The Ryder Cup is (almost!) officially underway. Here’s one of your last chances to learn a little more about it. Below are eight rules or random facts you might not have known — and rattling them off might make you the coolest (or nerdiest) golf fan in the office.
The envelope rule
In something that seems like it’s been stolen right out of a James Bond flick, the envelope rule contains names that are essentially secrets that only the captains know. Basically, if a player on either team becomes injured or sick and can’t compete during the first two days, it’s not usually a huge issue since there are benched players and they can fill in on short notice before a match begins. But in singles, everyone plays, so before those matches start, each captain puts the name of a player in a sealed envelope and submits it along with their lineups. The player submitted is the one who would sit out if the opposing team loses a player due to injury or illness. You can learn more about the obscure rule here.
The Captain’s Agreement
Speaking of the envelope rule, it’s a part of a Captains’ Agreement(!), which is a multiple-page document that details things you never even thought were worth detailing. Our Alan Bastable dissected it last year, which you can read about here.
The best Ryder Cup duo ever?
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. There have been a lot of outstanding Ryder Cup duos over the years, but the best ever, record-wise, is Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal.
Their all-time record? It’s 11-2-2, good for the most victories and total points among any other duo.
Love for lefties
(Moderately) Fun fact: Ryder Cup rookies Brian Harman and Robert MacIntyre are the fourth and fifth lefties to play in a Ryder Cup, joining Peter Dawson, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson.
Young Sergio
The youngest player to compete on a Ryder Cup team is Sergio Garcia, who debuted for Europe as a 19-year-old pro in 1999. More than two decades later, he’s the Europeans’ all-time leading scorer with 28.5 points, 3.5 more than Nick Faldo.
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Which means…
Raymond Floyd, at 51 years old, is the oldest player to ever compete in the Ryder Cup. He was a captain’s pick in 1993 and finished the week 3-1-0.
The Ryder Cup today
For 50 years, from 1927 to 1977, the Ryder Cup was the U.S. vs. Great Britain. Players from Ireland joined the Great Britain squad starting in 1953, although the team wasn’t officially renamed to Great Britain and Ireland — like the current Walker Cup team — until 1973. After the Americans dominated the event for several years, players from continental Europe joined Great Britain and Ireland in 1979. Since then, it’s simply been the U.S. vs. Europe.
Golf ball strategy
During foursomes play (alternate shot), players are now allowed to switch golf balls on the tee, which means they’ll usually use the ball the player hitting the approach shot is most comfortable with. There’s some strategy involved, as early in the week you’ll see players hitting different shots with their likely partner’s golf ball of choice.