RYDER CUP 2008 HISTORY What had become a sports event of little interest to those outside the golfing fraternity in the 1970s and 80s – in 1981, the Washington Post devoted barely 100 words to previewing the Ryder Cup – is now on a par with the World Series and the Olympic Games. After two unofficial transatlantic engagements at the start of the 1920s, 68-year-old seed merchant Samuel Ryder asked why the event did not take place more often, having watched his coach Abe Mitchell beat Jim Barnes (9&8) and Walter Hagen (8&7). He was told the Professional Golfers’ Association would be delighted to make it a regular occurrence. So by 1927, Ryder had commissioned a solid gold trophy from Mappin & Webb, two teams had been selected and everything was in place for the first official Ryder Cup match – at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. The Americans, spearheaded by Hagen and Gene Sarazen, always held the upper hand. The format was four 36-hole foursomes followed by eight 36-hole singles, and the home side strolled to a 9.5-2.5 victory. The seed had been sown and in the 1929 match at Moortown near Leeds, a hard-fought series of foursomes left the Americans with a one-point lead before the final day. But three crunching home wins in the first four singles, including a 10&8 drubbing of Hagen by George Duncan, set up a 7-5 Great Britain & Ireland victory. Despite a home win at Southport & Ainsdale in 1933, interest waned and was virtually non-existent by 1957. After a run of seven defeats, a strong home side, led by the ebullient Welshman ➤ Above The crowd show their appreciation at Valderrama in 1997 CLASSIC SPORTS SERIES / 183