The U.S. Ryder Cup uniforms that have aged the best (and worst) over the years
Stewart Kendall/Allstar
The only constant in fashion is change. By the decade, by the year, by the season. Trends come and go (and come back and go again), leaving the non-nudists of earth scrambling to catch up. That includes the U.S. Ryder Cup team, who face off against Team Europe every other year in a showdown of not just golf supremacy, but golf style.
The sartorial results over the years have been mixed to say the least. It’s not easy to enter the fashion zeitgeist once every 24 months, make the stars and stripes feel both timeless and timely and exit again just as suddenly. The mothball-reeking graveyard of plaid pants, white belts and argyle sweater vests prove as much. But amidst the forgettable, formulaic entries and the disastrous missteps, there exist a few gems that have stood the test of time. So zip up, grab that ironing board and join us as we reflect on the U.S. Ryder Cup uniforms that have aged the best (and, of course, the worst) over the years.
Actually Fire
1961 – The Swingin’ ’60s
Aubrey Hart
The aughts fedora fad has mercifully passed us by, but the Harrington jacket, proudly worn by the 1961 U.S. Ryder Cup squad, remains an American fashion icon. Can you imagine if Keegan and co. came out rocking these bad boys at Bethpage Black? The Euros would go crawling back to their berets and tracksuits with their tails between their legs. In fact, these are so good, Arnie in a trench coat doing his best Philip Marlowe impression is merely a bonus. That’s saying something.
1973 – Speaking of Arnie …
Getty Images
More proof that Arnold Palmer could make anything look good. Patterned pants are generally a no-no (see Judge Smails, Jason Day, those 2014 pinstripes), but the godfather of golf style made these blue-and-white check slacks look downright classy at Muirfield. Paired with wingtips and a navy-blue sweater with a gold crest, this is as close to timeless as a Ryder Cup look gets.
1981 – Blue Skies Ahead
Hulton Archive
Speaking of crested sweaters, they ruled Ryder Cup fashion with an iron fist throughout much of the 1970s and early ‘80s. The template had a particularly strong year in 1981, thanks in large part to these baby blue beauties, which Lee Trevino paired with a matching glove and a comedically enormous collar to create one of the all-time Ryder Cup fits. We hope you’re taking notes, kids.
1993 – Because it’s the Cup
Stephen Munday
Anytime the silhouette of the Ryder Cup makes its way onto the ensemble, you know it’s going to be sick. The late, great Payne Stewart proved as much in 1993, turning these subtle gray sweaters into a cup classic. Your mileage on the knickerbockers may vary, however.
1995 – Nana's Wallpaper
J.D. Cuban
Thanks in part to the worldwide retconning of Realtree camo, the all-over-print craze shows few signs of slowing down in 2025 CE. The 1995 U.S. Ryder Cup team was at least two decades ahead of the curve, repping these floral print bad boys beneath a cable-knit sweater vest while the rest of America was rocking flannels and ripped Wranglers. Maybe they remind you a bit too much of your grandma’s wallpaper, but doesn’t that make you feel warm, cozy and ready to defend your home turf armed with nothing more than a rolling pin and a pack of Pall Malls?
2012 – I’ll Have a Red Stripe
Fred Vuich
The No. 1 fashion mistake anyone can make is wearing something that was in style a decade ago. It’s a well-known fact that nothing is never further out of fashion than what was cool 10 years before, which makes the reevaluation of mid-aughts and early 2010s Ryder Cup style challenging. That said, there were a few gems from that era that still hold up, and the single red-stripe polos from 2012 are one of them. Simple, clean and restrained in their use of red—a key component of any quality U.S. Ryder Cup uniform—there’s a reason this design has been echoed at nearly every cup since.
2014 – Sweater Weather
After years on the Ryder Cup outlet rack, the graphic sweater made its triumphant return to U.S. Ryder Cup scripting in 2014. The blue-on-blue number featuring the silhouette of Ryder Cup was an instant classic, calling to mind their 1993 inspirations, but the colonial flag crewnecks were equally strong, especially when paired with the over-the-top pom-pom beanies. The rest of 2014’s scripting is best forgotten, especially from the waist down, but the U.S. hasn’t topped these looks since.
