 3 to 2 with the top 5 players in the World Points List now qualifying rather than the top 4. The team will consist of:^[7]

• The leading five players on the Ryder Cup European Points List^[8]
• The leading five players, not qualified above, on the Ryder Cup World Points List^[9]
• Two captain's picks

Team USA[link]

The United States qualification rules for 2012 remain the same as for 2010 and the team will consist of:^[10]

• The leading eight players on the Ryder Cup Points List^[11]
• Four captain's picks

Founding of the Cup[link]

The Ryder Cup on display in 2008.

There is some debate over who suggested the idea for the Ryder Cup. James Harnett, a journalist with Golf Illustrated magazine, appears to have proposed a similar idea to the PGA of America on December 15, 1920 and, having failed to attract support, the idea was refloated by Sylvanus P. "SP" Jermain, president of the Inverness Club, the next year. Historical records indicate that the first unofficial Ryder Cup-style matches were played in 1921 at Gleneagles Golf Course, Perthshire. The American team was chosen by James Harnett. Great Britain made Ryder Cup history by beating the American golf team 9-3, the second match in 1926 was won 13½–1½ by Britain. Present at the 1926 match, held on the East Course at Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, was Samuel Ryder, a seed merchant who traded from St Albans, Hertfordshire. Having watched the play, Ryder thought it would be a good idea to make the match official and thus the Ryder Cup was founded, with Ryder donating the trophy.^[12]

Few people who took up golf after their 50th birthday have left as many positive impressions on the game during the history of golf. To get started, Ryder recruited the services of a golf professional called Hill from a local golf course to introduce him to the fundamentals of golf. Afterwards, Ryder hired Abe Mitchell as his private tutor for a fee of £1,000 per year. Ryder received most of his lessons at his home, Marlborough House, and he was relentless. He practised his driving, pitching and putting six days each week.

At the age of 51, he had achieved a handicap of six and was accepted as a member of the Verulam Golf Club in St Albans in 1910. A year later, he captained the golf club. He was also club captain in 1926 and 1927. In 1923, he sponsored the Heath and Heather Tournament, which was only open to professionals. One of the golf professionals who took part was ex-gardener Abe Mitchell, considered one of the best British golfers of his era.

Among the British at the 1926 landmark match were golfing giants Abe Mitchell, George Duncan, Archie Compston, Ted Ray (portrayed by Stephen Marcus in the 2005 film The Greatest Game Ever Played), and Arthur Havers. From America came Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour, Jim Barnes and Al Watrous.

This first official match was held in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Country Club, in 1927. Ryder, who donated a gold cup and had agreed to pay £5 to each member of the winning team, attached his name to the new competition. Since 1927, it has been held on a two-year cycle, apart from 1939 to 1945, when it was cancelled due to World War II.

Until 1977, the matches featured teams representing the United States and Great Britain and Ireland (there was at least one Irish player in every Ryder Cup from 1947 to 1977). Since 1979 inclusive, players from continental Europe have been eligible to join what is now known as Team Europe. The change to include continental Europeans arose from discussion in 1977 between Jack Nicklaus and the Earl of Derby, who was serving as the President of the Professional Golfers' Association; it was suggested by Nicklaus as a means to make the matches more competitive, since the Americans almost always won, often by lopsided margins.^[13] The change worked, as the team matches immediately became much more competitive, with talented young Europeans such as Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer bolstering the European side. The present-day popularity of the Ryder Cup, which now generates enormous media attention, can be said to date from that change in eligibility.

The 2001 match was delayed for a year, as it was due to take place shortly after the September 11 attacks. It was subsequently decided to hold the Ryder Cup in even-numbered years instead of odd-numbered years. The boards at The Brabazon Course at The Belfry, which hosted the 2002 Ryder Cup (which should have been hosted in 2001) still read "The 2001 Ryder Cup", and U.S. captain Curtis Strange deliberately referred to his team as "The 2001 Ryder Cup Team" in his speech at the closing ceremony.

Europe claimed their first hat-trick of victories in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Controversial Ryder Cups[link]

1969[link]

The 1969 Cup held at Royal Birkdale was perhaps one of the best and most competitive contests in terms of play (18 of the 32 matches went to the last green). It was decided in its very last match, one which United States Captain Sam Snead later called "This is the greatest golf match you have ever seen in England".^[14]

With the United States and Great Britain all tied at 15.5 each, Jack Nicklaus led Tony Jacklin by the score of 1 up as they played the 17th hole. Jacklin made a 35-foot eagle putt and when Nicklaus missed his own eagle try from 12-feet, the match was all square.

