Seve Ballesteros and his outward disdain of the PGA Tour and American players made the Ryder Cup what it is today, but one could argue the event’s astronomical success is actually owed to Jack Nicklaus, who made the fateful suggestion to include continental Europeans in the event in 1977.
That decision rescued the Ryder Cup, an event that nearly died three decades earlier before a little-known golf fan and businessman from Portland named Robert Hudson underwrote the 1947 event after a 10-year hiatus due to World War II.
Now it’s thousand-dollar tickets, million dollar TV rights deals, more merchandise than you could fit in your entire home and stadium seating resembling a football game more than a golf tournament.
That evolution took time and a competitive balance that didn’t exist until the Golden Bear shook the foundation of the event with his idea. It wasn’t warmly received initially, but once implemented it proved to be the spark that changed everything.
Seve vs Azinger. The War by the Shore. Justin Leonard’s putt on 17 at Brookline. The Miracle at Medinah. None of that happens without Samuel Ryder, Hudson or Nicklaus.
The captivating and controversial past of the Ryder Cup is laid out splendidly in “Ryder Cup Rivals: The Fiercest Battles for Golf’s Holy Grail,” a new book written by longtime golf writer Hank Gola. For any golf fan, it’s a perfect read ahead of the upcoming Ryder Cup showdown at Bethpage Black in September.
Ryder Cup Rivals by Hank Gola / Sports Illustrated
The lead up to Bethpage has been intense, as has been the case since Ballesteros and legendary European captain Tony Jacklin joined the fray in ‘77. But what is wasn’t what was, and understanding that history provides a deeper appreciation of event—and perhaps a desire for simpler times.
Yes, there was a time when admission cost less than a dollar, crowds were sparse, no network wanted to televise the event and a U.S. win was a foregone conclusion. Then Ballesterous and Jacklin shifted the balance of power to the Europeans and ratcheted up the hostility.
To think, how things might have been different if Ballesteros was embraced by the PGA Tour and American fans instead of being shunned by them early in his career.
Gola breaks down the event’s evolution through the lens of the most seminal Ryder Cup matches, providing behind-the-scenes anecdotes on why the rivalry runs so deep today, and why those early matches were so one-sided.
It’s a wonderful appetizer for the real thing and will provide any golf fan with stories for days to share on the golf course.
