The 22nd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England, is one of the courses in the Open Championship rotation. The Women's British Open has also been played on the course four times: once prior to being designated a major championship by the LPGA Tour, and three times since.The...

 in Lytham St Annes

Lytham St Annes

Lytham St Annes is a conurbation in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The neighbouring towns of Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea have grown together and now form a seaside resort...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.
The United States team won the competition by a score of 12½ to 7½ points. The event was the last time that a Great Britain and Ireland team would compete for the Ryder Cup. During the competition, officials from the Professional Golfers' Association of America

Professional Golfers' Association of America

Founded in 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is made up of more than 28,000 men and women golf professional members...

 and the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland

Professional Golfers' Association (Great Britain & Ireland)

The Professional Golfers' Association is the professional body which represents the interests of teaching and club golf professionals in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland...

 discussed the possibility of allowing players from continental Europe

Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....

 to participate in the Cup, and Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus

Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...

 also advocated this change in a meeting with Lord Derby

Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby

Edward John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby MC , known as Lord Stanley from 1938 to 1948, was a British peer....

.
The Deed of Trust that was struck with the PGA of Great Britain and Samuel Ryder

Samuel Ryder

Samuel Ryder was an English businessman, entrepreneur, golf enthusiast, and golf promoter. He originated the idea of selling garden seeds in "penny packets" and built a very successful business on the concept...

 was amended in time for the 1979 matches

1979 Ryder Cup

The 23rd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Greenbrier Course of The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It was the beginning of a new era for the Ryder Cup...

, and would change the future popularity and competitive balance of the Ryder Cup.

Format

The Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup 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...

 is a match play

Match play

Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...

 event, with each match worth one point. The competition format was reduced in scope from the formats used from 1963

1963 Ryder Cup

The 15th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Atlanta Athletic Club, now known as East Lake Golf Club, at that time located in Atlanta, Georgia. The United States team won the competition by a score of 23 to 9 points....

 through 1975

1975 Ryder Cup

The 21st Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.The United States team won the competition by a score of 21 to 11 points...

, with only 20 matches played instead of 32. The schedule of play was as follows:

• Day 1 — 5 foursome (alternate shot) matches
• Day 2 — 5 four-ball (better ball) matches
• Day 3 — 10 singles matches

With a total of 20 points, 10½ points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.

Teams

    Team Great Britain and Ireland
Captain:   Brian Huggett

Brian Huggett

Brian George Charles Huggett, MBE is a Welsh professional golfer. In 2006 he was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame....

 Howard Clark Neil Coles

Neil Coles

Neil Chapman Coles, MBE is an English professional golfer. As of 2005, Coles is only the second man to win a professional golf tournament in six different decades, starting in the 1950s and extending into the 21st century.Coles was born in England...

 Peter Dawson

Peter Dawson (golfer)

Peter Dawson is an English professional golfer.Dawson was born in Doncaster. He was a member of the European Tour in the 1970s and won his sole European Tour title at the 1975 Double Diamond Strokeplay. However his most consistent season by far was 1977, when he finished seventh on the European...

 Brian Barnes

Brian Barnes (golfer)

Brian Barnes is a professional golfer. He was born in Addington, Surrey, England, and lives in England, but he represented Scotland at the international level...

 Tommy Horton

Tommy Horton

Thomas Alfred Horton, MBE is an English professional golfer.Horton was born in St Helens, Merseyside. He played on the European Tour for many years with moderate success, winning four titles and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit in 1976 and tenth in both 1974 and 1978. He has been more...

 Bernard Gallacher

Bernard Gallacher

Bernard Gallacher, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer.Gallacher was born in Bathgate, Scotland. He took up golf at the age of eleven. In 1965 he won the Lothians Golf Assocation Boys Championship. He won the 1967 Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship and turned professional the same...

 Eamonn Darcy

Eamonn Darcy

Eamonn Darcy is one of the most successful golfers produced by the Republic of Ireland.Darcy was born in Delgany, County Wicklow. He turned professional in 1968 and played on the European Tour from 1972, winning four European Tour tournaments. His best years were 1975, when he came third on the...

 Mark James Nick Faldo

Nick Faldo

Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...

 Peter Oosterhuis

Peter Oosterhuis

Peter A. Oosterhuis is an English professional golfer and golf analyst.-Early years, amateur golf:Oosterhuis was born in London...

 Tony Jacklin

Tony Jacklin

Anthony Jacklin CBE is an English golfer, who was the most successful British player of his generation. He was also the most successful European Ryder Cup captain ever.-Early life and education:...

 Ken Brown

Ken Brown (golfer)

Ken Brown is a Scottish former European Tour golfer who now works as a golf broadcaster and writer, primarily for the BBC. He also works as part of the commentary team for the international coverage of the European Tour on selected events which are not covered by the BBC...

  Team USA
Captain: Dow Finsterwald

Dow Finsterwald

Dow Henry Finsterwald, Sr. is an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship. He won 11 Tour titles between 1955 and 1963, played on four Ryder Cup teams, and served as non-playing captain for the 1977 U.S. Ryder Cup team.Finsterwald was born and raised in...