At the par-5 finishing hole, both Jacklin and Nicklaus got on the green in two. Nicklaus ran his eagle putt five feet past the hole, while Jacklin left his two foot short. Nicklaus then sank his birdie putt, and with a crowd of 8,000 people watching, picked up Jacklin's marker, conceding the putt he needed to tie the matches. The United States thus retained the cup.^[15][16]

1991[link]

After accusing each other of cheating at The Belfry in 1989, the feud between Seve Ballesteros and Paul Azinger escalated at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in 1991. Azinger said, "I can tell you we're not trying to cheat." Ballesteros replied, "Oh no. Breaking the rules and cheating are two different things." The constant goading intensified their desire to win and with their partners, José María Olazábal and Chip Beck respectively, they produced what is regarded as the best pairs match in history, with the Spaniards winning 2 & 1. The match also received the sobriquet "the War on the Shore" after some excitable advertising in the American media, and Corey Pavin caused controversy by sporting a Desert Storm baseball cap during the event.

1999[link]

The 1999 Ryder Cup held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, caused great controversy. A remarkable comeback by the American team helped propel the U.S. to a 14.5–13.5 victory after trailing 10–6 heading into the final day. The U.S. went 8–3–1 in the singles matches to seal the first American victory since 1993.

The competition turned on the 17th hole of a match between American Justin Leonard and Spaniard José María Olazábal. With the match all square at the 17th hole, Leonard needed to earn at least a half-point by either winning one of the last two holes (therefore earning a full point), or finishing the match at all square (therefore earning a half-point) to seal an American victory. After Olazábal's second shot left him with a 22-foot putt on the par-4, Leonard hit his shot within 10 feet of the hole and then watched it roll away from the cup, leaving him with a 45-foot putt for birdie. While sinking a putt of this length is unlikely, Leonard had made putts of 25 and 35 feet earlier in the round. Leonard holed the astounding putt, and a wild celebration ensued with other U.S. players, their wives, and a few fans running onto the green. Had Leonard's putt sealed the match, this type of behavior would have been inappropriate but moot. Knowing that a made putt would extend the match while a miss would assure Leonard of a half-point and the U.S. a victory (the Americans needed 14.5 points to gain the cup due to the Europeans' 1997 victory at Valderrama), Olazábal tried to regain his focus. However, he missed the difficult putt, and the American team celebrated once again (although the second celebration was more reserved than the first one).

According to the "Best of the Rest" section of ESPN's Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame program, NBC television footage and press photos prove that no official rules (Ryder Cup or PGA) were broken when the Americans celebrated after Leonard's putt (i.e. no one walked in or crossed Olazábal's putting line – although Europe player Sam Torrance has said in TV interviews that a TV cameraman stood on Olazábal's line whilst filming the invasion of the green by players and spectators). However, the game of golf is upheld by many to be "the gentleman's game", and there remain a number of unwritten rules and codes of conduct which the European players believe were being ignored. Many of the American players believed the Europeans' response was hypocritical; they argued that European players – in particular Seve Ballesteros – had been guilty of excessive celebration and gamesmanship as far back as the 1985 Ryder Cup Matches, without attracting the same opprobrium from the European media. There was still considerable bad blood after the match, with some of the European players complaining about the behavior of the American galleries throughout the match. Sam Torrance branded it "disgusting," while European captain Mark James referred to it as a "bear pit" in a book recounting the event.^[17] There were also reports that a spectator spat at James' wife.^[18]

Following the 1999 Ryder Cup, a number of members of the U.S. team apologized for their behavior, and there were numerous attempts by both teams to calm the increasing nationalism of the event. These efforts appear to have been largely successful, with subsequent Cups being played in the "spirit of the game".

