News

Playing All 5 Matches In One Year

August 18, 2010
/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2015/07/21/55adac7eb01eefe207f8859d_magazine-2010-09-maar01_ryder_cup_globe.jpg

Since the Great Britain & Ireland side added the rest of Europe in 1979, players who have played in all five matches in a competition (two foursomes, two four-ball, one singles) have a 38-40-16 record in singles for that year. European captains have been more likely to ask their stars to play all five matches, and those players are 21-29-9 in singles in years in which they play all five matches; Americans are 17-11-7 in singles after playing every match. Singles records for players for years in which they played every match, by number of points earned:

4½ points (4-0-1) Colin Montgomerie

3½ points (3-1-1) Tiger Woods

3 points (2-2-2) Seve Ballesteros

2½ points (2-1-1) Bernhard Langer

2½ points (2-3-1) Nick Faldo

2 points (2-3-0) Lee Westwood

1½ points (1-0-1) Paul Azinger, Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Hal Sutton, Sam Torrance

1 point (1-0-0) Stewart Cink, Raymond Floyd, Bernard Gallacher, Tom Kite, Paul Lawrie, Larry Nelson, Manuel Pinero, Ian Poulter, Craig Stadler, David Toms, Tom Watson, Paul Way

1 point (1-1-0) Padraig Harrington, Corey Pavin, Curtis Strange

1 point (0-1-2) Darren Clarke

1 point (1-2-0) Lanny Wadkins

1 point (1-3-0) Sergio Garcia

1 point (1-4-0) Jose Maria Olazabal

½ point (0-0-1) Hunter Mahan

½ point (0-1-1) Jim Furyk

½ point (0-2-1) Ian Woosnam

0 points (0-1-0) Brian Barnes, Mark Calcavecchia, Antonio Garrido, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Sandy Lyle, Jesper Parnevik, Costantino Rocca, Des Smyth, Fuzzy Zoeller

0 points (0-2-0) Mark James

0 points (0-3-0) Phil Mickelson

TELEVISION (all times Eastern)

Friday, Oct. 1, 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, Oct. 2, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday, Oct. 3, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. (NBC); closing ceremonies, 1-2 p.m. (ESPN)

MATCH-PLAY FORMAT

A win is one point; halved matches half a point.

Foursomes (alternate shot): Four matches on Friday and four on Saturday. Partners alternate hitting shots from the tee until the ball is holed.

Four-ball (better ball): Four matches on Friday and four on Saturday. Each partner plays his ball into the hole. The best ball of their two counts against the best of their opponents.

Singles: 12 matches on Sunday.