Ryder Cup: Dates, venue, teams, format and more

After Europe's convincing win in Rome, the Ryder Cup heads to Bethpage Black in New York for the 45th Ryder Cup.

The USA have won just three of the last 11 Ryder Cups, but all three of those wins have been on home soil, and the hosts were dominant in 2016 and 2021, recording a record 19-9 victory at Whistling Straits.

When is the Ryder Cup?

The 45th Ryder Cup will take place between Friday 26th and Sunday 28th September.

What are the Ryder Cup teams?

These won't be confirmed until around a month before the event, with players now earning ranking points in order to qualify.

What is the format of the Ryder Cup?

The Ryder Cup is contested over the course of three days between Team USA and Team Europe. Each team is comprised of 12 players, one non-playing captain and a team of non-playing vice-captains.

There are 28 matches played over three days. These 28 matches are split between three different types of match play: four-balls, foursomes and singles.

Four-ball, sometimes known as Better Ball, sees two golfers from each side partner one another with each player playing his own golf ball throughout. The lower of the partners' scores counts as the team score on each hole.

In foursomes, two golfers from each team again pair up but this time play only one ball, taking alternate shots on each hole.

Singles is the format for the last day of the Ryder Cup. This constitutes straight up match play, which sees all 12 European players face an opponent from the USA in a head-to-head contest.

Who are the Ryder Cup captains?

Luke Donald will return as captain for Europe, while Keegan Bradley was selected for the United States after Tiger Woods reportedly turned the role down.

Can LIV golfers play in the Ryder Cup?

Technically yes. Players on the European side need to retain their DP World Tour memberships, and accept and penalties that come their way for playing on LIV, but they are eligible to play.

Similarly for the US team, players need to either accrue enough points in qualifying events (LIV competitions don't count towards ranking points), or earn a captain's pick.

Where is the Ryder Cup?

The biennial Ryder Cup match alternates between Europe and the United States.

The 2025 edition will be held at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.

Bethpage Black has hosted the US Open in 2002 and 2009, the PGA Championship in 2019 and The Barclays in 2012 and 2016.

Can I watch the Ryder Cup?

Broadcast coverage for the Ryder Cup will be confirmed nearer the event. 

How many times has the Ryder Cup taken place?

The Ryder Cup has been previously held on 44 occasions. 

The first match took place between the USA and Great Britain at the Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts, in 1927.

Golfers from the Republic of Ireland were added to the British team in 1953 but the team name was only changed to Great Britain & Ireland 20 years later.

Players from Continental Europe have taken part since 1979.
 

Who has won the Ryder Cup on the most occasions?

The United States have won 27 of the 44 Ryder Cup matches with two ties. 

18 of America's victories came before European golfers were invited to compete in 1979. 

Team Europe have won 12, lost nine and drawn one of the 21 matches they have played in.

Europe are the current holders having won 16.5-11.5 in Rome.

How does scoring work in the Ryder Cup?

For the entirety of its three-day duration, the Ryder Cup follows a match play format. This is a hole-by-hole scoring system in which a player or team can win a hole by posting a lower score than their opponent. If the scores are level for a hole, then the overall score for the match stays the same.

If a team or player (depending on the format) wins the first three holes, they will be '3up' in the match. If they tie the fourth hole, they will remain '3up'. Should their opponents then win the fifth hole, they will then have their lead cut to '2up' etc.

Each hole is worth one point. This means that matches can be cut short if a team builds up an unassailable lead. For example, if a team is '6up' with five holes left to play, the match has already been won and thus will be cut short, despite only 13 of 18 holes having been completed. This team would have won 6 and 5.

Each of the 28 matches is worth one point. Therefore, the first team to get 14.5 points first will win the Ryder Cup. 

The Ryder Cup can end as a tie (14-14), which last happened in 1989. Should history repeat itself at Bethpage Black, Europe would retain the trophy as defending champions.
 

Who are the favourites for the Ryder Cup?

The USA have been installed as favourites for the Ryder Cup, with Europe, who haven't won the Ryder Cup in the States since the 'Miracle of Medinah' in 2012, slight underdogs.

Ryder Cup odds