The Ryder Cup: A History - Rilegato

The scenes at Brookline Country Club in September 1999, when American players and caddies flooded onto the penultimate green in an atmosphere of triumphalism and premature celebration, thrust the Ryder Cup into the headlines - and not for the first time. For over seven decades this unique competition has regularly raised golfing tempers to boiling point on both sides of the Atlantic and looks set to continue to do so well into the new century.
It all started amicably enough back in the 1920s when the wealthy seed merchant Samuel Ryder agreed to provide a trophy to be competed for by teams from the two countries, each of which would host the contest once every four years.
Nevertheless, the sense of shock in British club-houses was palpable when the US took the first contest in 1927 by the humiliating margin of 9 1/2-2 1/2, though pride was partly restored by a British victory in 1929. In 1933 there was a foretaste of things to come when, with Britain hosting the contest, patriotic crowds overran the fairways, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the defeated visitors.