It’s Ryder Cup week and Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, will be this year’s host for the biannual event between the United States and Europe. The sides have alternated victories since 2014, with the host country victorious in the past five events.
The Europeans have returned almost a similar roster from the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone in Italy, while new U.S. captain Keegan Bradley is going to battle with four rookies and bringing back Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English, who both did not make the last team, but were at Whistling Straits in 2021.
As we get ready for Friday’s opening sessions, here are some numbers to chew on about this year’s Ryder Cup.
1 Number of water hazards featured at Bethpage Black.
2 Number of pairings that went 4-0 in a single Ryder Cup: Larry Nelson and Lanny Wadkins (U.S., 1979) and Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari (Europe, 2018).
2 Number of ties in the Ryder Cup. In 1969, the U.S. and Great Britain finished 16-16, with the Americans retaining the trophy. In 1989, it was the U.S. and Europe tying 14-14, allowing the Europeans to retain. (Note: In case of a tie, the previous winner retains the Ryder Cup.)
3 Number of players who have gone 5-0. Only Larry Nelson (U.S., 1979), Francesco Molinari (Europe, 2018) and Dustin Johnson (U.S., 2021) have ever gone 5-0 in a single Ryder Cup since the matchup changed to U.S. vs Europe in 1979.
3 Number of times Europe has won in the U.S. since 1995. The Americans have not won a Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993 at The Belfry.
3 Number of captains who have won back-to-back Ryder Cups: Walter Hagen (1935, 1937), Ben Hogan (1947, 1949) and Tony Jacklin (1985, 1987). Donald won the Ryder Cup in 2023, meaning he could join this list if Europe wins at Bethpage Black.
4 Europe has won the last four Ryder Cups (2002, 2004, 2006, 2023) after leading following the end of the first session on Friday.
5 Number of consecutive blowouts. The last five events and eight of the previous 10 have seen a difference of five or more points between the sides. The 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and 2012 at Medinah Country Club were each decided by one point. We did have a run from 1987 to 1999 when seven straight Ryder Cups were decided by two points or less, including the 1989 tie.
6 Number of holes in one at the Ryder Cup, with the last coming in 2006 when both Scott Verplank and Paul Casey achieved the feat at the K Club.
7 Venues that have hosted a Ryder Cup, U.S. Open and PGA Championship: Medinah Country Club, Pinehurst No. 2, Hazeltine National Golf Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Oakland Hills Country Club, Scioto Country Club and Bethpage Black.
8 Consecutive wins for the home team. The “Miracle at Medinah” is the lone time since 2006 that home course advantage didn’t work out.
11 Number of returning players for Europe’s 2025 Ryder Cup team. The only change captain Luke Donald made from the 2023 team is swapping out Nicolai Højgaard for his twin brother, Rasmus.
12 Number of players on both teams who played the 2019 PGA Championship, which was held at Bethpage Black. Only Patrick Cantlay (T-3), Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy (T-8) finished in the top 10. Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm both missed the cut.
12 Most all-time Ryder Cup appearances by any player, an honor held by Phil Mickelson. Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood each have represented Europe 11 times. Rory McIlroy leads all current players with eight appearances. Mickelson and Westwood are tied for most overall matches played (47). Mickelson has also lost the most matches with 22.
12 Most points earned by a partnership over a career, which was done by Spain’s dynamic duo of José María Olazábal and Seve Ballesteros.
13 and 10 Number of PGA Tour majors won by the current U.S. and European teams, respectively.
16 Total number of career Ryder Cup points won by Rory McIlroy, most of any player in this year’s event. Sergio Garcia holds the all-time record with 28 1/2 points won.
19 Most points earned by a side in a single event since the Ryder Cup went to a 28-point total format in 1979. The U.S. beat Europe 19-9 in 2021 at Whistling Straits, which also represents the largest margin of victory since 1979.
19 Number of PGA Tour wins Scottie Scheffler has accumulated since his first Ryder Cup in 2021. Those 19 wins include four majors two Masters, PGA Championship and The Open.
12-9-1 All-time record of Ryder Cups since 1979 with Europe leading the U.S.
30 Acres of fairway and rough found at Bethpage Black.
32 and 15 Total number of Ryder Cup appearances by members of Team Europe compared to the U.S, respectively.
47 Number of wins by U.S. Ryder Cup rookies since 2012. First-time players for the Americans have gone 47-25-10 in matches over the past six events. European rookies, meanwhile, have a 9-20-3 record during the last three Ryder Cups in the U.S.
80 Amount of dollars it costs New York State residents to play Bethpage Black on a weekend. For out-of-state residents, the public municipal course will cost $160.
76 The number of bunkers you will have to avoid when playing Bethpage Black.
1979 The year when the Great Britain and Ireland Ryder Cup team became Team Europe after Spain’s Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido joined. The U.S. would win the first three Ryder Cups against Europe. The Europeans won two straight Ryder Cups in 1985 and 1987 and retained the trophy after a tie in 1989 at The Belfry.
2006 The K Club saw two holes-in-one and also a second straight 9-point win by the Europeans (18 1/2-9 1/2). It was also only time ever in a Ryder Cup that a team won all five sessions.
7,352 Number of yards Bethpage Black will play this weekend at the Ryder Cup.