The 2025 Ryder Cup is just around the corner – but where did it all start? Our team at gimmeballs have done the research and put together a complete guide to the Ryder Cup’s history. This event has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1927, to become the huge celebration we know today.

Read on to learn the fascinating history of the Ryder Cup, as well as what we know about this year’s edition of the tournament.

What is the Ryder Cup?

The Ryder Cup is one of the world’s biggest golfing events. It is played every other year, and features 24 of the best golfers from Europe and the United States.

Unlike many other big golfing events, the Ryder Cup is played in teams – so instead of a single individual claiming victory, each tournament is won by either Team Europe or Team USA.

What is the history of the Ryder Cup?

The Ryder Cup was started by Samuel Ryder, an English businessman with a passion for golf. He first held a golf tournament between Great Britain and America in 1926. However, this isn’t considered an official Ryder Cup game, as no cup was awarded. The Ryder Cup officially began in 1927 at Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts, where the USA won by a score of 9.5 to 2.5.

The Ryder Cup continued like this, with a tournament every other year for a decade. Unfortunately, this tradition was halted by World War II, and with the death of Samuel Ryder it seemed unlikely to return. This could have been the end of one of the world’s most celebrated golfing traditions.

In an unexpected twist of fate, though, the game was revived by Rober A. Hudson – an Oregon fruit grower who decided to follow in Samuel Ryder’s footsteps. With the spark reignited, the Ryder Cup continued as it was always meant to. There were a handful of format changes over the years, with the most significant arriving in 1979. This was the year that the British team expanded to become a European team. This allowed more top golfers to participate and allowed the USA’s rivals to draw from a larger talent pool – which was becoming necessary as America hadn’t lost for well over a decade by this point.

DID YOU KNOW? From the tournament’s inception until the end of the 20th century, the Ryder Cup was only played in odd-numbered years. Then the 2001 tournament was delayed until 2002 due to the 9/11 attacks, and for a while after that, the Ryder Cup took place only in even-numbered years. But then the coronavirus pandemic struck and the 2020 edition had to be postponed until 2021, so now the Ryder Cup is back to happening in odd-numbered years again.

That brings us to today! After several changes, and two unlikely benefactors, the Ryder Cup is still going strong. Two teams of twelve, from America and Europe, go up against each other every other year to demonstrate the very best of their golfing talents.

Why is it called the Ryder Cup?

The Ryder Cup is named after the event’s original founder, Samuel Ryder. He made his fortune by selling seeds much more cheaply than his competitors at the time, at only a penny per packet. When his friend suggested he take up golf for his health, he couldn’t have known that it would eventually lead to one of the world’s biggest golfing events.

Do Ryder Cup players get paid?

Generally, Ryder Cup players are not paid, though this has varied somewhat over the years. In 1999, when Tiger Woods began to question where all the profits of the event were going, Team USA players were given some say over which charities the profits were donated to.

For the 2025 Ryder Cup, the American PGA has announced that each American player will receive $500,000 (with $300,000 of that going to a charity selected by the player). The remaining money is a stipend, though some players have reportedly said that this will also be donated to charity.

As for Team Europe, there are no plans for them to be paid to play in the Ryder Cup.

Who won the Ryder Cup in 2023?

The last Ryder Cup, held in Italy in 2023, was won by the European team. Captain Luke Donald (who will be returning this year) led the team to a decisive victory with a score of 16.5 to 11.5. The team included Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and several other well-known golfers.

Can women play in the Ryder Cup?

Unlike The Open, which has allowed women since 2006, the Ryder Cup does not allow women to play. Female golfers play in the Solheim Cup instead, which is held on alternate years with the Ryder Cup. The last Solheim cup was held in Virginia in 2024, and the next will be in the Netherlands in 2026.

When is the Ryder Cup?

The Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black Course in New York on 23rd – 28th September 2025. If you’ve had enough of history and are ready to look to the future, you can watch live or follow along with this year’s event at home.

Get ready for the Ryder Cup!

The Ryder Cup is fast approaching! If you’re excited about golf, then why not hold your own mini Ryder Cup with our Ryder Cup golf balls? We’ve got a selection of the best golf balls used by the pros who will be playing at Bethpage this September.

Shop Ryder Cup Golf Balls

2025’s Open Championship at Portrush is sure to be an exciting event, with well-known players like Xander Schaufele and Rory McIlroy returning to the links. But who else can you expect to see at The Open this year?

We’ve put together a list of everyone who is confirmed to be playing in The Open this year, as well as some key information about the most prominent golfers in the tournament.

The Last Three Winners

Winning The Open secures you a spot in at least the next ten Open Championships. The last three winners of The Open will all be returning to the field this year.

