The Biggest Margin of Victory in Ryder Cup History: A History of Golf's World Cup

The Ryder Cup is a golfing tournament held every two-years which sees players compete in a team format under the shirt of their country. The event and subsequent trophy are named after English businessman Samuel Ryder who at the time donated the trophy.

Originally in 1927, the Ryder Cup saw two teams compete under the United States and Great Britain flags at Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts. The United States dominated early, winning the first five Ryder Cups.

With Irish golfers playing under the British flag since the beginning of the event, in 1973 the Great Britain team was renamed "Great Britain and Ireland". Then in 1979, the Ryder Cup completely overhauled its field selection.

The biggest margin of victory came at the 1967 Ryder Cup at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. The 17th Ryder Cup saw the United States squad finish with a score of 23.5 to 8.5, giving them a 15-point win.

The 1967 Ryder Cup was held over three days, with a total of 32 points up for grabs. Day one saw eight foursome matches in alternating shots. Day two was eight four ball matches, giving players a better ball to use. And finally, day three was sixteen singles matches.

Leaders for the United States team were Gardner Dickinson and Arnold Palmer, who respectively went 5-0-0 overall claiming five points each. Billy Caspar and Bobby Nichols closely followed with a 4-0-1 record, adding 4.5 points each. Great Britain's best golfer of the weekend was Dave Thomas, who went 2-1-2 overall and claimed 3 points for his country.

The 1979 Ryder Cup saw the largest and most sweeping changes to the format and field the competition has ever seen. As previously mentioned, the Great Britain team was now competing under the name "Great Britain and Ireland" they were still consistently losing to the United States squad.

This was the first Ryder Cup that allowed players from continental Europe to take part in the competition, meaning golfers from Spain – including top ranked pros Steve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido – were able to participate.

From 1927 to 2021 the United States has participated in 43 Ryder Cup matches, winning twenty-seven and losing fourteen, with two ties. Great Britain and Ireland competed from 1927 to 1977, with a record of three wins, eighteen losses and one tie. Since the change in 1979, the Europe team has participated in twenty-one matches, winning eleven and losing nine, with one tie.