TERRE HAUTE —
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
This weekend the 38th Ryder Cup is being held in Wales. If you’re a history buff or a golfer, you might be interested in how this match play tournament, which has become a very prestigious event over the years, came to be.
It is under debate as to whose original idea it was, but a believable story to me is that James Harnett, a circulation representative for Golf Illustrated in 1920, wanted to attract readers by raising funds to pay expenses for a professional match between the USA and Great Britain and Ireland. At its’ annual meeting in 1920, the PGA of America voted to advance Harnett some funds, which eventually became the Ryder Cup.
The first informal matches were played at Gleneagles, Scotland, in 1921. The original matches were informal, and didn’t have a name yet. They were comprised of four foursomes (alternate shot) matches on one day and eight singles matches on the other day, each of 36 holes. The Brits won that first match 9-3.
The next match occurred in 1926 because there were regional qualifying matches for the 1926 Open Championship, forcing competitors to make their transatlantic trip earlier. The Americans met the British golfers in an unofficial match at the Wentworth Club, losing soundly by 131⁄2 - 11⁄2. Samuel Ryder, an English seed merchant, was a member of the gallery of that match. Ryder was being tutored in golf by British star Abe Mitchell, who beat the reigning Open Champion Jim Barnes 8 and 7 in the singles, and then he and his partner George Duncan defeated Walter Hagen and Barnes 9 and 8 in the foursomes.
After the matches, Sam Ryder had tea with Mitchell and Duncan. Duncan suggested to Ryder that he provide a trophy and encourage that the matches occur on a regular basis. Ryder enthusiastically agreed, and commissioned the design of the gold chalice now known as the Ryder Cup. The golfer on the top of the trophy is a likeness of Abe Mitchell.
The first official Ryder Cup was set up for June 3-4, 1927, at the Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Mass. There have since been 37 matches spanning 81 years. There was a break in the matches from 1939 to 1947 due to World War II. In Sept. 1939, the secretary of the Professional Golfers Association (GB &I) sent a cable to the PGA of America saying, “When we have settled our differences and peace reigns, we will see that our team comes across to remove the Ryder Cup from your safekeeping.”
The Ryder Cup was interrupted a second time following the Sept. 11, 2001 attack upon America. It was rescheduled for the following year, and has since been conducted in even numbered years.
After Great Britain won the cup in 1933, it didn’t win again until 1957. Interest in the event had waned drastically on the other side of the pond. But in 1969, the two teams tied, due to a gesture of sportsmanship that epitomizes the essence of the Ryder Cup. The score was tied at 151⁄2 - 151⁄2, with one match remaining on the course. Tony Jacklin had just eagled the 17th hole to make the match even. On the 18th green, Jack Nicklaus holed his putt from six feet, then with one sweeping move, picked his ball out of the cup and picked up Jacklin’s marker from 21⁄2 feet, conceding his putt and making the teams tied at 16-16.
The Ryder Cup gained in popularity after men from the European tour were added to the GB & I side in 1979, and the format was revised to include four fourball and four foursomes matches on each of the first two days, and 12 singles matches on the third day. The total amount of points were increased to 28.
The Americans still dominated the matches until 1985, now known as The Battle at The Belfry, where the Europeans won 161⁄2 - 111⁄2. The Europeans won again at The Belfry in 2002, then in America at Oakland Hills, and then in 2006 in Ireland. In 2008, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, a U.S. team captained by Paul Azinger won, by a score of 161⁄2 - 111⁄2. So the Europeans are motivated to keep the cup on their shores with a win in Wales this weekend.
• Quote of the Day: “I don’t think you’d have missed that putt, Tony, but in these circumstances I’d never give you the opportunity” — Jack Nicklaus, as he conceded the putt to Tony Jacklin at the 1969 Ryder Cup matches, which left the teams tied at 16 points apiece.
On & Off the Course
ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
- More On & Off the Course Headlines
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
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