Results[link]

Year	Venue	Winning Team	Score		Losing Team	Captains
2012	Medinah Country Club, Course #3 (Medinah, Illinois)					Davis Love III José María Olazábal
2010	Celtic Manor Resort, Twenty Ten Course (Newport, Wales)	Europe	14½	13½	United States	Corey Pavin Colin Montgomerie
2008	Valhalla Golf Club (Louisville, Kentucky)	United States	16½	11½	Europe	Paul Azinger Nick Faldo
2006	The K Club - Palmer Course (Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland)	Europe	18½	9½	United States	Tom Lehman Ian Woosnam
2004	Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan)	Europe	18½	9½	United States	Hal Sutton Bernhard Langer
2002*	The Belfry, Brabazon Course (Wishaw, Warwickshire, England)	Europe	15½	12½	United States	Curtis Strange Sam Torrance
1999	The Country Club, Composite Course (Brookline, Massachusetts)	United States	14½	13½	Europe	Ben Crenshaw Mark James
1997	Valderrama GC (Sotogrande, Andalusia, Spain)	Europe	14½	13½	United States	Tom Kite Seve Ballesteros
1995	Oak Hill CC, East Course (Rochester, New York)	Europe	14½	13½	United States	Lanny Wadkins Bernard Gallacher
1993	The Belfry, Brabazon Course (Wishaw, Warwickshire, England)	United States	15	13	Europe	Tom Watson Bernard Gallacher
1991	Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course (Kiawah Island, South Carolina)	United States	14½	13½	Europe	Dave Stockton Bernard Gallacher
1989	The Belfry, Brabazon Course (Wishaw, Warwickshire, England)	Europe Tie; Europe retains Cup	14	14	United States	Ray Floyd Tony Jacklin
1987	Muirfield Village (Dublin, Ohio)	Europe	15	13	United States	Jack Nicklaus Tony Jacklin
1985	The Belfry, Brabazon Course (Wishaw, Warwickshire, England)	Europe	16½	11½	United States	Lee Trevino Tony Jacklin
1983	PGA National Golf Club (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida)	United States	14½	13½	Europe	Jack Nicklaus Tony Jacklin
1981	Walton Heath Golf Club (Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, England)	United States	18½	9½	Europe	Dave Marr John Jacobs
1979	The Greenbrier, The Greenbrier Course (White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia)	United States	17	11	Europe	Billy Casper John Jacobs
1977	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England)	United States	12½	7½	Great Britain & Ireland	Dow Finsterwald Brian Huggett
1975	Laurel Valley Golf Club (Ligonier, Pennsylvania)	United States	21	11	Great Britain & Ireland	Arnold Palmer Bernard Hunt
1973	Muirfield Links (Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland)	United States	19	13	Great Britain & Ireland	Jack Burke, Jr. Bernard Hunt
1971	Old Warson Country Club (St. Louis, Missouri)	United States	18½	13½	Great Britain	Jay Hebert Eric Brown
1969	Royal Birkdale Golf Club (Southport, England)	United States Tie; USA retains Cup	16	16	Great Britain	Sam Snead Eric Brown
1967	Champions Golf Club (Houston, Texas)	United States	23½	8½	Great Britain	Ben Hogan Dai Rees
1965	Royal Birkdale Golf Club (Southport, Lancashire, England)	United States	19½	12½	Great Britain	Byron Nelson Harry Weetman
1963	Atlanta Athletic Club[19] (Atlanta, Georgia)	United States	23	9	Great Britain	Arnold Palmer John Fallon
1961	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England)	United States	14½	9½	Great Britain	Jerry Barber Dai Rees
1959	Eldorado Golf Club (Indian Wells, California)	United States	8½	3½	Great Britain	Sam Snead Dai Rees
1957	Lindrick Golf Club (Rotherham, Yorkshire, England)	Great Britain	7½	4½	United States	Jack Burke, Jr. Dai Rees
1955	Thunderbird Country Club (Rancho Mirage, California)	United States	8	4	Great Britain	Chick Harbert Dai Rees
1953	Wentworth Club (Virginia Water, Surrey, England)	United States	6½	5½	Great Britain	Lloyd Mangrum Henry Cotton
1951	Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 (Pinehurst, North Carolina)	United States	9½	2½	Great Britain	Sam Snead Arthur Lacey
1949	Ganton Golf Club (Scarborough, Yorkshire, England)	United States	7	5	Great Britain	Ben Hogan Charles Whitcombe
1947	Portland Golf Club (Portland, Oregon)	United States	11	1	Great Britain	Ben Hogan Henry Cotton
1937	Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club (Southport, Lancashire, England)	United States	8	4	Great Britain	Walter Hagen Charles Whitcombe
1935	Ridgewood Country Club (Paramus, New Jersey)	United States	9	3	Great Britain	Walter Hagen Charles Whitcombe
1933	Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club (Southport, Lancashire, England)	Great Britain	6½	5½	United States	Walter Hagen John Henry Taylor
1931	Scioto Country Club (Columbus, Ohio)	United States	9	3	Great Britain	Walter Hagen Charles Whitcombe
1929	Moortown Golf Club (Leeds, Yorkshire, England)	Great Britain	7	5	United States	Walter Hagen George Duncan
1927	Worcester Country Club (Worcester, Massachusetts)	United States	9½	2½	Great Britain	Walter Hagen Ted Ray

* - Delayed one year due to September 11, 2001 attacks.