• Xander Schauffele (2024 winner). Currently the third-best golfer in the world according to the PGA rankings, Schaufele has played in 195 PGA tour events with 66 top-ten finishes. He generally uses Callaway equipment and favors the Callaway Chrome Tour golf ball – which he used to win both The Open and the PGA Championship in 2024.
• Brian Harman (2023 winner). A pro since 2009, Brian Harman won the 2023 Open by an impressive six-stroke margin. Harman uses the Titleist Pro V1, a favourite among professionals and novices alike. This American golfer is consistently skilled and scores well, but only time will tell if he’ll get his hands on the Claret Jug again this year.
• Cameron Smith (2022 winner). This Australian pro won The Open in 2022 with an impressive closing round, narrowly beating another Cameron – Cameron Young – to the victory. He might just repeat that impressive feat this year, so keep an eye on Smith throughout the tournament. Smith, who prides himself on his determination, is a skilled golfer through and through. He uses Titleist Pro V1x golf balls – a firm option that offers great control.

Other Returning Champions

The following golfers have won previous Open Championships and are returning for another chance at the Claret Jug.

• Colin Morikawa – 2021 winner
• Shane Lowry – 2019 winner
• Francesco Molinari – 2018 winner
• Jordan Spieth – 2017 winner
• Henrik Stenson – 2016 winner
• Zach Johnson – 2015 winner
• Rory McIlroy – 2014 winner
• Phil Mickelson – 2013 winner
• Ernie Els – 2002 and 2012 winner
• Darren Clarke – 2011 winner
• Louis Oosthuizen – 2010 winner
• Stewart Cink – 2009 winner
• Padraig Harrington – 2007 and 2008 winner
• Justin Leonard – 1997 winner

Other Golfers Who’ll Be Competing at The Open 2025

There are plenty of other skilled golfers who are hoping to win The Open for the first time. Though more players may be confirmed later, here are the other players you can expect to see at The Open this year:

• Ludvig Aberg
• Mikiya Akutsa
• Byeong Hun An
• Daniel Berger
• Akshay Bhatia
• Keegan Bradley
• Daniel Brown
• Sam Burns
• Laurie Canter
• Patrick Cantlay
• John Catlin
• K J Choi
• Wyndham Clark
• Corey Conners
• Jason Day
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Thomas Detry
• Harris English
• Ethan Fang
• Darren Fichardt
• Tony Finau
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Rickie Fowler
• Ryan Fox
• Lucas Glover
• Max Greyserman
• Ben Griffin
• Julien Guerrier
• Justin Hastings
• Tyrrell Hatton
• Russel Henley
• Tom Hoge
• Rasmus Hojgaard
• Rikuya Hoshino
• Victor Hovland
• Mackenzie Hughes
• Sungjae Im
• Shugo Imahira
• Stephan Jaegar
• Dustin Johnson
• Ryggs Johnston
• Matthew Jordan
• Sadom Kaewkanjana
• Takumi Kanaya
• Riki Kawamoto
• Tom Kim
• Chris Kirk
• Brooks Koepka
• Jason Kokrak
• Romain Langasque
• Thriston Lawrence
• Min Woo Lee
• Marc Leishman
• Curtis Luck
• Robert Macintyre
• Matteo Manassero
• Hideki Matsuyama
• Denny McCarthy
• Matt McCarty
• Tom McKibbin
• Maverick McNealy
• Guido Migliozzi
• Dylan Naidoo
• Bryan Newman
• Joaquin Niemann
• Niklas Norgaard
• Andrew Novak
• Thorbjorn Olesen
• Carlos Ortiz
• Matthieu Pavon
• Ryan Peake
• Taylor Pendrith
• Marco Penge
• JT Poston
• Jon Rahm
• Aaron Rai
• Patrick Reed
• Justin Rose
• Antoine Rozner
• Scottie Scheffler
• Adam Scott
• Jordan Smith
• Elvis Smylie
• Sebastian Soderberg
• Younghan Song
• JJ Spaun
• Sepp Straka
• Justin Suh
• Jesper Svensson
• Nick Taylor
• Sahith Theegala
• Justin Thomas
• Daniel Van Tonder
• Jhonattan Vegas
• Matt Wallace
• Paul Waring
• Cameron Young
• Kevin Yu

Get Golfing!

If the talent on display at this year’s Open has inspired you to get back onto the green, then you’re in the right place. We’ve got a great range of golf balls to help you get golfing in 2025. Who knows? Maybe your name will be on the list for who’s playing in the next Open!