• Lanny Wadkins
  Lanny Wadkins
  Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988....
  
  
• Lou Graham
• Don January
  Don January
  Donald Ray January is an American professional golfer.January was born in Plainview, Texas, and graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas...
  
  
• Hale Irwin
  Hale Irwin
  Hale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was...
  
  
• Dave Hill
  Dave Hill (golfer)
  James David Hill was an American professional golfer. He was the brother of golfer Mike Hill.Hill was born in Jackson, Michigan. He attended the University of Detroit, where he played on the golf team. Hill won 13 times on the PGA Tour, three of which came during his career year of 1969, when he...
  
  
• Jack Nicklaus
  Jack Nicklaus
  Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
  
  
• Hubert Green
  Hubert Green
  Hubert Myatt Green is an American professional golfer who has won numerous professional golf tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level....
  
  
• Raymond Floyd
  Raymond Floyd
  Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour....
  
  
• Tom Watson
  Tom Watson (golfer)
  Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
  
  
• Jerry McGee
  Jerry McGee
  Jerry McGee is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.McGee was born in New Lexington, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University and was a member of the golf team. He turned pro in 1966 and joined the PGA Tour in 1967.McGee won four PGA Tour events in...
  
  
• Dave Stockton
  Dave Stockton
  David Knapp Stockton is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour....
  
  
• Ed Sneed
  Ed Sneed
  Ed Sneed is an American professional golfer, sportscaster and course design consultant, who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour....
  
  

Thursday's foursome matches

	Results
Gallacher Bernard Gallacher Bernard Gallacher, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer.Gallacher was born in Bathgate, Scotland. He took up golf at the age of eleven. In 1965 he won the Lothians Golf Assocation Boys Championship. He won the 1967 Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship and turned professional the same... /Barnes Brian Barnes (golfer) Brian Barnes is a professional golfer. He was born in Addington, Surrey, England, and lives in England, but he represented Scotland at the international level...	3 & 1	Wadkins Lanny Wadkins Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988.... /Irwin Hale Irwin Hale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was...
Coles Neil Coles Neil Chapman Coles, MBE is an English professional golfer. As of 2005, Coles is only the second man to win a professional golf tournament in six different decades, starting in the 1950s and extending into the 21st century.Coles was born in England... /Dawson Peter Dawson (golfer) Peter Dawson is an English professional golfer.Dawson was born in Doncaster. He was a member of the European Tour in the 1970s and won his sole European Tour title at the 1975 Double Diamond Strokeplay. However his most consistent season by far was 1977, when he finished seventh on the European...	1 hole	Stockton Dave Stockton David Knapp Stockton is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.... /McGee Jerry McGee Jerry McGee is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.McGee was born in New Lexington, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University and was a member of the golf team. He turned pro in 1966 and joined the PGA Tour in 1967.McGee won four PGA Tour events in...
Faldo Nick Faldo Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No... /Oosterhuis Peter Oosterhuis Peter A. Oosterhuis is an English professional golfer and golf analyst.-Early years, amateur golf:Oosterhuis was born in London...	2 & 1	Floyd Raymond Floyd Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.... /Graham
Darcy Eamonn Darcy Eamonn Darcy is one of the most successful golfers produced by the Republic of Ireland.Darcy was born in Delgany, County Wicklow. He turned professional in 1968 and played on the European Tour from 1972, winning four European Tour tournaments. His best years were 1975, when he came third on the... /Jacklin Tony Jacklin Anthony Jacklin CBE is an English golfer, who was the most successful British player of his generation. He was also the most successful European Ryder Cup captain ever.-Early life and education:...	halved	Sneed Ed Sneed Ed Sneed is an American professional golfer, sportscaster and course design consultant, who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.... /January Don January Donald Ray January is an American professional golfer.January was born in Plainview, Texas, and graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas...
Horton Tommy Horton Thomas Alfred Horton, MBE is an English professional golfer.Horton was born in St Helens, Merseyside. He played on the European Tour for many years with moderate success, winning four titles and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit in 1976 and tenth in both 1974 and 1978. He has been more... /James	5 & 4	Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... /Watson Tom Watson (golfer) Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
1½	Session	3½
1½	Overall	3½