NB: The 1939, 1941, 1943, and 1945 tournaments were canceled due to World War II.
The 1969 and 1989 tournaments were drawn, so the Cup remained with the previous victors.

1939 Ryder Cup[link]

The 1939 Ryder Cup was planned for 18-19 November at Ponte Vedra Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida but never took place.

Walter Hagen was chosen as non-playing captain of the United States team.

In early April, the British P.G.A. chose a selection committee of six and selected Henry Cotton as captain.^[20] In August, eight players were named in the team: Cotton, Jimmy Adams, Dick Burton, Sam King, Alf Padgham, Dai Rees, Charles Whitcombe and Reg Whitcombe.^[21] Charles Whitcombe immediately withdrew from the team,^[22] not wishing to travel to the United States. With seven selected, three places were left to be filled. War was declared on 3 September and the British P.G.A. immediately cancelled the match: "The P.G.A. announce that the Ryder Cup match for this year has been cancelled by the state of war prevailing in this country. The P.G.A. of the United States is being informed."^[23]

Summary[link]

Team	Wins	Losses	Ties
United States	25	11	2
Europe	8	7	1
Great Britain &  Ireland	0	3	0
Great Britain	3	15	1

European home match history[link]

• 1929–1969 Team Great Britain were the hosts of their home Ryder Cup Matches.
• 1973 and 1977 & Team Great Britain & Ireland were the hosts of their home Ryder Cup Matches.
• 1979– Team Europe are hosts of their home Ryder Cup Matches.

Future sites[link]

• 2012 Medinah Country Club (Medinah, Illinois)
• 2014 Gleneagles Hotel (Auchterarder, Perth & Kinross, Scotland) | Official website
• 2016 Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, Minnesota)
• 2018 Le Golf National (Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France) | Official website
• 2020 Whistling Straits (Haven, Wisconsin)

European bidding for the 2018 Ryder Cup[link]

Ryder Cup Europe confirmed that six countries – France, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden – had announced their intention to bid for The 2018 Ryder Cup.^[24] The deadline for the submission of bids was set for April 30, 2010; Sweden withdrew from the bidding early that month,^[25] while the Spanish bidding host city (Tres Cantos) showed poor popular support.^[26][27]

There were five bids to host the event:

• France: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines | French bid website / French golf federation bid press kit
• Germany: Neuburg/Rohrenfeld | Germany's bid website
• Portugal: Lisbon/Comporta, Alentejo Coast | Portuguese bid website
• Spain: Madrid/Guadarrama | Spain bid website
• The Netherlands: Rotterdam/Lingewaal | Dutch bid website

France were announced as hosts on 17 May 2011, despite calls for the Cup to be held in Spain, as a tribute to the late Seve Ballesteros.^[28]

Records[link]

Individual[link]

• Most appearances on a team: 11
  ° Nick Faldo (Eur/GB&I), 1977–97
• Most points: 25
  ° Nick Faldo (Eur/GB&I)
• Most Singles Points Won: 7
  ° Colin Montgomerie (Eur) (6-0-2 record)
  ° Billy Casper (USA) (6-2-2 record)
  ° Lee Trevino (USA) (6-2-2 record)
  ° Arnold Palmer (USA) (6-3-2 record)
  ° Neil Coles (GB&I) (5-6-4 record)
• Most Foursome Points Won: 11½
  ° Bernhard Langer (Eur)
• Most Four-Ball Points Won: 10½
  ° Ian Woosnam (Eur)
  ° José María Olazábal (Eur)
• Top Six Point Percentage (Minimum of 3 Ryder Cup Matches)
  ° Jimmy Demaret (USA) (6-0-0) 100%
  ° Jack Burke (USA) (7-1-0) 86%
  ° Horton Smith (USA) (3-0-1) 86%
  ° Walter Hagen (USA) (7-1-1) 83%
  ° J.C. Snead (USA) (9-2-0) 80%
  ° Sam Snead (USA) (10-2-1) 79%
• Youngest player: 19 years, 258 days
  ° Sergio García (Eur), 1999
• Oldest player: 51 years, 20 days
  ° Raymond Floyd (USA), 1993