Shop Golf Balls

Learn More: History of The Open

So, you reckon you're a pretty good golfer, eh? You think that, just because you hit the links every weekend and you're whittled your handicap down to nothing, you can shoot under par on any golf course in the world?

Well, think again. In this blog post, we're going to look at five of the toughest golf courses on the planet - places where even the pros fear to tread.

Pack your golfing essentials and your passport, because gimmeballs is taking you travelling!

Golf Courses

- Saujana Golf Club
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club
- Whistling Straits
- Carnoustie Golf Links
- The Ocean Course

5. Saujana Golf Club

Saujana Golf Club at The Palm Course in Malaysia ranks number five on our list. 

It is most commonly recognised as "The Cobra", given its profound challenge, as well as the fact that cobras were introduced to keep the crop-destroyin rodents away. It hosted six of the last 13 Malaysian Opens, all of which are co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours. 

Surrounded by deep greenery water, and sand hazards dispersed throughout the course, just reaching the greens is a considerable obstacle; nevertheless, the real difficulty commences on the greens.

The putting surfaces of Saujana Golf Club are exceptionally fast and feature seriously sloping arcs, making them arguably the most difficult putting grounds on the globe. Only golfers who specialises in putting have the opportunity for sucess at this club. 

Did You Know:

• The Saujana Golf Club was constructed on a former oil palm estate with rolling hills.
• The early nine holes of the courses are regarded as extremely hard, while the back nine are fairly straightforward.
• Notable holes on the course include the par-3 second, par-5 third, and the unforgiving 8th.
  
  

4. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club

At number four, we have the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in China. 
It is currently the world's longest course (8,548 yards) as well as one of the most challenging.

The course resides more than 3,040 metres above sea level in the Himalayas, where the thin atmosphere leads the golf ball to travel farther. The thin atmosphere causes the ball to swerve to the left or right, so it's difficult to keep the ball under control.

Did You Know:

• Caddies at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club are from the Naxi culture and wear traditional attire.
• The course was opened in 2001 and is an 18-hole par 72 golf course.
• The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest regulation golf course in the world
  
  

3. Whistling Straits

Our third-place contender is the Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Pete Dye created this monstroisity, of course, on the abandoned artillery range on Lake Michigan's shoreline.

According to the article by the writers of Golf Digest magazine, there are an impressive 967 bunkers. This corresponds to rough average of 54 bunkers on each fairway. Many of them are so small that a golfer and a ball barely fit inside. Many are barely acknowledge as bunkers, as Dustin Johnson realised to his misfortune on the final hole of the 2010 US PGA Championship, when he was one shot ahead.

Did You Know:

• Dustin Johnson and his caddie mistook the 18th hole for a worn-out area, leading to a two-stroke penalty that cost him the championship.
• The Whistling Straits is home to Scottish Blackface Sheep that like speckling the course.
• The course is a walking-only area; therefore, no golf carts are permitted. 
  
  

2. Carnousitie Golf Links

Taking our siler medal in the list of most challenging golf courses is the Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland.

On the merciless North Sea Shore, this Scottish golf course swiftly earned the nickname Carnasty following the 1999 Open Championshp, reducing golf champion Sergio Garcia to tears.

It birthed the term Carnousite effect due to it being riddled with dangerous pot bunkers; the name refers to the psychic shock that occurs when an individual with unrealsitic expectations encounters reality. 

A famous Carnoustie effect was is the 1999 Open when Jean Van de Velde had a breakdown, involving a visit to the notorious Barry Burn, taking seven strokes to finish he hole, and losing the playoff to Paul Lawrie.

Did You Know:

• English golfer Tommy Fleetwood currently holds the golf course record of 63.
• Established in 1842, Carnoustie is among the world's oldest golf courses.
• According to Golfweek, it's the most challenging open rota course.
  
  

1. The Ocean Course

The Ocean Course in South Carolina is our top pick for the most difficult golf course.

Constructed by golf architect Pete Dye (dubbed The Marquis de Sod due to his excruciating cousrse designs), it is not surprising that the Ocean Course is number one on our list. The golf course's immense sand dunes, prickly marshes, laborious pot bunkers, and exceptionally quick greens are regularly proven to render even the world's most exquistie golfers into crumbling hackers (bad golfers).

In the 1991 Ryder Cup, which was presented on the Ocean Course, elite golfers such as Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples, and Payne Stewart won holes with double-bogeys.

Did You Know:

• The Legend of Bagger Vance starring Will Smith, Charize Theron and Matt Smith was filmed here.
• In 2012, it hosted the most challenging PGA Championship Round.
• German golfer Alex Cejka has the course record of 63 achieved during the 1997 World Cup.

Can you prevail over the world's top five most challengign golf course or will you continue to golf on your own greens?