Friday's four-ball matches

	Results
Barnes Brian Barnes (golfer) Brian Barnes is a professional golfer. He was born in Addington, Surrey, England, and lives in England, but he represented Scotland at the international level... /Horton Tommy Horton Thomas Alfred Horton, MBE is an English professional golfer.Horton was born in St Helens, Merseyside. He played on the European Tour for many years with moderate success, winning four titles and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit in 1976 and tenth in both 1974 and 1978. He has been more...	5 & 4	Watson Tom Watson (golfer) Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour.... /Green Hubert Green Hubert Myatt Green is an American professional golfer who has won numerous professional golf tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level....
Coles Neil Coles Neil Chapman Coles, MBE is an English professional golfer. As of 2005, Coles is only the second man to win a professional golf tournament in six different decades, starting in the 1950s and extending into the 21st century.Coles was born in England... /Dawson Peter Dawson (golfer) Peter Dawson is an English professional golfer.Dawson was born in Doncaster. He was a member of the European Tour in the 1970s and won his sole European Tour title at the 1975 Double Diamond Strokeplay. However his most consistent season by far was 1977, when he finished seventh on the European...	5 & 3	Sneed Ed Sneed Ed Sneed is an American professional golfer, sportscaster and course design consultant, who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.... /Wadkins Lanny Wadkins Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988....
Faldo Nick Faldo Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No... /Oosterhuis Peter Oosterhuis Peter A. Oosterhuis is an English professional golfer and golf analyst.-Early years, amateur golf:Oosterhuis was born in London...	3 & 1	Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... /Floyd Raymond Floyd Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour....
Jacklin Tony Jacklin Anthony Jacklin CBE is an English golfer, who was the most successful British player of his generation. He was also the most successful European Ryder Cup captain ever.-Early life and education:... /Darcy Eamonn Darcy Eamonn Darcy is one of the most successful golfers produced by the Republic of Ireland.Darcy was born in Delgany, County Wicklow. He turned professional in 1968 and played on the European Tour from 1972, winning four European Tour tournaments. His best years were 1975, when he came third on the...	5 & 3	Hill Dave Hill (golfer) James David Hill was an American professional golfer. He was the brother of golfer Mike Hill.Hill was born in Jackson, Michigan. He attended the University of Detroit, where he played on the golf team. Hill won 13 times on the PGA Tour, three of which came during his career year of 1969, when he... /Stockton Dave Stockton David Knapp Stockton is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour....
James/Brown Ken Brown (golfer) Ken Brown is a Scottish former European Tour golfer who now works as a golf broadcaster and writer, primarily for the BBC. He also works as part of the commentary team for the international coverage of the European Tour on selected events which are not covered by the BBC...	1 hole	Irwin Hale Irwin Hale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was... /Graham
1	Session	4
2½	Overall	7½

Saturday's singles matches

	Results
Howard Clark	4 & 3	Lanny Wadkins Lanny Wadkins Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988....
Neil Coles Neil Coles Neil Chapman Coles, MBE is an English professional golfer. As of 2005, Coles is only the second man to win a professional golf tournament in six different decades, starting in the 1950s and extending into the 21st century.Coles was born in England...	5 & 3	Lou Graham
Peter Dawson Peter Dawson (golfer) Peter Dawson is an English professional golfer.Dawson was born in Doncaster. He was a member of the European Tour in the 1970s and won his sole European Tour title at the 1975 Double Diamond Strokeplay. However his most consistent season by far was 1977, when he finished seventh on the European...	5 & 4	Don January Don January Donald Ray January is an American professional golfer.January was born in Plainview, Texas, and graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas...
Brian Barnes Brian Barnes (golfer) Brian Barnes is a professional golfer. He was born in Addington, Surrey, England, and lives in England, but he represented Scotland at the international level...	1 hole	Hale Irwin Hale Irwin Hale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was...
Tommy Horton Tommy Horton Thomas Alfred Horton, MBE is an English professional golfer.Horton was born in St Helens, Merseyside. He played on the European Tour for many years with moderate success, winning four titles and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit in 1976 and tenth in both 1974 and 1978. He has been more...	5 & 4	Dave Hill Dave Hill (golfer) James David Hill was an American professional golfer. He was the brother of golfer Mike Hill.Hill was born in Jackson, Michigan. He attended the University of Detroit, where he played on the golf team. Hill won 13 times on the PGA Tour, three of which came during his career year of 1969, when he...
Bernard Gallacher Bernard Gallacher Bernard Gallacher, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer.Gallacher was born in Bathgate, Scotland. He took up golf at the age of eleven. In 1965 he won the Lothians Golf Assocation Boys Championship. He won the 1967 Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship and turned professional the same...	1 hole	Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
Eamonn Darcy Eamonn Darcy Eamonn Darcy is one of the most successful golfers produced by the Republic of Ireland.Darcy was born in Delgany, County Wicklow. He turned professional in 1968 and played on the European Tour from 1972, winning four European Tour tournaments. His best years were 1975, when he came third on the...	1 hole	Hubert Green Hubert Green Hubert Myatt Green is an American professional golfer who has won numerous professional golf tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level....
Mark James	2 & 1	Raymond Floyd Raymond Floyd Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour....
Nick Faldo Nick Faldo Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...	1 hole	Tom Watson Tom Watson (golfer) Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
Peter Oosterhuis Peter Oosterhuis Peter A. Oosterhuis is an English professional golfer and golf analyst.-Early years, amateur golf:Oosterhuis was born in London...	2 holes	Jerry McGee Jerry McGee Jerry McGee is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.McGee was born in New Lexington, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University and was a member of the golf team. He turned pro in 1966 and joined the PGA Tour in 1967.McGee won four PGA Tour events in...
5	Session	5
7½	Overall	12½