ByJonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist
The Ryder Cup is a golf competition played every two years between Europe and the United States.
The 2025 edition will take place between Friday, 26 September and Sunday, 28 September at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.
The host course is rotated every two years between Europe and America. The 2023 edition took place at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome. The 2027 contest will take place at Adare Manor in Ireland.
Unlike most golf tournaments, the Ryder Cup is a team event, featuring 12 players on each side competing in different types of pairs and singles matches across the three days.
The winning team is the one to accumulate the most points.
What are the match formats?
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
England’s Tyrell Hatton recorded three wins and a draw from his four matches at the 2023 Ryder Cup
There are three different match formats: foursomes, fourball and singles matches.
Foursomes are also known as alternate shot. Two players compete as partners against their opponents, playing one ball between them and hitting alternate shots. The lowest score wins the hole. Players alternate in teeing off on each hole.
Fourball matches see all four players play with their own balls individually, and the best score on each hole will win that hole for their team.
Singles matches work in the same manner, but involve one player from each team playing against each other and the best score wins the hole.
There will be four foursome matches and four fourball matches on both Friday and Saturday, with 16 points up for grabs.
On Sunday, there will be 12 singles matches featuring every player on both teams.
Each match is worth one point. All tied matches result in half a point for each team.
How many points are needed to win the Ryder Cup?
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Luke Donald was Europe’s captain at their 2023 Ryder Cup victory
With 28 points on offer across the Ryder Cup, a total of 14½ points is enough to secure victory.
In 2023, Europe won 16½-11½ against Team USA.
The last Ryder Cup to take place in America in 2021 saw the United States record a 19-9 win.
What happens if there is a draw at the end of the Ryder Cup?
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Sergio Garcia holds the all-time record for most points scored by one player with 28½
Should the Ryder Cup end in a 14-14 draw, the winner of the previous edition retains the trophy.
Europe are the current holders following their 2023 victory in Rome.
Since 1979, when the Ryder Cup first become a competition between European and American golfers, there has only been one tie. That happened in 1989 at the Belfry in Warwickshire.
Who has the most wins – Europe or USA?
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Phil Mickleson of the United States holds the all-time record for most Ryder Cup appearances in his career with 12 between 1995 and 2018
There have been 22 Ryder Cups since 1979, with Europe winning 12 times to United States’ nine.
The past five Ryder Cups have all been won by the home team, with Europe’s last away win coming in 2012 at Medinah Country Club in Illinois. The last away win for the US was at the Belfry in 1993.
Prior to that, the competition was played between the United States and Great Britain and Ireland for three editions between 1973 and 1977. All three were won by the American team.
The first 19 Ryder Cups, between 1927 and 1971, were contested by the United States and Great Britain. The United States won 15 of them, Britain claimed three wins and the 1969 edition ended in a tie with the US retaining the trophy.
What do match scores mean?
When a player or team has secured victory prior to the end of a full round, the result shows the size of the win.
For example, a 3&2 victory would mean a player or team was leading by three holes with two holes left to play.
If a player or teams wins a match on the 18th hole, their result would be either 1up or 2up depending on how many holes they won by.
If a match ends tied, the result is posted as A/S meaning all square.
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