The 23rd Ryder Cup Matches were held September 14–16, 1979, in the United States, 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. For the first time, players from continental Europe took part in the Ryder Cup (specifically, Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido of Spain).[1][2] The new Team Europe replaced Great Britain and Ireland as the official opposition to the United States. It was hoped that the change would help raise the profile of the competition and bring about the end of near total domination by the United States that had existed since the end of the Second World War. However the change made no real impact at the first attempt as the United States won the competition easily by a score of 17 to 11 points and led after every session.[3] Ballesteros and Garrido played together in all four team sessions and were 1–3; both lost their singles matches on Sunday. All four of Ballesteros' losses came against Larry Nelson.[4][5]
Jack Nicklaus, age 39, failed to make the team for the first time since missing his first chance at making the team in 1967. Tom Watson left the day before the competition for the birth of his first child and was replaced on the team by first alternate Mark Hayes.[6]
^"Ryder Cup goes Continental". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. May 31, 1978. p. 26.
^"British receive help in Ryder Cup change". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. May 30, 1978. p. 19.
^Jenkins, Dan (September 24, 1979). "The U.S. rookies were rough Ryders". Sports Illustrated. p. 26.
^"Not-so-good loser". Miami News. September 17, 1979. p. 1C.
^"Nelson-led Yanks retain Ryder Cup". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. September 17, 1979. p. 19.
^"U.S. minus Watson as Ryder Cup starts". St. Petersburg Times. wire services. September 14, 1979. p. 6C.
The Greenbrier The Greenbrier The 23rd RyderCup Matches were held September 14–16, 1979, in the United States, at the Greenbrier Course of The Greenbrier...
The RyderCup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with...
Cup in 1979; this is Europe's heaviest defeat in RyderCup history. Combined with its 2016 win at Hazeltine, the United States won back-to-back Ryder...
'Great Britain and Ireland' for the 1973 RyderCup) and this was extended to golfers elsewhere in Europe in 1979. Established in 1927, the competition is...
Valhalla Golf Club Valhalla Golf Club The 37th RyderCup Matches were held September 19–21, 2008, in the United States at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville...
official RyderCup took place in 1927. The representation of "Great Britain and Ireland" was extended to include continental Europe from 1979. In all the...
It was the largest margin of defeat for a European team (since 1979) at the RyderCup until 2021. It is also the largest margin of defeat for the host...
and Samuel Ryder was amended in time for the 1979 matches, and changed the popularity and competitive balance of the RyderCup. The RyderCup is a match...
Oak Hill CC Oak Hill CC The 31st RyderCup Matches were held September 22–24, 1995 at the East Course of Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York...
United States in the RyderCup for the following teams: Great Britain: 1927 to 1971 Great Britain and Ireland: 1973 to 1977 Europe: 1979 to 2023 159 golfers...
qualified but were later replaced. Thus Tom Watson (1979) is excluded. The following American RyderCup players are or have been related: Joe Turnesa and...
Medinah CC Medinah CC The 39th RyderCup was held September 28–30, 2012, in the United States at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, a suburb...
Gleneagles The 40th RyderCup matches were held 26–28 September 2014 in Scotland on the PGA Centenary Course at the Gleneagles Hotel near Auchterarder...
The Belfry The 34th RyderCup was held 27–29 September 2002 in England, on the Brabazon Course at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire (near Sutton Coldfield)...
Hazeltine National Golf Club Hazeltine National Golf Club The 41st RyderCup Matches were held in the United States from September 30 to October 2, 2016...
secured. This was the last RyderCup in which the U.S. team did not employ captain's selections. Europe used captain's picks in 1979, 1981, 1985, and this...
Celtic Manor The 38th RyderCup was held 1–4 October 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. It was the 17th time the RyderCup had been staged in...
Country Club (the United States) Show map of the United States The 35th RyderCup Matches were held September 17–19, 2004, in the United States at the South...
Kiawah Island Kiawah Island The 29th RyderCup Matches were held September 27–29, 1991, on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island...
Royal Birkdale Golf Club The 18th RyderCup Matches were held 18–20 September 1969 at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. The competition...
Valderrama Golf Club The 32nd RyderCup Matches were held at the Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain, marking the first time the event was contested...
K Club The 36th RyderCup Matches were held 22–24 September 2006 in Ireland at the Palmer Course of the K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, west of Dublin...
Laurel Valley Golf Club Laurel Valley Golf Club The 21st RyderCup Matches were held September 19–21 at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania...
The Belfry The 30th RyderCup Matches were held in England at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, near Sutton Coldfield. The United States team won a...
Houston Houston The 17th RyderCup Matches were held October 20–22, 1967 at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. The United States team won the...
The Belfry The 28th RyderCup Matches were held 22–24 September 1989 at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England, near Sutton Coldfield. For only the...
Garrido who won five times on the European Tour and also played in the 1979RyderCup. His uncle, Germán Garrido, also has won on the European Tour. Garrido...
Global Information