Sources^[29][30][31]

Ryder Cup holes-in-one[link]

• Peter Butler, 1973, Muirfield
• Nick Faldo, 1993, The Belfry
• Costantino Rocca, 1995, Oak Hill
• Howard Clark, 1995, Oak Hill
• Paul Casey, 2006, K Club
• Scott Verplank, 2006, K Club

Sources^[32]

Similar events[link]

Golf[link]

Other regular international team golf events include:

• Solheim Cup — The women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup, featuring the same U.S. vs. Europe format, played in the years the Ryder Cup is not held.
• Presidents Cup — Men's event, held in odd-numbered years, with a format similar to the Ryder Cup, except that the competing sides are a U.S. side and an International side consisting entirely of players whose citizenship makes them ineligible for the Ryder Cup.
• Handa Cup — The senior women's equivalent, featuring a U.S. team versus an International team.
• Walker Cup — Event for amateur men. Unlike the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup has never adopted a U.S.–Europe format. The U.S. side is opposed by a team drawn from Great Britain and Ireland.
• Curtis Cup — Women's amateur event directly analogous to the Walker Cup. Like the Walker Cup, the competition format is the U.S. versus Great Britain and Ireland.
• Lexus Cup — Women's professional event held annually beginning in 2005 and sanctioned by the LPGA. The competing teams are an Asia team and an International team of players from the rest of the world.
• UBS Cup — A discontinued event for men similar to the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. The competing sides were USA and Rest of the World. Six golfers on each side had to be 50 or over, and the remaining six in their forties (2001–2004).
• Seve Trophy — A European professional men's event, founded by Seve Ballesteros, that pits a side from Great Britain and Ireland against one from continental Europe.
• Tommy Bahama Challenge — An annual professional men's event, operated by the U.S. PGA Tour, that pits USA and International (rest of the world) professionals no older than 30.
• Palmer Cup — An annual match between U.S. and European college/university golfers.
• Tavistock Cup — An annual match between Isleworth and Lake Nona country club featuring some of the world's best professionals.
• Chrysler Cup — A former event between United States and International senior professionals (1986–1995).
• Dynasty Cup — Men's event, held in odd-numbered years, with a similar format as the Ryder Cup, between Japan Golf Tour and Asian Tour golfers, started 2003.
• Single Figure Golfer Challenge Cup — A match between a team of amateur golfers and former Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Walker Cup players.
• Royal Trophy — An annual match between Asia and Europe, started 2006.

Other sports[link]

• Mosconi Cup — Nine-ball pool
• Weber Cup — Ten-pin bowling
• Continental Cup of Curling — Curling

See also[link]

Golf portal

• List of American Ryder Cup golfers
• List of European Ryder Cup golfers
• Junior Ryder Cup
• Presidents Cup

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Ryder Cup playing format explained

Ryder System, Inc.

200px
Type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: R S&P 500 Component
Industry	Transportation
Founded	Miami, Florida, U.S. (1933)
Founder(s)	James Ryder
Headquarters	Miami, Florida, U.S.
Key people	Gregory Swienton (Chairman, CEO) Robert Sanchez (CFO)
Services	Fleet management Supply chain management Dedicated carrier Cargo truck rental
Revenue	US$5.136 billion (2010)
Operating income	US$405.46 million (2007)
Net income	US$186.31 million (2010)
Total assets	US$6.652 billion (2010)
Total equity	US$1.404 billion (2010)
Employees	25,900 (2010)
Website	http://ryder.com
References: [1][2][3][4]

A 2003-07 Ryder Ford E-450

Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), or Ryder, is an American-based provider of transportation and supply chain management products, and is especially known for its fleet of rental trucks.^[5] Ryder specializes in fleet management, supply chain management and dedicated contracted carriage. Ryder operates in North America, the United Kingdom and Asia. It has its headquarters in suburban Miami, Florida within Miami-Dade County.

History[link]

This section requires expansion.

Ryder was founded in Miami, Florida in 1933 by James Ryder as a concrete hauling company with one truck, a 1931 Model "A" Ford.^[1] Within a few years,^[when?] the business expanded to leasing trucks to other companies. This led to Ryder changing its focus from distribution to leasing. By 1939, Ryder's truck fleet had increased to 50. Ryder bought Great Southern Trucking Company in 1952. In 1955 Ryder System, Inc. was formed to combine Great Southern and Ryder Truck Rental. Ryder System went public in 1955.^[6] By the 1960s and 1970s, Ryder had expanded into the distribution and supply chain markets.