Wouldn’t be Caught Dead in It …
1987 – Seeing Red
Low-key, these might be the single worst U.S. Ryder Cup uniforms ever. At the very least, they’re the worst application of the classic red, white and blue color scheme, with a retina-searing red block extending all the way from the ankles to the belly button. The addition of narrow navy blue stripes on the shirt also gives the impression of a slightly darker shade of red from the belt up, turning this heap of garbage into a five-alarm dumpster fire.
1989 – The Deep V
We’ve spent much of this space so far extolling the virtues of a good sweater. These are not that. In fact, they tick about every “nope” box on our list. Too much red? Check. Horizontal and vertical striping? Check. A V-neck so deep you could wear it clubbing in Ibiza? Cheee-eck. With these atrocities in play, it’s no wonder the ’89 Ryder Cup ended in a tie, the grossest of all possible outcomes for both sides.
1999 – The Other Brookline Shirt
Simon M Bruty
While the 1999 Ryder Cup gave us the most controversial shirt in golf history (more on that later), these blue-and-gold bombs have arguably aged worse. Not for anything particularly ghastly—though they do bare an uncomfortable resemblance to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ infamous bumblebee throwbacks—but because they’re almost impossibly forgettable. Seriously, look at the image again. Now close your eyes and try to picture the shirt. You can’t do it, can you?
2006 – Brown Town
Donald Miralle
You want to know what these uniforms look like? We’ll give you a hint: It’s the same color.
2008 – Atrocities in Argyle
Richard Sellers/Allstar
Though the 2008 Ryder Cup gave U.S. fans plenty of fond memories—imagine telling a teenage golf fan today that Anthony Kim and Boo Weekley were once on the same Ryder Cup team AND WE WON—these argyle abominations are not one of them. Like madras, argyle on golf attire, even when applied ironically, needs to go the way JNCO jeans, UGG boots and Ol’ Yeller. Thankfully we haven’t seen much of it in the years since, but we live in constant fear this pattern will one day rear its ugly head again.
2010 – This is Morning Mist
Fred Vuich
Like Geroge Costanza, there are many moods, many shades and many sides to U.S. Ryder Cup scripting. Red, white, blue, gold, brown. You name it, we’ve seen it. But the most baffling was 2010’s Great Pastel Experiment. Seriously, explain the lilac sweater vests to us like we’re 5, because we still don’t get it. The U.S. team was battling Europe for bragging rights on foreign soil dressed like Easter eggs ... and somehow that wasn't the worst part. While the soothing spring hues were bizarre, the rain suits at Celtic Manor—an essential part of the ensemble in Wales in September—were downright awful.
Hear Us Out …
Early 1990s – It’s a WAG World
Of all the lost Ryder Cup traditions, the matching WAG sweaters of the early '90s are probably best left in the closet. It’s a bit cringe, as the kids like to say about literally everything. Still, the sartorial statement did spawn a few bonkers Ryder Cup sweaters that wouldn’t look out of place on the webstores of Malbon and Mitchell & Ness today. We don’t know if any of these survived the Salvation Army donation bin, but if you happen to come across one, wear it with pride … and perhaps a little courage.
1999 – TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH!
Simon M Bruty
All of which brings us to the final boss of Ryder Cup shirts: 1999’s dreaded picture-frame polo. Long considered the fugliest Ryder Cup shirt ever made, this burgundy monstrosity was conceived by U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw, who had the bright idea to plaster the photos of past Ryder Cup winning squads all over his team’s torsos. The result could have been a disaster, but the U.S. team, perhaps unable to be humiliated any further, appeared liberated during Sunday singles, staging an incredible come-from-behind victory in the so-bad-they’re-good shirts.
That's not quite the end of the story, however. In 2018, a fan paid nearly $4,000 for one of the shirts at auction. A few years later, Brookline hero Justin Leonard donned one for a COVID-era rewatch party of the ‘99 Ryder Cup. The reappraisal was officially underway. The bed-and-breakfast-inspired look has threatened to jump the shark since, but if you’re headed to Bethpage Black in a replica—or better yet, the real thing—this year, expect cheers, not jeers.