The brainchild of Samuel Ryder, a wealthy seed merchant from St Albans, the Ryder Cup was a bi-annual British-American professional golf tournament that was first played for the trophy bearing his name in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1927. America won the match and gradually became the dominant force in the competition. During the 1960s the results were so one-sided that the Ryder Cup was expanded so that players from Ireland could compete for the British team. As the Americans continued to win comfortably, Jack Nicklaus led the movement to alter the teams so that European players were also allowed to compete against them. Since 1983 the contest has become one of the most competitive tournaments in the world, with many players achieving sporting immortality for their exploits on green and fairway on both sides of the Atlantic. This book examines the careers and Ryder Cup contributions of 50 of the greatest golfers in history, from Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer to Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo. Lavishly illustrated throughout, this book provides the perfect accompaniment to the upcoming tournament at Gleneagles in Scotland.

The brainchild of Samuel Ryder, a wealthy seed merchant from St Albans, the Ryder Cup was a bi-annual British-American professional golf tournament that was first played for the trophy bearing his name in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1927. America won the match and gradually became the dominant force in the competition. During the 1960s the results were so one-sided that the Ryder Cup was expanded so that players from Ireland could compete for the British team. As the Americans continued to win comfortably, Jack Nicklaus led the movement to alter the teams so that European players were also allowed to compete against them. Since 1983 the contest has become one of the most competitive tournaments in the world, with many players achieving sporting immortality for their exploits on green and fairway on both sides of the Atlantic. This book examines the careers and Ryder Cup contributions of 50 of the greatest golfers in history, from Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer to Steve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo. Lavishly illustrated throughout, this book provides the perfect accompaniment to the upcoming tournament at Gleneagles in Scotland.

Enter the locker room: this is a history of the Ryder Cup like you have never experienced it before. From the origin matches that preceded the first official trans-Atlantic encounter between Britain and America at Worcester Country Club in 1927, all the way through to the fortieth installment at Gleneagles in 2014, this is the complete history of the Ryder Cup – told by the men who have been there and done it. With exhaustive research and exclusive new material garnered from interviews with players and captains from across the decades, Behind the Ryder Cup unveils the compelling truth of what it means to play in golf's biggest match-play event, where greats of the game have crumbled under pressure while others have carved their names into sporting legend.

The Ryder Cup has defined Sam Torrance's life as a professional golfer. He has played with and against some of the greatest golfers the game has ever known, in the biggest and most high-pressure team event in golf. In An Enduring Passion, Torrance recalls every great moment in the two decades he spent pursuing Ryder Cup glory and looks at how the event has changed since he was trying to qualify for it as a player in the late 1970s. He examines the tactics and techniques of the captains he played under and those he played against, and tells how his huge experience as a player, and his vice captaincy to Mark James in the bear pit of Brookline, shaped the way he conducted his own captaincy at The Belfry in 2002. Everything he had learned about the Ryder Cup went into his leadership during that event, and when he raised the trophy aloft at the end of it all he knew he had learned the lessons well. Today, Sam Torrance is one of the most identifiable faces, and voices, of golf. It is the Ryder Cup, though, that made him, and this book is his enlightening account of the competition from an insider's perspective.

The Ryder Cup battle between Europe and the USA is one of the biggest events in the golfing calendar and in 2006, the former underdogs showed they are now the dominant force in the biennial matches. It was another marvellous example of teamwork, and the caddies have played no small part in Europe overcoming the odds. The players hit the shots; their trusty caddies share the hopes, the glory and, occasionally, the misery. What was it like being beside Sam Torrance when he holed the winning putt and shed his tears on that historic moment at The Belfry in 1985? Fast forward to 2006 and a highly emotional appearance by Darren Clarke. What was it like being by his side? What was the story behind Colin Montgomerie's right-hand-man returning to his bag to help lay to rest the ghost of 1999? How do you cope when Seve Ballesteros is in full cry against the 'old enemy', especially when you are an American yourself? In 1991, a spike mark cost Europe the tournament, but what really happened behind the ropes? Who knew his man had had a vision he would beat Tiger Woods in 1997 - and saw it come true? What was it like witnessing those awful scenes at Brookline up close and personal in 1999? Who knew exactly which line to take when Paul McGinley sank his memorable winning putt in 2002? How We Won the Ryder Cup covers all the drama that has unfolded in the competition over the years and includes the action from the 2006 tournament at The K Club, County Kildare in Ireland, which saw Europe storm to a third successive victory.

Golf fans will not forget the 39th Ryder Cup in a hurry. Staged at the Medinah Country Club just outside of Chicago, the 2012 event has already gone down as the most remarkable competition in its 85-year history. The American team had home advantage, and a golf course unapologetically set up to suit its own players. Supported by tens of thousands of loud and proud fans, the USA's star-studded line-up dominated the first two days and ended the Saturday with a seemingly unassailable 10-6 advantage. No away team had ever won the Ryder Cup from such an unpromising position. Sunday was singles day, traditionally the forte of American teams. The situation looked bleak, especially when European team member and number 1 golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy, very nearly missed his tee-off time. Yet slowly but surely, the European team - who had top-loaded their line-up in one last throw of the dice - started to turn the scoreboard blue. With inspirational captain Jose Maria Olazabal stiring European blood with thoughts of the late Ryder Cup magician Seve Ballesteros (whose silhouette was emblazoned on the players' sweaters and bags), the tide turned and the previously dominant American players started to crumble in the face of the onslaught. Suddenly European players were holing miraculous putts to win holes out of the blue. Something very special was happening. When German Martin Kaymer sank his putt on the eighteenth green to clinch the point that retained the Ryder Cup, the most astonishing comeback in the event's long and distinuished history was complete. Miracle at Medinah is the compelling narrative of those amazing three days in Illinois, a fitting chronicle of an unbelievable sporting story.