In 2008, Ryder acquired three regional competitors: Pollock, Lily Transportation and Gator Leasing.

James A. Ryder, founder and chairman, retired in 1978.^[1]

Business[link]

Ryder divides its business into three segments: Fleet Management Solutions, Supply Chain Solutions, and Dedicated Contract Carriage. In 2008 (the last year whose report is posted online) the total company revenue was $ 6.2 billion with profits (earnings before income taxes) of $ 459 million. The numbers mentioned below are before eliminations.^[7] The basic variables are who owns the trucks, maintains the trucks, pays the drivers, does the warehousing, and supervises the driving.

Fleet management[link]

Ryder's fleet management business is its largest business segment, accounting for 71% of its revenue for a total of $ 4.4 billion. Profit of $ 398 million was 86% of the total.^[7] This arm of the business does contract based full service leasing, contract maintenance, commercial rental and fleet support services. Under full service leasing Ryder owns and maintains the trucks and the customer decides where they go. In contract maintenance Ryder just takes care of the trucks. Commercial rentals are the white Ryder trucks which the contract customers can rent on a temporary basis. Ryder grew its North American rental fleet to nearly 30,000 vehicles in 2010 and 2011 raising the percentage of model year 2010 or newer vehicles in the fleet to more than 40 percent.^[8] Support services consist of insurance, vehicle permits, and fuel.

In April 2011 Ryder bought B.I.T. Leasing, from Hayward California.^[9]. Also in 2011 it acquired the full service leasing and rental business of Carmenita Leasing, Inc., located in Santa Fe Springs, California^[10], and the full service lease, contract maintenance, commercial rental and dedicated contract carriage business, The Scully Companies, Inc., based in Fontana, California.^[11]

Supply chain[link]

Ryder' supply chain operations accounted for 26% of its revenue for a total of $ 1.6 billion. Profit of $ 42 million was 9% of the total. This business consists of management of a customer’s supply chain. Basically the customer owns the trucks and Ryder decides where they go, managing the warehouses and the drivers. Ryder managed over 15,000,000 square feet (1,393,546 m²) of warehouse space on December 31, 2008.^[7]

In December 2010 Ryder bought TLC, a supply chain services company based in Holland, Michigan^[12]

Dedicated Contract Carriage[link]

Ryder' Dedicated Contract Carriage accounted for 8% of its revenue for a total of $ 0.5 billion. Profit of $ 49 million was 10% of the total.^[7] This arm of the business conducts both leasing and supply chain management.

Rental trucks[link]

Ryder launched a consumer truck-rental operation in 1968 with 1,000 trucks and vans. These were the yellow trucks known as "one-ways" and available for the public to rent from filling stations and other automotive-service locations. In June 1998, Ryder decided to focus on commercial truck rental and leasing, and exited the "one-way" business arena; which it sold to Budget Truck Rental.^[13] The white Ryder trucks seen on highways today are available to the general public looking to move locally (returning the truck to the original pick-up location), businesses, and companies that have a contractual agreement with Ryder.

Headquarters[link]

Ryder's headquarters are located in an unincorporated area in northwest Miami-Dade County, Florida, near the Miami Dade-County, Broward County boundary line.^[14][15]

Previously Ryder had its headquarters in Doral, Florida.^[16] In 2002, after taking a year long study of 22 potential headquarters sites in South Florida, Ryder announced that it would move its headquarters to another location in northwest Miami-Dade County. The commute times of around 200 employees who reside in Broward County decreased. Before the announcement of the final headquarters site, Ryder considered some locations in Miramar in Broward County.^[15] In 2005 Shoma Development Corp. began demolishing the former Ryder headquarters in Doral, replacing it with the Park Square at Doral development.^[17]

Locations[link]

Headquartered in Miami, Ryder has satellite locations in 50 US States and also in Mexico, Canada, Singapore, China and the United Kingdom.^[18]

Criticism[link]

In December 2011, the non-partisan organization Public Campaign criticized Ryder for spending $0.96 million on lobbying and not paying any taxes during 2008-2010, instead getting $46 million in tax rebates, despite making a profit of $627 million.^[19]

References[link]

Notes

Bibliography

External links[link]

• Ryder System, Inc. official website

Coordinates: 25°52′5.67″N 80°23′6.96″W / 25.8682417°N 80.3852667°W / 25.8682417; -80.3852667