Ryder Cup Golf Format

The Ryder Cup trophy is pictured in the foreground of the the media event attended by Paul Azinger the Captain of the USA Team and Nick Faldo the Captain of The European Team at Valhalla Golf Club on October 22, 2007 in Louisville, Kentucky.

From 16 to 21 September, Team Europe and Team USA - each with 12 members - will battle it out for the Ryder Cup golf trophy.

All Ryder Cup Matches are played over 18 holes using match play rules - the result of each match is determined by the number of holes won. A win earns a point for the winner's team, and a tie earns half a point for each team. See match play and Ryder Cup scoring for details.

In the current Ryder Cup golf format, a total of 28 matches - each worth one point - are played. The first two days of the tournament will each see four foursome matches played in the morning, and four fourball matches played in the afternoon, making a total of 16 matches. On the final day of the tournament, 12 singles matches will be played.

Not all 12 members of each team have to play in the foursome and fourball matches. The Team Europe and Team USA captains choose any eight players for each of the four rounds of play over the first two days. The captains independently submit the order of play for their teams, and the lists are matched to determine pairings.

Foursome Matches

Two members of Team Europe play against two members of Team USA. Each team member plays alternating shots until a hole is played out. For example, one Team Europe player will play all even-numbered tee shots, and the other Team Europe player will play odd-numbered tee shots. The two members that win a hole in the fewest shots earn one point for their team. A half point is awarded to each team for a tie.

Fourball Matches

Two members of Team Europe play against two members of Team USA, but all four golfers play their own balls per hole. Each hole is won by the team whose individual golfer has the lowest score. A half point is awarded to each team for a tie.

Singles Matches

One Team Europe member plays one Team USA member in a standard match play competition. A golfer wins a match by winning a greater number of holes. A Ryder Cup golf match is won as soon as a player is ahead by more holes than there are left to play.

Don't miss the excitement as the top European and US golfers compete for the Ryder Cup golf trophy in 2008.