Why The Ryder Cup Is The Greatest Rivalry In Sports

Sports Curious

With the Olympics over, you thought you could retire your American flag attire, but not so fast. The ultimate golf rivalry, the Ryder Cup, is upon us. You might think there's nothing angsty about watching golf, but you'd be wrong again. At the Ryder Cup, you can cut the tension, drama and disdain with a knife. Transcript 1. The Ryder Cup, played every other year, pits the 12 best US golfers against the 12 best golfers in Europe. The contest alternates between both sides of the pond, with this year's tourney taking place in Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan at Whistling Straits. The course design replicates courses in Ireland. 2. Team Europe beat the US three years ago when the teams last played. (They skipped a year thanks to COVID). The US holds the overall advantage, though, with 26 wins to Europe's 14. The US Team has a significant advantage this year in Wisconsin - the fans. Over 45,000 fans are expected each day, and they're likely to be rowdy and possibly a game changer. 3. Unlike the Olympics, the golfers will not receive any compensation if they win. The teams are playing for the bragging rights and the exposure to a much larger audience. If the US. wins, the team will receive $200,000. The players then decide on the charities that will receive half of the money. The PGA (Professional Golfers Association) of America decides where the other half goes. And what happens if there's a tie when it's all said and done? The team holding the Ryder Cup retains it (Europe). 4. Keep an eye on Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. The two have had a long-standing beef with each other, done in the most golf etiquette way possible. The two rivals haven't come to blows, but there has been plenty of public eye-rolling, mean tweeting and overall complaining about each other. Either way, the two will have to keep it together as they play for the same team in this tournament. (The PGA's $40M social media incentive that was implemented last season could have something to do with the feud as well). 5. Picking the teams is a mix between your grade school gym class and actual rankings. The U.S. team, led by Steve Stricker, will be made up of the top six players in the points rankings and six players of the captain's choosing. The European captain, Padraig Harrington, doesn't get as much flexibility. His team will consist of the first four players from the European Points List, the leading five players from the World Points List, and three captain's choices.