Ryder Cup (thing)

History
It began in 1927 when Samuel Ryder, a wealthy British merchant, donated a solid gold trophy to the winning team of professionals players from either the United States or Great Britain and Ireland. The competition has been held every two years since, except for the second world war. Through 1983, the United States dominated the competition by winning all but three matches. 

That all changed in 1985, when the Europeans won the Cup from the Americans at The Belfry Club in England, and then held on to it two years later when they won on American soil for the first time at Muirfield Village. In 1989 , the Europeans kept the Cup again with a 14-14 tie before the United States came back with two victories. Europe won the Cup back in 1995 at Oak Hill, and then kept it at Valderrama in 1997.

Play format and Schedule 
A total of 28 points are at stake over the three days. A team must have 14½ points to win back the Cup. In the event of a 14-14 tie, the current owner will retain the Cup. All matches are match play, not stroke play. All matches are 18 holes. All matches are worth one point, and a halved match gives each side one-half point.

The event is played over three days. Friday and Saturday, have four foursome matches in the morning and then four four-ball matches later in the afternoon. Sunday's competition is 12 singles matches. The number of team vs. singles matches has varied, and in 1979 the Cup was expanded to allow all European nations.

Teams
Each team will have 12 members, but only eight can play in the foursome and in the four-ball matches. The team captains will select who plays, who the partners are and in what order they play. This is done without knowing who the other team is selecting. Players are qualified according to their results on the respective tours over the last year, plus each team's captain has a couple of wildcards to distribute. 

The 2001 Ryder Cup will be played September 28-30 on The Belfry, England.